Men’s and Women’s Teams Finish Top-Three at Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational

Saturday, September 18

Rochester, NY

11 a.m.

University of Rochester

Men’s and Women’s Teams Finish Top-Three at Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational

9/18/2021 1:54:00 PM | Cross Country

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo cross country team competed at the Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational on Saturday morning. The women's team kicked off the invite with a 6k race and took home a second place finish out of 18 schools with 60 points. The men's 8k race followed the women's 6k where the men's team finished in third out of 16 with 93 points.

The women's team charged their way to a second place finish with two runners finishing in the top-five. Riley Jones was the Bulls' top finisher at second place in a time of 22:04.1. Jones was just .3 seconds behind the winner from Cornell. Alexia Hecico finished just behind Jones for fourth place in a time of 22:11.6. Freshman Anya Schmitt placed 11^th in 23:05.0 with Lily Meek (18^th place, 23:25.0) and Jade Dennis (32^nd place, 23:56.1) rounded the top-five for the Bulls.

"Today was another step forward in our development," stated Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "It was the first 6k of the season and the first 6k for all of first years. Riley [Jones], Alexia [Hecico], and Anya [Schmitt] ran an aggressive start, and finished strong against a tough Cornell group. We need to tighten up the spread from 1-7 to compete with the big teams. We need to keep training with the focus of racing and we'll continue to improve each week"

The men faced tough competition as Cornell and Geneseo would finish in front of the Bulls. Evan Hilbert was the Bulls' first finisher in a time of 26:09.1 for 15^th place. Oscar Vazquez was not far behind as he claimed 17^th place in 26:13.7. Freshman Cory Demo finished in 24^th place in 26:18.8. Nicholas Taboni (32^nd place, 26:39.6) and freshman Matthew Persampieri (40^th place, 26:55.3) were the final two to cap off the Bulls' top-five finishers.

"The men's squad got out well over the first mile and controlled the first half of the race," stated Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben. "However, we came apart over the second half. For many of these guys, it was their first five mile cross country race. They'll be more prepared when this group races again in two weeks."

The Bulls are back in action next Friday as they travel to Boston, Mass. for the Battle at Beantown.

For complete men's results, click here. For complete women's results, click here.

For news and updates about the UB cross country teams, follow them on Twitter and check the official website of the UB Bulls.

WOMEN'S RESULTS
2. Riley Jones – 22:04.1
4. Alexia Hecico – 22:11.6
11. Anya Schmitt – 23:05.0
18. Lily Meek – 23:25.0
32. Jade Dennis – 23:56.1
46. Chloe Freeland – 24:13.9
51. Heidi Eberhardt – 24:17.6
62. Allison Cline – 24:35.3
67. Elizabeth Powers – 24:38.5
94. Anna Recktenwalt – 25:25.7
99. Hannah Sullivan – 25:39.9
118. Alexandra Cowley – 26:18.4
171. Ilsa Kloiber – 28:00.6

MEN'S RESULTS
15. Evan Hilbert – 26:09.1
17. Oscar Vazquez – 26:13.7
24. Cory Demo – 26:18.8
32. Nicholas Taboni – 26:39.6
40. Matthew Persampieri – 26:55.3
45. Brett Russell – 26:58.1
57. Justin Tedeschi – 27:17.7
99. Zachary Medicis – 28:05.9

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS