TRACK & FIELD

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GAINESVILLE, FL - The University at Buffalo men's and women's track and field teams had a successful first day at the NCAA Division I East Regionals held at Percy Beard Track at the University of Florida.

Laura Olson

The highlight of the day for the Bulls was senior Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) who qualified for the national championships for the second straight year with a third place finish in the pole vault. Olson set a new school record by clearing 13-5³/₄" in the event, tying for first in height but finishing third based on number of misses. Princeton's Chelo Canino took first place with just one miss until her final height.

Olson finished 13th at the national championships last year, clearing 13-1¹/₂. The top eight in the country earn All-American status, an achievement that a Buffalo track and field athlete has earned once before, when Lockport native Shelly Hamilton finished eighth in the high jump in 1998.

The top five finishers in each event at this weekend's four regional meets (East, Mid-East, West, Mid-West), as well as a to-be-determined number of "at-large" selections based on the NCAA descending order list following the regional meets, will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, TX June 9-12.

Allison Laske

Elsewhere, senior Allison Laske (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) qualified for the 800 meter final by claiming her heat - the third of four on the day - in a time of 2:08.98. Laske advanced as one of only nine of 28 runners to the finals, taking the lead at the 300-meter mark and conserving energy while finishing first. Laske will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career in the finals at 7:15 pm Saturday evening.

Buffalo also got a strong performance from distance runner Jenny Koeppel (Amherst, NY/Amherst), who competed in the 5,000 meters. Koeppel finished 16^th in a field of 39 in a time of 16:54.67. Koeppel had claimed the 10,000 meters at the MAC Championships earlier this month but elected to only run the 5,000.

Sophomore thrower Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) completed the first of two events she has qualified in on Friday. Vance finished 31^st in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 158-10. She has also qualified to compete in the shot put on Saturday at 6 pm.

Another Western New York native, freshman Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) competed in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles after winning the Mid-American Conference championship earlier this month. Heim finished sixth in his heat in a time of :53.36 and did not advance to the finals.

"Laura set a pace early in the day with a great competition for the rest of the kids to follow," said UB women's track and field coach Vicki Mitchell. "It's really hot and humid but it didn't seem to effect the kid's performances. It's pretty exciting that they were that focused. It was definitely a good first day for us."

Mitchell also noted that for underclassmen like Heim, Vance and Koeppel, the event also was a step forward despite not earning an NCAA championship invite.

"For Brian, Jenny and Sarah it showed the tremendous improvement they had during the season. It's great for them to experience this kind of level of competition."

On Saturday, Vance will compete in the shot put, Laske will run in the 800-meter finals and freshman Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Timon-St. Jude) will compete in the triple jump.