Sidelines

McKenna speeds his way to 12th

Dan McKenna finished 12th out of a field of 174 on Saturday at the IC4A/ECAC Cross Country Championships. The junior ran the five-mile course in just 25:24.8, adding another notch to his remarkable season.

Two additional UB runners finished in the top 100. Freshman Dan Healy, with a time of 26:40.1, placed 93rd, finishing just a second ahead of junior Andy Leonard. Leonard was 94th in a time of 26:41.9.

Closing out UB's top five scorers were junior Chris McClure and sophomore Dan Giza. McClure captured 128th place in 27:01.2 and Giza placed 142nd with a time of 27:21.0.

Following McClure and Giza were senior Matt Moynihan and juniors David Welby and Paul Riley. Moynihan finished in the 149th position in 27:32.5 and Welby ran the race in 27:42.9 to garner 156th. Riley ended the day for UB in 166th place with a time of 28:12.9.

UB was solely represented by the men's team which finished 17th out of the 20 teams that competed in the championship race and managed to hold its own against some of the top competition in the nation.

UB raced in the championship division of the IC4A. Head coach Vicki Mitchell thought that the Bulls would have done better as a team in the university race, but saw the chance to run against teams such as Duke and Notre Dame as an invaluable lesson.

St. Francis (Penn.) senior Ryan Sheehan was tops in the individual race with a time of 24:58.9, a full three seconds ahead of second-comer C.W. Moran of James Madison.

The women's ECAC championships were also held Saturday but UB did not field a team in the event.

UB's runners will now look to the upcoming indoor track season. The first meet, Kent State's Black Squirrel Classic, is scheduled for Jan. 13 and 14.

Rafter art

Before Friday's season opener against Canisius, UB hoisted a banner into the rafters of Alumni Arena commemorating the National Invitational Tournament appearance of the 2004-2005 men's basketball team. The trip to the NIT was the first time the men's team appeared in the postseason. UB won its opening round game against Drexel 81-76 but fell to St. Joseph's 55-50 in the first round. The team also set a men's basketball record for wins in a season with 23

On hand for the unveiling were 2005 graduates and playmakers Jason Bird and Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year Mark Bortz. While Daniel Gilbert and Turner Battle are overseas furthering their basketball careers, Battle's father, Richard Battle, represented the MAC Player of the Year.