Geneseo’s track and field teams both dominate at SUNYACs
On Saturday, Feb. 25, both the Geneseo men’s and women’s track and field teams immortalized themselves in greatness. Each team earned their sixth consecutive SUNYAC championship at the meet held by the Brockport Golden Eagles. These two days of competition were just a small portion of the incredible work that both teams have put into this season.
The events of day one were highlighted by senior Nick Andrews, a long-distance runner, claiming first in the 5000m event with an impressive time of 15:04.34. Andrews’ strong performance was not the only notable one of the day, as Geneseo took three more finishes in the top eight. Junior William Hall finished third, sophomore Austin Schoen crossed the line fourth, and junior Alex Hillyard secured a sixth-place finish for the Knights. With the help of other outstanding performances in the distance medley relay and the pole vault, Geneseo sat in second place at the conclusion of Friday’s events.
The men’s team wasn’t the only one turning heads on day one. The women’s team also put on a show first with sophomore Janelle Eckl performing in the pentathlon, accumulating a whopping 3,228 points. Eckl’s efforts were followed by junior Michelle Fitting and freshman Lanna Wandy who took second and third, respectively. The team of freshman Erin Eivers, senior Raechel Zielinski, freshman Sierra Doody, and senior Windsor Ardner finished in first place in the distance medley relay with a time of 11:43.84—a new meet record. With six runners securing 28 points in the 5000m and numerous points from field events, Geneseo led Friday by 44.5 points.
Day two was filled with excitement and a large sum of points for the men’s team. Senior Ezra Ruggles finished in first place in the mile run, setting a meet record with an amazing time of 4:08.39. Geneseo runners also finished third, sixth, and eighth in the event, adding ten more points toward the team’s total. In the 400m, the Knights took first and second place, as freshman Jacob Miller crossed the line just before senior Jason Rappazzo.
Despite all of the impressive races during the meet, none stand out quite like the 3000m. Andrews and Ruggles took the top two spots, being followed shortly behind by their teammates. Hall, senior Ryan Mitchell, and Schoen claimed the fourth through sixth positions. Sophomore Bryan Jacobs also added on ten points for Geneseo, winning the long jump with a distance of 7.28m. The Knights earned first place overall after accumulating 184 points, while second place finished with 155.5.
After their impressive first day, the women’s team kept their momentum going into Saturday. The 3000m was dominated by the Knights as they claimed all 39 points. Sophomore Penelope Greene took first place with a time of 9:55.07. Eivers was not far behind, finishing at 9:55.09, with more Knights to follow. Graduate student Gwen Shepardson contributed ten points after claiming victory in the 60m hurdles at 8.72 seconds, which set a new meet record. Shepardson was only barely ahead of junior Allyson Surowick and Wandy, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Junior Katelyn Jacques made a notable contribution to the Geneseo victory with a long jump distance of 5.53m, as well. After Saturday’s events, the Knights won comfortably with a score of 275.5 points, more than doubling the 130.5 put up by the second-place finisher.
Both the men’s and women’s teams performed at a strong level, leading each of them to claim their sixth straight SUNYAC championships. The Knights will travel to New York City to compete at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships on Friday, Mar. 3.