On Friday, the men's and women's indoor track and field teams kicked off their season with a bang as both squads finished in second place at the Akron Quad Meet, and several Buffalo athletes scored individual wins.
The men's track and field team placed only behind host Akron at the competition. Akron scored 160 points, while the Bulls finished with 140. Pittsburgh finished behind the Bulls with 92 points, and Youngstown State finished in fourth place with 79 points.
The men won seven events at the match, with sophomore Ezekiel Porter winning two individual events. Porter won the 60-meter race in 6.89 seconds, while taking first in the 200-meter dash in 21.59 seconds. Other winners included freshmen Jamal Norward and Brandon Giles. Norward won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.59, while Giles won the 400-meter dash in 50.55. Senior George Fetchko's shot put toss of 16.34m put him in first, while sophomore Matt Gac earned first in the weight throw event at 17.44m. In the 4x400-meter relay, a team of sophomores Brendan Hagerty and John Bauman, along with Porter and Giles, took first by winning the event in 3.22.49. Like the men's team, the women's team placed second in the meet behind Akron by only 48 points. The women scored 135.5 points, behind Akron's 183.5. Pittsburgh followed with 96.5 points, with Youngstown State ended with 82.5 points to finish in last. The Lady Bulls won two events, while earning points with numerous second-place finishes. Senior Patrice Coney won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.88, while freshman Lataya Dixon allowed the Bulls to finish one-two in the event, tuning in a time of 9.06. Junior Caitlin Godin also won an event for the Bulls, winning the high jump with a leap of 1.70m.
Other point earners for the women included senior Tina Villa, who finished second in the shot put event with a toss of 14.12m. Sophomore Jessica Cooper finished second in the triple jump, with a jump of 11.40m. Junior Mary Veith earned second place in the mile run with a time of 4:59.16, while sophomore Christine Sprehe finished second in the 800-meter run in 2:19.79. On Saturday, the track and field team will travel to Cornell for the Cornell Upstate Challenge. The meet will take place all day.


