DYLAN FORMAN
Staff Writer
On Saturday, the men and women’s track and field teams traveled to Cornell University to compete in the Robert Kane Invitational.
Leading the way for the men’s team was junior Collin Mulcahy, who took first place in the mile with an astounding 4:18. Mulcahy’s time has him currently placed atop the SUNYAC conference for the mile. Also running well in the mile was sophomore Bobby Cooper, who crossed the finish line in 4:27.
Another top finisher for the Blue Devils was junior Kyle Collins in the 5000m run. Collins ran a personal best in the event as he finished in third place with a time of 15:09. Also competing in the 5K was senior Zakk Hess, who was able to finish in a strong sixth place.
The men continued their strong performances in the middle distance and distance events with the 1000m run and the 3000m run. In the 3K, junior Connor Hayward took third place with a time of 9:11. After battling injuries since arriving at Fredonia, Hayward is finally running healthy and, coupled with his talent and work ethic, is proving to be able to compete at a high level.
In the 1000m run, Steve Whittemore took sixth place in 2:42 while Alex Crise finished in eighth place. Also competing at a high level was sophomore Pat Shenal with a sub-2 minute performance in the 800m with a time of 1:59.40.
The men also performed well off the track with strong finishes in several field events. With a new personal best in the shot put, freshman Damone Brown finished in fifth place with a throw of 13.88 meters. In the weight throw, the men put together a strong team effort by compiling fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes by Hsin Chin, Sawyer Bell and Kyle Brown, respectively.
The lady Blue Devils also competed well on Saturday, highlighted by junior distance runner Lauren Kotas. Kotas finished in an impressive third place in the 3000m run with a time of 10:33. Leading the way in the middle distance events was junior Laura Morrison, who broke the minute barrier in the 400m run with a time of 59.83 seconds. With her time, Morrison was able to finish in second place among a strong field of competition.
Also finishing well on the track was sophomore Alyssa Stroud in the 5000m run. Stroud was able to finish in third place in 20:33.
On Feb. 7, the men and women’s teams will travel to SUNY Brockport to compete in the Brockport Mid-Season Classic.