The Penn State National Meet always attracts some of the nation's top track and field teams. For Buffalo, the meet provided athletes with an opportunity to see how they stacked up against great opponents.
At the two-day event this past weekend, the men and women's track teams showed a great deal of potential. Though the meet didn't bring any individual victories, the Bulls stacked up well against superior talent.
"I got a good idea of where the team is at right now," said men's head coach Perry Jenkins said. "I'm very proud of all my men. They are really beginning to come together as a team, just in time for a crucial month of the season."
The men's squad was able to capture two second-place finishes. Sophomore Matt Gac broke his own record in the weight throw with a toss of 62-4. The toss put him in second place behind Kentucky's Rashaud Scott, who threw a 66-4.50, which earned him a NCAA provisional mark.
The 4x400-meter relay squad also performed well for the Bulls. The team of junior Ezekiel Porter, freshman Isaiah Mask, sophomore Brandon Giles and sophomore Matt Armstrong finished second in the relay race with a time of 3:14.46.
Alex Stamatakis broke the men's shot put record with a heave of 57-11.25 (17.66m), bettering Byron McKinney's 2003 mark by nearly a foot and a half. Stamatakis finished fifth overall and improved his IC4A regional qualifying mark as well. Stamatakis also tied for sixth place in the weight throw event at 57-7.50.
The meet provided Jenkins with a good measuring stick. While he says that he knew the team wouldn't conquer the event, he saw improvement in his runners at Penn State.
"[My team] really impressed me during this weekend's meet," he said.
The women's team also finished with good results at the meet. Freshman Kristy Woods placed fourth overall in the shot put with a toss of 48-4.75. Senior Tina Villa finished right behind Woods in fifth place. In the long jump event, junior Fatimah Hill impressed many, tying for fifth in the long jump.
Buffalo's runners also fared well with sixth place finishes. Freshman Jackie Burns took more than five seconds off her personal best time in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.02. Senior Jessica Schultz also improved on her best time. In the 3,000-meter event, Schultz took 18 seconds off her personal record and finished in 10:04.33.
Both Burns and Schultz combined with freshmen Ellen Muster and Anna Holmes in the distance medley relay. The group earned an ECAC mark with a time of 11:53.37, which was good enough for eighth place.
Both teams return to action on Friday as they head to New York City to compete in the New Balance Collegiate Open. The event runs through Saturday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
