The men and women's track teams both split up last weekend so members could compete at different events across the country. However, every squad had similar results.
The Bulls' top distance runners competed in Princeton, N.J., while the team's best throwers and sprinters went to Gainesville for the Florida Relays. The remainder of the team competed in an All-New York event in Rochester.
The school record books were re-written this weekend at Florida as sophomore sprinter Miles Lewis set a new school record in the 100-meter dash. The climate change was no problem for Lewis as he finished at 10.49, earning him a spot in school history.
Lewis would finish 19th out of 71 runners in the field to add to his accomplishments.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team also etched its name into the record books. The team posted a time of 3:40.62.
"It was a great performance," said head coach Perry Jenkins. "Especially when you get to run down here in some nice weather against top competition."
The weekend success didn't stop with the runners. Senior thrower Corey Knox may have been most impressive for the Bulls. He threw 174-1 (53.06 m) in men's discus to win the event by a long shot. The closest person to Knox was Morgan State's Emmanuel Stewart whose distance fell over five feet short. Knox would also go on to win the men's shot put with a throw of 17.22 meters, almost a meter longer than his personal best.
"Our throwers were fantastic," Jenkins said. "That's our strength with the men and women - the size of our throws."
Junior thrower Erin Miller followed Knox's lead in the hammer throw. She needed nearly all 151-9 (46.26 m) to hold off Ashley Holmes of Miami (Florida) to place first in the event, as Miller won by just seven inches.
"The [throwers] are in the process of getting better, but are not yet [there]," Jenkins said. "They know they've got six weeks to get ready for [the MAC Championships]."
Senior Rob Golabek and junior Kristy Woods would also add to their collegiate r?(c)sum?(c)s. Golabek finished second-place in the invitational shot put event with a throw of 61-0 (18.59 m). Woods placed fourth with 179-2 (54.62 m) in the women's hammer throw.
"It's good for the [throwers] to come down here and be in the top five, or top three for throwers," Jenkins said. "I know our goal again is to get ready for the [MAC Championships]."
While one part of the track team was competing at the Florida Relays, the distance team was competing in Princeton'sSam Howell Invitational.
The distance squad competed in the 10,000-meter (6.2 mile) race.
Senior John Inzina, who turned in a performance that surprised Mitchell, led the Bulls.
"The goal was to run close to 31:00, I believe the finishing time was 31:08," said head coach Vicki Mitchell. "It was a really strong performance to run around that 31:00 mark...I don't really think we knew where [John] would place overall. He ran a real consistent race, and picked a lot of guys off during the race."
The men and women's track and field team will look to build off of their successes as they will compete in the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
