BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo men's and women's outdoor track and field squad presented its team awards for the 2003 season at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet held at Samuel's Grande Manor.

Men's head coach Perry Jenkins made the following presentations to his squad: Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Dan Simpson (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Gary Asbach (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) received the Coach's Award; and Keith Gentes (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken) was named the team's Most Valuable Player. Women's head coach Vicki Mitchell presented her squad with the following awards: Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Allison Laske (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) received the Coach's Award; and Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

Todd Joki

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes himself/herself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Joki, a hurdler and jumper, finished eighth in the long jump at 22-11 (6.98m) and set a season-best mark of 14.60 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles at the Mid-American Conference Championships. He established a personal-best leap to win the long jump at the UB Chancellor's Cup at 23-5.25 (7.14m). Vance, a weight thrower, turned in a personal-best performance with her shot put throw of 44-6 (13.56m) to place fourth at the MAC Championships. She also finished 18th in the hammer throw at 144-0 (43.89m) after posting a best of 154-4 (47.04m) at the UB Chancellor's Cup.

Sarah Vance

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in his/her performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Simpson, a pole vaulter, tied for eighth in the competition at the MAC Championships with a height of 15-1 (4.60m). He set the school record of 15-10 (4.83m) at the UB Chancellor's Cup. Laske, a middle distance runner and last season's Coach's Award winner, finished 12th in the 800-meters at the MAC meet in a personal-best 2:12.56. She was also part of two record-setting relay teams during the season, running the anchor leg of the sprint medley relay (4:00.47) at the Alabama Relays and the second position of the 4x800 relay (8:51.81) team at the Penn Relays.

Keith Gentes

The Coach's Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Asbach, a jumper, finished ninth in the long jump (22-9.25, 6.94m) and 10th in the triple jump (44-8.25, 13.62m) at the MAC Championships. He established a personal-best long jump with his 23-3.50 (7.10m) mark at the UB Chancellor's Cup to finish second behind Joki. Thompson, a weight thrower, was one of UB's top performers during the season, breaking her own shot put record with a winning throw of 46-8 (14.22m) at the McDonald's Invitational in Athens, OH. She also won the hammer throw (165-3, 50.38m) at the meet. She finished fifth in both the shot put at 44-4.75 (13.53m) and hammer throw with a personal-best 179-0 (54.57m) at the MAC Championships and also earned league recognition as she was named to the Academic All-MAC Women's Track and Field Team.

Laura Olson

The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through his/her skills and leadership. Gentes, a weight thrower, garnered second-team All-MAC honors after his second-place finish in the hammer throw (190-5, 58.04m) at the league championships. Gentes turned in a career-best hammer throw of 190-7 (58.10m) to establish the school record when he won the title at the UB Chancellor's Cup. Olson, a pole vaulter, consistently rewrote the record book in her event, establishing a new record nearly every time she headed down the runway. Olson won her first MAC Championship title with a school-record height of 13-1.75 (4.01m) to take the event by nearly four inches over Akron's Kira Sims.

The UB men placed seventh while the women took ninth at the MAC Championships in Mt. Pleasant, MI earlier in the month. Thompson, Gentes and Olson will be among eight UB athletes competing at this weekend's NCAA East Regional Championships in Fairfax, VA, after meeting qualifying marks during the season. The top five finishers in each event automatically qualify for next month's NCAA Championships in Sacramento, CA.