Bulls Open Indoor Track & Field Season at Akron on Friday

Bulls Open Indoor Track & Field Season at Akron on Friday

12/4/2024 3:27:00 PM | Track and Field

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo track and field program opens their 2024-25 indoor season on Friday at Akron's Haynes Lancaster Open at 4 pm. The Bulls enter the season with three new assistant coaches and 40 new student-athletes, 27 on the women's roster and 13 for the men.

12 of the 27 newcomers on the women's roster will compete on Friday, all of which are freshmen.

Stella Kapp, Akuot Kuany and Isa van Puffelen will make their debut in the women's high jump, an event in which the Bulls succeeded last season. Zahra Amos won MAC gold in both the indoor (1.80m) and outdoor (1.76m) high jump, also competing at NCAA Regionals.

Freshman Linnea Neureuther is expected to join sophomore Kara Moran in the women's long jump on Friday. Moran closed out her freshman campaign at MAC Outdoor Championships in style, taking sixth place in the women's long jump with a personal best mark of 5.86 meters. Moran's new personal best ranked fifth all-time in UB outdoor history.

Both Neureuther and Van Puffelen will also compete in the women's 60-meter hurdles alongside sophomores Gemma Galligani and Adriana Ellsworth.

Sophie Brettholtz and Ella Reilly will debut in the women's mile. The newcomers join upperclassmen Vassi Klock, Allison Newton and Hannah Sullivan in the event. Klock hit her stride at MAC Outdoor Championships last year, taking fourth in the all-time program ranks in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:49.48. The now junior looks to continue that momentum into distance events this indoor season.

The Buffalo women will feature six freshmen sprinters in the season-opening meet. Lindy Betrus and Alexis Grijalva will compete in the 400-meter dash. Hailey Martinez, Sophia Sampson and Shannon Schmieder will make their debut with the Bulls in the 60-meter dash. Sina Ehrhardt is scheduled to compete in the 200-meter dash.

Uma Bhattacharjee, Amber McDonald, Alexia and Stephney Pryce are returning for their sophomore seasons, being the fastest sprinters from the previous indoor season on the Bulls' roster. Bhattacharjee had her best time in the 60-meter dash last season at Akron, finishing the event in 7.91 seconds. Pryce too had her best 60-meter performance at Akron, with a time of 8.08 seconds.

On the men's side, the Bulls will feature 10 of their 13 newcomers in the season-opening meet.

Ryan Cardichon is expected to make his debut in the high jump alongside returners Calvin Finger and Noah Ruffer. Finger had Buffalo's best indoor high jump last season at MAC Championships, with a mark of 2.04 meters to take fifth. Finger's mark was just one-hundredth of a meter shy of reaching the all-time UB indoor record book (2.05m).

Cardichon will also compete in the long jump, joined by freshman Micah Blair and returners Kevin Gabalski, Brady Hughes, Justin Kleppel and Daniel Muccini. Muccini had the Bulls' best long jump last indoor season with a mark of 6.98 meters, set at Akron. Blair is scheduled to compete in the men's triple jump too.

Freshman Michael Dearie and junior Kenneth Gulloso are expected to compete in the men's weight throw. Bryson Bodner and Aiden Walker will make their Buffalo debuts in the shot put, an event the Bulls have dominated for over a decade within the conference, winning 18 of the last 20 shot put titles between indoor and outdoor competitions.

Aidan Norris and Kevin Sherry are expected to compete in the men's mile, joined by senior Fernando Sanchez.

Rylee VanAlstine will make his debut for the Bulls in the men's 400-meter dash. The freshman will compete alongside Jason Colindres, Tal Hamel and Brandon Robinson. Hamel and Robinson joined the all-time program ranks last season in the event. Hamel's time of 47.91 at Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invitational ranked fourth all-time in UB indoor history. Robinson's time of 48.80 at Akron last indoor season took ninth all-time in program indoor history.

VanAlstine, Hamel and Robinson will also compete in the 200-meter dash, joined by Jermaine Ewers and Jean Desir. Hamel joined the all-time indoor ranks in the 200-meter too, taking tenth with a time of 21.77 at the Penn State National Invitational.

Connor Domoy and Hayden Parks round out the Buffalo freshmen competing this Friday, participating in the 3,000-meter dash. The two freshmen competed throughout the cross country season for Buffalo this fall.

The Bulls begin the 2024-25 indoor track and field season this Friday at Akron. The meet begins at 4 pm. All information including live results can be accessed here.

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