Laura Olson

FAIRFAX, VA - University at Buffalo women's pole vaulter Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) and triple jumper Biaunca McFarland (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) led the way as the Bulls' track and field squads competed at the NCAA East Regional Championship at George Mason University.

Olson, a junior, finished in a second-place tie with Clemson senior Joana Costa, clearing 3.92 meters and scoring UB's lone seven points of the meet. Florida State sophomore Lacy Janson won the event at 4.02 meters.

Biaunca McFarland

McFarland, a senior, earned her first trip to the national championships thanks to a fifth-place finish in the triple jump. McFarland bettered her own record in the event with a leap of 12.83 meters. Her previous record was 42-0.50 (12.81 meters), set in her victorious effort at the 2002 Mid-American Conference Championships. Kitoya Carter of Miami (FL) won the event at 13.11 meters.

UB's next best finish at the meet was a seventh-place effort by men's shot putter Byron McKinney (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home). McKinney broke his own school record with his toss of 17.29 meters and giving the UB men their only two points of the meet. The toss bettered his previous record of 56-5.75 (17.21 meters) set at the MAC Championships two weeks ago when he finished third.

Byron McKinney

Other UB results from the weekend included Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) placing 16th in the women's hammer throw at 53.33 meters and 24th in the women's shot put at 13.46 meters. Men's hammer thrower Keith Gentes (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken) took 19th with his toss of 53.41 meters. On the track, Joe Clark (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) was 15th in the 400-meters in a season-best 47.10, Jerimie Slick (Rochester, NY/Greece-Olympia) finished 16th in the 5,000-meters in 14:21.47 and Christina Keck (Erie, PA/McDowell) placed 23rd in the 800-meter run in 2:12.22. Only the top eight in each race advanced to Saturday's finals.

The University of Florida won both the men's and women's team scoring. The Gators earned 99 points in the men's meet while scoring 105 women's points. Olson's seven points and McFarland's four placed the UB women in a tie for 16th with Pittsburgh at 11 points as 51 schools scored. The two men's points by McKinney tied the Bulls with Army, Navy, Fairleigh Dickinson and Massachusetts for 46th place among 56 scoring teams.

The top five finishers in each event earn an automatic berth in the NCAA meet, to be held June 11-14 in Sacramento, CA, with the eight remaining national slots given to the next finishers from this weekend's four regional meets. Olson and McFarland become the first UB athletes since high jumper Shelly Hamilton in 1998 to advance to the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Hamilton's 1998 NCAA appearance was at UB Stadium when Buffalo hosted the national championship meet.