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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

More Bulls Run Their Way Into History

The men's and women's track team brought its pens to Ohio this weekend and rewrote the record books.

Juniors Becky O'Brien and Rob Golabek, along with senior Russell Cameron, all claimed titles in this weekend's Mid-American Conference Championships in Bowling Green, Ohio.

O'Brien stunned the competition in shot put with two far-reaching throws. Despite losing most of her attempts, her second two throws reached far beyond all other competitors' tosses – the winning throw of 54-9.23 broke the meet record of 54-4.50. Kent State's Leslie Vidmar had previously set the meet record in 1998.

Head coach Vicki Mitchell expected the stellar performance from O'Brien, knowing that she is always ready when she walks into a meet.

"Becky is a fierce competitor," Mitchell said. "And she always rises to the occasion. She threw wonderfully today and took the meet record. And, although it is not a huge surprise, it is a massive accomplishment and very well-earned. "

Golabek also claimed his first indoor title in the shot put, throwing a 61-0. His throw eclipsed the next-closest attempt, by Central Michigan's Alex Rose, by nearly three feet.

Cameron won his first MAC heptathlon title on Saturday, breaking a record previously held by Steve Esler, set in 2003, with a 5,362-point total for the seven events. He achieved a personal-best in the pole vault on Saturday, clearing 15-5 in a tie for first place. In the 60-meter hurdles, he achieved a season-best of 8.44 seconds to finish third.

Mitchell thought that the performances seen over the weekend were just as she expected to see, and that the school performed well with the added pressure of championship competition.

"I thought we came out about how we had expected," Mitchell said. "You know you always hope for the breakthroughs at the big meets, but that's really tough to do because there's so much riding on the line. I don't think there was an area that we were disappointed in, and any areas that we really shocked anyone in. I think we just did what we were on par to do."

The women faced a truly difficult struggle when it came to Friday's races. The advanced competition was just too much for many of the girls competing. One of the Bulls was sophomore hurdler Jamiee McClary, who tied the school record in the women's 60-meters, but she came in 10th in the qualifying round.

Mitchell thought that the shortfalls were an interesting aspect of advanced competition that one would see in this kind of tournament, but did not think that her athletes should look upon their shortcomings in a negative light.

"It was a day of just near-misses, and what we need to do is not get discouraged," Mitchell said. "[We need to] come back and look at what we're doing, and as we approach our outdoor season, we're really going to step it up and take it up another notch."

For now, the team will rest its bodies and its minds in preparation for its next event only a week away. Despite the packed schedule, the Bulls need time to heal after competing so ruggedly over the weekend.

The team has its sights set on the Alex Wilson Invitational on March 5, followed by the NCAA Championship on March 11.

E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com


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