DYLAN FORMAN
Staff Writer
On Friday and Saturday, the men and women’s indoor track and field team traveled to SUNY Brockport to compete in the SUNYAC championships. Out of eight total teams, the men were able to finish in fourth place, with the women’s team finishing sixth.
Leading the way for the men, in several distance events, was senior standout Zakk Hess. In the 3000m run, Hess was able to break his own school record and take first place with a new record time of 8:29. With this time, he was able to finish well ahead of the rest of the field, winning by about seven seconds.
Also placing in the 3K was junior Kyle Collins, who was able to take fifth place with a time of 8:38. Coming in ninth place was senior Chris Shartrand in 8:51. In the 5000m run, Hess continued his dominance by taking second place with a time of 15:06, a mere 1.58 seconds behind the winner. Shartrand also placed in the 5K in seventh place, along with Collins in sixth. Their times were 15:30 and 15:29, respectively.
The strong finish continued in the other distance races, as well. In the mile run, junior Collin Mulcahy took second place overall with an astounding time of 4:15. Mulcahy was also able to score in the 800m run, placing eighth. His preliminary round time of 1:54.91 was a new personal best. Also placing well in the 800m was junior Nick Watson and sophomore Pat Shenal. Watson’s time of 1:56 was able to earn him fourth place overall, while Shenal finished in sixth place in 1:58.
The men’s distance medley relay team of Steve Whittemore, Mulcahy and freshmen Chase Towse and Jack Erhard, was able to finish in third place with a collective time of 10:31.
The strong performances continued into the field events. In the triple jump, freshman Rocky Caparro finished in sixth place to score for the Blue Devils with a jump of 13.33 meters. In shot put, freshman Damone Brown was able to finish in seventh place to score with a throw of 14.31 meters.
Finally, in the men’s heptathlon, which consisted of a variety of events that displayed the overall athletic capabilities of the individual, the men were able to place several competitors. In third place, with 4355 points, freshman Mitch Paciga finished just ahead of senior teammate Douglas Imperi, who finished in fourth place with 4270 points.
The men’s team was able to finish in fourth place with 83.5 points as a team. Winning with a point total of 152 was SUNY Oneonta.
The women also impressed the competition this past weekend with several athletes scoring among the top in their events.
In the 3000m run, junior Lauren Kotas shattered the Fredonia school record with a time of 10:18. The previous record had stood since 1990. Not only did her time break a 25-year-old record, but it was also enough to take first place overall and earn the SUNYAC 3K crown.
Kotas was not the only SUNYAC individual champion this weekend, as Laura Morrison was able to finish in the front of the field in the 800m run with a stunning time of 2:16. With a win margin of nearly four seconds, Morrison was able to run away with the win.
In pole vault, the women were able to dominate the field with three of the top four athletes being from Fredonia. Finishing in second place was junior Olivia Kurbs with a height of 3.50 meters. Finishing closely behind her in third and fourth place was freshman Julia Schreier (3.35m) and freshman Kristen Sawyer (3.20m).
The track and field teams will next compete in the ECAC Championships.