Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Release

Bulls Send Five to NCAA East Regional Meet

The University at Buffalo sent five athletes to last weekend’s NCAA East Regional Championships at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro’s Irwin Belk Track and came away with a pair of qualifiers for June’s NCAA Championships in Sacramento, CA. In the team points competition, the UB women finished with eight points, placing 25th among 52 teams. The UB men scored five points and tied for 38th overall among 54 squads. South Carolina’s women (79.5) and Florida State’s men (97) took the team titles.

Roelofsen Takes Second in Javelin

Vanessa Roelofsen

Women’s javelin thrower Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) finished second in her event with a throw of 164-9 (50.22m). The distance was second only to UNC-Wilmington’s Anna Raynor (168-0, 51.20m), who also defeated Roelofsen when the two athletes met at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational to open the outdoor season in March. Roelofsen, a second-team All-Mid-American Conference honoree also earned All-East recognition with her performance.

Richards Soars to School Record

Roy Richards

Men’s long jumper Roy Richards (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) finished fourth in his event, breaking a six-year old UB record in the process. Richards posted a career-best and school record mark of 24-11 (7.59m) to break the mark of 24-10 (7.56m) set by MAC champion Kamau Halim in 2000. Richards finished second in his flight behind Florida State’s Johnta Griffin (25-2.75, 7.69m). Florida’s Mike Morrison won the overall title with a leap of 25-6.75 (7.79m). For his efforts, Richards also earned All-East honors.

Higgins, Heim, Godin Also Compete in Greensboro

Three additional UB athletes also competed over the weekend but were unable to crack into the scoring column. In the men’s triple jump, Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon-St. Jude) placed 13th with a distance of 49-8.25 (15.14m). Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) finished 16th overall in the men’s 400-meter hurdles in 52.02. Heim finished second in his heat as the top finisher in each of the six heats and the next two fastest overall times moved into the finals. Both Higgins and Heim won MAC championships in their respective events on May 13. Freshman Caitlin Godin (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) competed in the women’s high jump but finished with no height. She was unable to clear the opening height of 5-7.25 (1.71m).

Schedule is Set for Sacramento

The NCAA Championships get started on June 7 with both the javelin and long jump competitions contested on the opening day. The javelin is slated to begin at 11:30 am (PDT) with the qualifying rounds while the long jump commences at 7:15 pm (PDT) that evening. The men’s long jump final is Thursday, June 8 at 6:30 pm (PDT) while the javelin will be decided at 1:15 pm (PDT) on Friday, June 9. The top eight finishers in each event earn All-American honors. UB’s Shelly Hamilton earned the status in the high jump at the 1998 championships, which was held at UB Stadium.