After an exciting indoor season in which many school records and personal bests were shattered, the track and field team has continued to find success early in the outdoor season.
On Friday, Buffalo traveled west to participate in the Toledo Collegiate Challenge in Toledo, Ohio. The Bulls earned first-place finishes and a handful of second- and third-place finishes during the two-day event.
Senior Brooklynn Ventura turned in an impressive overall performance on the track. Ventura's new personal-best time earned her first place in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time was also good enough to secure second-place standing among Mid-American Conference runners in that particular event. Ventura also had a strong showing in the 200-meters as she set another personal-best time and earned a second-place finish.
"Brooklynn always wants that extra level of achievement," said head coach Vickie Mitchell. "Within our conference, there's some incredible competition and Brooklynn's level of training and commitment is really paying off for her early in the season."
The Bulls also saw some success in the women's throwing events, as senior Shante' White and junior Rachel Roberts earned second-place finishes. White took second in the hammer throw and also secured a third-place finish in the discus.
Buffalo's women's relay teams also had strong showings on the track as the Bulls took home second-place finishes in the 4 x 100-meter relay and the 4 x 400-meter relay.
The Bulls men's team also turned in some impressive performances in the 14-team competition. The team secured a trio of first-place finishes and three more athletes took second in their respective events.
Freshman Ryan Billian performed well on the track for the Bulls as he took the 110-meter hurdles title. His teammate, sophomore Jake Wray, finished third.
Two Buffalo jumpers also brought home first-place finishes in their events. Sophomore Chris Reape topped the competition in the high jump and junior Doug Hannon's performance was good enough for the triple-jump title.
Although they were edged out of first place in some of the field events, the Bulls turned in some strong throwing performances. Senior Evan Palmer finished in second in the men's discus and he added a third-place finish in the hammer throw.
Friday's men's javelin event resulted in two UB athletes placing in the top three as sophomore Chris Howard and junior Kevin Enck finished second and third, respectively.
Next weekend will be a busy one for the Bulls as they have athletes competing in three different competitions. The first of the three, the Florida Relays held in Gainesville, Fla., will feature some of the Bulls' best throwers, pole vaulters and sprinters.
"We have some of our best athletes heading down to Florida to try to take advantage of the warm weather," Mitchell said. "Next weekend, we're hoping to get some qualifying marks for the conference meet."
The rest of the team will be competing at the Rochester Invitational, a meet that features a collection of Division I, II and III track and field programs.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
