Five weeks remaining until the Mid-American Conference Championship, and the men's and women's track teams are working toward their trip to Akron, Ohio against two MAC teams. At the Northeast Ohio Invitational in Akron on Saturday, the teams got a preview of their conference championship against two MAC teams.
???The women's track and field team finished in a tie for second place at the Northeast Ohio Invitational and the men's team came in third in the event. Other teams competing were host Akron, Kent State, Youngstown State, and Ashland. Both UB teams combined for seven victories with the women snagging five.
???The men finished with 143.50 points, good enough for third place behind first place Akron (217.50) and Kent State (175.50). The women's score of 158 points tied them for second with Kent State. Akron won the women's event as well with 223 points.
???"There were a number of good encouraging performances, both individually, and as a team, even though the wind played a huge factor," said women's head coach Vicki Mitchell. "The weather was nice overall, but it was very windy, and it definitely affected competition and scores across the board."
???Sophomore Lataya Dixon led the women with two first-places finishes, including a new Bulls record in the 100 meter hurdles. The sophomore from Edison, N.J. also won the women's high jump with a height of 5-7 (1.70m).
???Dixon's time of 14.04 in the hurdles broke the record of 14.07 set in 2000 by Melissa Ryan.
???In the triple jump, the women's team grabbed both first and second places. Junior Kim Black finished first with a jump of 37-7.75 (11.47m) while sophomore Sarah Krott finished with a 37-7.75 (11.42m) jump to place second.
???Junior Kara Black continued Buffalo's success in the 200-meters. She ran her best time in the event, capturing first place with a time of 24.75 seconds.
???In the 400-meters, junior Allison Grimes also came in first. She ran a season-best time of 57.24 seconds.
???Freshman Kristy Woods and senior Tina Villa had successful performances in the shot put. Both athletes qualified for the NCAA East Regional. Woods finished fourth with a distance of 48-9 (14.86m), and Villa earned fifth place with her toss of 47-10 (14.58m).
???"It was a really good meet for [the women], we played some solid teams- teams we are striving to beat- and will see them in five weeks at the MAC championship," Mitchell said.
???The men's team was able to claim a few victories of their own. Sprinting to a victory was junior Brian Smith, who finished first in the 200-meters with a time of 21.29 seconds. His impressive sprint set a new school record and qualified him for the NCAA East Regional.
???After a couple second-place finishes, freshman Jake Modina grabbed another victory for the men. Modina had a distance of 52-10.75 (16.12m) and captured his first victory of the year.
???Mitchell saw the competition as more than just a second place finish.
???"The big thing was, our girls got out there and competed, and they played their hardest."
???The Bulls have little time to rest as they host the UB Invitational this coming Saturday at UB Stadium starting at 9 a.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
