Over the weekend, Bulls Track and Field travelled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to compete in the three-day “Bison Outdoor Classic.” With temperatures reaching the low-60s, the warm weather was a nice change of pace for the Bulls, who ended with 13 top five finishes.
UB opened the meet with strong showings in field events on both the men's and women's sides. Senior field athlete and Mid-American Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Year, Zahra Amos, alongside freshman field athlete Stella Kapp, tied for first in the women's high jump event. Amos and Kapp both cleared 1.73m. For the men’s discus on Saturday, junior Aiden Walker took home second place throwing to the mark of 54.39m. Sophomore Kara Moran took home second place in the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.64m, rounding out the field events for the day.
The Bulls continued their Saturday with two solid performances in the 3k Steeplechase. Graduate distance runner, Rachel Hirschkind, took home fourth place, with a personal best time of 10:47.01. On the men's side of the event, junior distance runner Luke Stoeffler, who currently holds the UB record in the event, placed fifth with a time of 9:06.35.
On Sunday, the Bulls had a promising start with freshman field athlete Linnea Neureuther placing 3rd in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.12m.
Later that day, Buffalo put on a show in the women’s 4x100m relay, earning a first-place finish with a team of sophomores Uma Bhattacharjee and Amber McDonald, as well as freshmen Sophia Sampson and Hailey Martinez. Their time was 47.49, just over two seconds shy of the UB’s all-time record in the event.
Another solid team effort from the Bulls came from the women’s 4x400m relay, consisting of Martinez, sophomore Stephney Pryce, and seniors Allison Newton and Johanna Kleiner. The 4x400m team placed third in the event with a time of 3:49.71.
Sunday also featured strong individual sprint and hurdle performances from the women’s team. Sampson placed fifth in the women’s 100m dash with a time of 11.95, tying the university's current record in the event. Later that afternoon, she secured fourth place in the women’s 200m dash with a time of 24.50. The Bulls concluded the individual events with a second-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles by freshman Linnea Neureuther, who crossed the line with a time of 1:01.34.
On Monday, freshman Isa van Puffelen finished the meet with a second-place finish in the women’s heptathlon, scoring 5,020 points and moving up to the sixth-highest score in the event in the university’s record book.
The Bulls have proven themselves as a dominant team, capable of competing with schools nationwide. Their success shows no signs of slowing down, especially with many of their standout athletes being talented freshmen and sophomores. The Bulls will host their Alumni Invite at home this week on Friday, April 18, beginning at 3pm. inside UB Stadium.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
