The two-day Penn State National Invitational hosted some of the largest names in Division I this weekend, giving the Bulls some excellent competition and experience to carry with them into Mid-American Conference competition. Schools such as Tennessee, Charlotte, Virginia Tech and Syracuse all made the trip to central Pennsylvania for the meet.
The men's and women's teams both had breakout weekends with two record-setting wins as well as achieving marks for the regional qualifiers.
This high for the Buffalo men came when its 4x800 team set a new school record while qualifying for the IC4A Championships in March. The team of freshman John Bauman, senior Paul Riley, freshman Ryan Zillman and freshman Matt Kaiser finished in 7:48.73, breaking the previous mark of 7:59.18 set in 2004. The same team would come back to qualify for the IC4A's again, this time in the distance melody relay. The men finished eighth overall and first in their heat in a time of 10:12.28.
The men would chalk up a few more top finishes on the weekend as senior Roy Richards finished second in the men's long jump, tying his season-best mark of 24-5.75 feet. His teammate, junior Rayshon Higgins, finished fifth in a tough men's triple jump at 48-7.25 feet improving on his IC4A qualifying mark by more than a foot and a half.
The Buffalo men also had strong performances from their group of throwers including some top finishes and more personal bests. Sophomore Jake Madonia, with his third-place toss of 54-8.25 feet, improved his IC4A qualifying mark by nearly two feet. Senior George Fetchko was fifth with a throw of 53-11.75 feet to improve his best by nearly 20 inches while sophomore Alexandros Stamatakis was 16th overall in the 27-man field with a throw of 48-2.75 feet. Madonia and Stamatakis won their respective flights at the meet.
Other results for the men include senior Todd Joki, who earned a fifth-place finish in the men's heptathlon. Sprinter Reggie Rucker reached the finals of the men's 60-meter hurdles and finishes sixth in a time of 8.05 seconds.
Shining on the women's side was senior Sarah Vance who broke her school record in the women's shot put for the second time this season. Vance won the event on Saturday with a toss of 52-8.75, bettering last week's throw by more than two feet when she won at the Cornell Upstate Challenge. Junior Tina Villa finished fourth for the Bulls with a throw of 47-9 feet. Vance also placed ninth in the women's weight throw at 56-9.25 feet.
Buffalo snagged two more third-place finishes before the competition was over. In the mile run, sophomore Mary Veith earned an ECAC Championships slot with her time of 4:58.58 seconds, shaving more than 10 seconds off her previous best for the season. Sophomore Caitlin Godin was third in the women's high jump, posting a height of 5-5.75 feet.
The Bulls split into two groups for competition next weekend. Several athletes will compete in New York City for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. The bulk of the teams will travel to the University of Akron Open. Both meets are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
