UB Men's Outdoor Track & Field Announces Awards

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men’s outdoor track and field squad presented its team awards for the 2007 season following the completion of the year's competition.

Head coach Perry Jenkins made the following presentations: Russell Cameron (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Jake Madonia (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) received the Coaches’ Award; and Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) was named Most Outstanding.

Russell Cameron

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes himself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Cameron saw action in the decathlon competitions for the Bulls in 2007. He finished fifth at the Mid-American Conference Championships with 6,235 points for the 10 events. At the meet, he placed second in the 1,500-meters (4:39.47) and third in the javelin (157-8, 48.07m), setting season-best marks in both events.

Jake Madonia

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in his performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Madonia was the team's top shot putter in 2007, earning a spot at the NCAA East Regional Championships in Gainesville, FL, where he twice set his top throw, ending with a best toss of 56-5.25 (17.20m) to finish 16th in a very strong field. He also placed sixth in the shot put at the MAC Championships.

Todd Joki

The Coaches’ 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. Joki was UB's top decathlete in 2007, scoring a third-place finish at the MAC Championships with 6,351 points in the 10-event competition. Joki won the 110-meter hurdles portion of the decathlon in 14.76 seconds, tied for first in the 100-meters in 11.26 seconds and had a second-place finish in the long jump at 22-6 (6.85m). He set a season-best point total of 6,504 as he took first place at the Hillsdale Gina Relays in April and was named the MAC's Male Field Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

Reggie Rucker

The Most Outstanding Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through his skills and leadership. Rucker broke both UB hurdles records at the MAC Championships, setting a Miami University track record in one of the races on his way to winning the 110-meter and 400-meter events, earning First-Team All-Mid-American Conference honors. In the 110-meter hurdles, Rucker won in 14.05 seconds, breaking his UB record by two-tenths of a second and completed the sweep with a victory in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a new UB record and Miami facility mark of 50.75, lowering his UB record by more than six-tenths of a second. Rucker’s 400-meter hurdles victory was the third by a Bull in the last four MAC Championships. He also competed in the NCAA East Regional Championships in both hurdles events, falling short of reaching the finals.

The Bulls completed their season with a fifth-place finish at the MAC Championships.