Track and field takes on Boston and Nazareth
Photo courtesy of Geneseoknights.com
Last weekend, on Feb. 13 and 14, the Knights track and field team not only competed at the Nazareth Division III Elite meet, but also at the Boston University Valentine’s Day Invite. They had several athletes obtain program records and countless first-place finishes. With several standout performances from the Knights, there is no doubt that they will finish at the top of the Empire 8 conference once again.
At Boston University, senior Sierra Doody ran the 800m and got 14th with a time of 2:08:82. The time was not only a program record, but a conference record as well. Her 800m run was also the 16th fastest time in Division III history. Junior Jillian Ambler added another program and conference record in the 200m. Ambler ran a 24.84 and has been a standout athlete for the Knights since her freshman year.
On the men’s side, junior Ryan Hagan came out of the gates strong, running the mile with a time of 4:02:39. This time earned Hagan several records: a new program record, a new conference record, the fourth fastest time in Division III this season, and the 13th fastest in Division III history. Junior Emerson Comer also had a new conference and program record in the 5000m as well. He completed it in 14:16:04.
The 4x400 relay team, composed of senior Andrew Kent, junior Sam Belmont, sophomore Arjun Ojha, and senior Jacob Miller, brought accolades to the Knights for the sprint side of the team. Their finish was the second fastest in program history, eighth fastest in Division III history, and a new conference record. In regards to individual splits, Miller had the fastest time with a 47.80, Belmont ran a 47.91, and Ojha recorded a time of 48.71. All of these splits were within the top 10 for program history.
Moving to the Nazareth Division III Elite meet, senior Annika Hurley was able to secure a first-place finish for the Knights in the 5000m with a time of 17:52:52. Sophomore MacKenzie Kubat also got first place for the 60m hurdles with a sub-10 time of 9.05. Both Hurley and Kubat earned regional qualifying times with their respective races. The Knights weren’t done with first place yet, though, as junior Gigi Ferro took first in the 200m at 26.82. In the field portion, senior Lauren Jaklitsch’s weight throw set a program record, conference record, and fourth-best distance in Division III this season with a massive 18.71m throw. Sophomore Isabelle Briggs got yet another first-place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 10.61m. Junior Lainey Flaitz also finished first in the high jump with a height of 1.63m.
Looking to the men's side once again, the 5000m runners all had fantastic performances that earned them regional qualifying times. Those athletes were sophomore Thomas Blake, sophomoreJames Tette, senior Drew Cox, freshman Max Schnittman, and junior Kole Owens. They were also five of the top six finishers for the 5000m. The Knights were also able to take first for the triple jump on the men's side as sophomore Chris Desirderio won with a distance of 13.78m.
The Knights’ next meet will be at Brockport’s February Invitational on Feb. 20. Throughout the season, the roster of Knights has been shattering program and conference records consistently. Be sure to keep up with them during this upcoming meet, as it will likely happen again. The Brockport Invite is also the last meet before the Empire 8 championships.