UR Track and Field (URTF) traveled to Lewisburg, PA, last weekend to compete at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. Bucknell had a lot on their plate, as talent from all over the Northeast came to compete at the invitational.
The team performed well across the board in the distance, sprinting, throwing, and jumping events. Both the Men’s and Women’s Teams competed in ideal weather conditions for the first time this season.
The highlight of the meet for UR was the women’s 4-by-100–meter relay—comprised of junior Brittany Schutrum, senior Emily VanDenburgh, senior Cameron Edwards, and Take Five Scholar Yvette Igbokwe—who, together, broke the school record by nearly half a second.
The strong performance by the Women’s Team resulted in 15 ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) qualifying standards. Senior Katie Knox (3k Steeplechase), senior Victoria Stepanova (5k), junior Sam Kitchen (1500), senior Anya Joynt (10k), and junior Audrey McCarthy (10k) all posted ECAC marks during the first day of competition. Knox and Stepanova also broke UR school records in their respective events.
On the second day of competition, the women posted strong sprinting, throwing, and relay performances. After breaking the 4-by-100–meter record, Edwards ran the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:03.00, while freshman Alice Freese ran a personal record (PR) of 1:07.12. In the 100-meter hurdles, Edwards and freshman Kylie Bartlett ran 15.64 and 15.68 respectively, qualifying for the postseason.
Ogbokwe set a new personal best in the 200-meter, finishing seventh, with a time of 25.27. She also ended seventh in the 100-meter dash.
In the throwing events, junior Megan Forney and senior Amanda Hall set personal bests. Hall PR’ed in the shot put, while Forney set a new personal best in the hammer throw. Capping off a strong performance in the field events, VanDenburgh qualified for ECACs with a long jump of 5.43 meters, which landed her in fifteenth place.
In their last event, the women’s 4-by-800–meter relay of Knox, Kitchen, Freese, and Stepanova ran an ECAC qualifying time of 9:30.29, a season best for UR.
With a slew of great performances on the women’s side, the men’s team had their work cut for them. The men’s team ended the meet with eight ECAC qualifiers, scattered across the distance, jumping, and sprinting events.
On the first night of competition, freshmen Ben Martell and Forrest Hangen performed solidly in the 3k steeplechase and the 5Kk, both securing spots in the ECAC meet.
For the jumpers, seniors Boubacar Diallo and Jon Kuberka posted strong long jumps, while senior Pat Rice leaped 4.50 meters in the pole vault, which resulted in a sixth–place finish.
The second day of action also saw two relays qualify for the postseason championships. The 4-by-100–meter team of freshman Thomas Chant, senior Jeff Hrebenach, sophomore Fiyin Oluyinka, and Rice finished ninth in 43.24 seconds, while the 4-by-800–meter relay team of junior Chris Cook, freshman Chris Dalke, sophomore Corey Peruffo, and senior Jeremy Hassett crossed the finish line at 7:58.72, good for sixth.
Hassett qualified individually in the 800-meter, where he ran 1:54.64. Junior Wilfred Wallis and Dalke also performed well in the event.
On the sprints side, Hrebenach led the way with a blistering 22.17 200-meter dash. Herbenach, Chant, Oluyinka, Frank Dettore-Schenkelberg also competed in the 100-meter dash.
Long sprints saw PRs from sophomores Savon Amos (No. 37) and Sean Corcoran (No. 51) in the 400-meter dash, with Amos winning the second heat in a time of 51.17 seconds.
The hurdles squad saw strong performances from senior RJ Morrow and freshman Griffin Cunningham in the 110-meter. In the 400-meter hurdles, junior Nate Kuhrt and sophomore Scott Mistler-Ferguson finished No. 32 and No. 34, respectively, in a competitive field.
To round out the day, the men’s 4-by-400–meter relay team of Mistler-Ferguson, Kuhrt, Amos, and Corcoran finished in 3:25.86, placing thirteenth.
Next Saturday, April 23, URTF looks to build on their momentum as they host a home meet at Fauver stadium starting at 10 a.m.
