Two UB track and field athletes set school records in the men’s 1,500-meter race and the women’s long jump at the Bison Outdoor Classic this weekend.
Junior Evan Hilbert ran the 1,500-meter in 3 minutes, 42.64 seconds, narrowly beating the previous school record of 3:42.66, which was set by Brian Crimmins in 2016, according to a UB Athletics press release. His time makes him 31st in the NCAA East Region and second in the MAC.
Hilbert was behind three other runners at the 300-meter mark but managed to get to the front of the pack 1100 meters into the race. He beat the second-place finisher, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Matthew Lecky, by 1.63 seconds.
Hilbert is also a Spectrum staff writer.
Fifth-year Christina Wende set the school record in the women’s long jump at 20-5 1/4, beating the previous record, set by Fatimah Hill in 2009, by 2 1/4 inches. That performance ranks 23rd in the NCAA East Region and second in the MAC.
Wende decimated the competition, beating the second-place finisher, Shippensburg University’s Sara McKean, by exactly 1 foot.
Wende and Hilbert weren’t the only ones who had a good weekend. Freshman Matt Gensel set a UB freshman record in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 31:25.91, placing eighth in the race.
The Bulls will return to the track for the UB Alumni Invite this Saturday at UB Track and Field Stadium.
Grant Ashley is the managing editor and can be reached at grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com
Grant Ashley is the editor in chief of The Spectrum. He's also reported for NPR, WBFO, WIVB and The Buffalo News. He enjoys taking long bike rides, baking with his parents’ ingredients and recreating Bob Ross paintings in crayon. He can be found on the platform formerly known as Twitter at @Grantrashley.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
