The NCAA basketball tournament wasn't the only reason the national spotlight shined brightly on Buffalo over spring break.
The Bulls' senior Sarah Vance traveled to the Randall Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas to compete in the shot put event at the 2007 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 9.
Vance's toss of 49-3 (15.01m) earned her a 15th-place finish in the field of 17. While her second and third throws resulted in fouls, Vance was able to improve on her 16th-place start, which was based on the season's best throws. That toss, which came on Jan. 27 against Pittsburgh, set a Buffalo record with a distance of 52-8.75 (16.07m) and qualified her to compete against the rest of the nation's top shot putters.
"(It was a) great experience," said head coach Vicki Mitchell. "It was her first time being at the National Championships... I know she enjoyed the experience. She walked away having learned a lot, taking a lot out of it. And the neat thing about Sarah (Vance) is, she always leaves the competition and has higher aspirations for herself."
Virginia Tech's Brittany Pryor of Niagara Falls, N.Y. placed seventh overall in the event, while Sarah Stevens, a sophomore at Arizona State, won the championship with a toss of 59-7 (18.16m).
"I was so pleased of what she accomplished during this indoor season," Mitchell said of Vance. "She had the goal to qualifying for the national championships and did that. And that's really phenomenal. She worked hard and deserved every bit of recognition she got...She's excited to get back there for the outdoor championships and place even higher."
Following the Tournament, Vance's strong year continued, as she and the Bulls got the outdoor season on track with the Seahawk Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. last weekend against eight other teams.
Both the men's and women's teams took home second-place finishes to host North Carolina-Wilmington. The men were defeated 193-165, while the women fell to the Seahawks by a score of 199-123.
"It was a great start for us," Mitchell said. "We didn't have a high expectation for the individual performances...More or less right now, we're training through these meets, so we're pretty pleased we came out with a bunch of first-places."
The Bulls came in first in 12 events, with three of those victories coming from Vance. Her toss of 14.75m earned her the victory in the shot put and she won the hammer throw with a distance of 54.44m. Both set NCAA regional qualifying standards in each event. Her discuss throw of 45.24m was also good enough for a win.
The other win for the Buffalo women came from sophomore Mary Veith in the 800-meter run. Her time, 2:19:62, was "a little slow" according to Mitchell, but the coaching staff was nonetheless pleased with her result.
"(Veith) continued what she started in the indoor season which was a great season," Mitchell said. "It was a really windy day which definitely affected the jumping events and then the times on the track events... She ran a really smart technical race and did what we wanted her to do, which was win the event."
Junior Tina Villa finished behind Vance in two events. She placed second in the shot put with a throw of 14.00m and her discus toss of 42.30m placed her in third.
Freshmen Ezekiel Porter and Eugene Kennedy also won multiple events for Buffalo. Porter placed first in the men's 100- and 200-meter races with times of 10.84 seconds and 22.08 seconds, respectively. Kennedy captured victories in the high jump at 1.98m and the triple jump, with a distance of 13.16m.
Sophomore Ezekiel Stamatakis also won two events. He secured wins in the discus with a toss of 47.34m, and the hammer throw at 48.60m.
The Bulls dominated the shot put competition, as sophomore Jake Madonia won the event at 16.21m, a new personal best. He was followed by teammates George Fetchko, a senior, whose toss of 15.27m placed him second, and Stamakis, who took third-place with his throw of 15.27m.
Senior Roy Richards won the long jump event for the Bulls with a leap of 7.19m.
Next up for the Bulls is a return to North Carolina for the Wake Forest Invitational on March 23 and 24.
"It should be a little warmer, hopefully a little less windy," Mitchell said. "(We hope to) get some good individual performances in and take advantage of being in some snow free weather."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
