Bulls Open Indoor Season At Akron By Rewriting Program Record Books

Friday, December 6

Akron, OH

4pm

Akron Haynes Lancaster Open

Photo by: Anthony Yabroudy

Bulls Open Indoor Season At Akron By Rewriting Program Record Books

12/7/2024 11:30:00 AM | Track and Field

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo track and field program began its indoor season at the Akron Haynes Lancaster Open on Friday night. The Bulls had numerous freshman and sophomores shine, winning events, setting personal records and etching their names into the UB indoor record books.

Sophomore Kara Moran was the first collegiate finisher in the women's long jump with a new personal best mark of 5.77 meters. Moran's mark ranks sixth all-time in UB indoor history, tying Kailyn Arcury's personal record set in 2017. The sophomore doubled back to win the triple jump with a mark of 11.92 meters, a personal-record indoor performance that ranks eighth all-time in UB indoor history.

Freshman Akuot Kuany joined the all-time UB indoor record books too, winning the women's high jump with a mark of 1.75 meters. Kuany's mark tied Caitlin Godin, set in 2006. Freshman Stella Kapp finished second in the women's high jump to Kuany with a mark of 1.70 meters. Kapp's mark joins the all-time UB indoor record book too, taking ninth. Isa Van Puffelen (6th, 1.60m) and Adriana Ellsworth (7th, 1.60m) also finished inside the top ten.

Kevin Gabalski won the men's 60-meter hurdles with a new personal record time of 8.11. Gabalski's time ranks ninth all-time in UB indoor history.

Freshman Micah Blair won two events in his debut with the Bulls, taking the men's long jump and triple jump. Blair started his night with a win in the long jump and a mark of 6.98 meters. The freshman's mark was nearly a tenth of a meter shy of reaching the UB indoor record book (7.11m). Blair doubled back to win the triple jump with a mark of 14.01 meters.

Daniel Muccini took third (6.80m) in the men's long jump, Gabalski placed fourth (6.79m), Ryan Cardichon finished seventh (6.47m) and Justin Kleppel took eighth (6.46m) to put five Bulls inside the top ten. Brian Murphy (8th, 7.14) and Kleppel (9th, 7.142) also posted top-ten finishes in the 60-meter dash.

Cardichon took third in the men's high jump with a mark of 2.00 meters in his debut with the Bulls. The freshman's personal best mark trails senior Calvin Finger's personal best (2.04m) on the men's roster. Finger and Tyler Norton tied for fifth with a mark of 1.90 meters on Friday.

Freshman Sophia Sampson finished sixth in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 25.20. Sampson was just eight-hundredths of a second shy of joining the all-time UB indoor top ten (25.12). Uma Bhattacharjee placed 10th (25.87), Shannon Schmieder took 11th (25.97) and Stephney Pryce finished 13th (26.04) to put four Bulls inside the top 15 in the field of 37 athletes. Bhattacharjee and Pryce's times were new indoor personal records.

Bhattacharjee (6th, 7.89), Amber McDonald (7th, 7.92) and Sampson (8th, 7.941) all finished inside the top ten for the Bulls in the 60-meter dash. Bhattacharjee and McDonald's times are new personal records. Schmieder took 11th (7.98) in her debut with the Bulls.

Gemma Galligani finished second in the women's 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.84, a new personal record in the indoor event for the sophomore. Van Puffelen took seventh (9.41) and Ellsworth finished tenth (9.65), putting three Bulls inside the top ten for the event. Ellsworth's time was also a personal record.

Junior Vassi Klock won the women's mile with a time of 5:06.55. Allison Newton took second with a new personal record time (5:08.04) and freshman Sophie Brettholtz finished fifth (5:22.22) to put three Bulls inside the top five.

Kenneth Gulloso placed seventh in the men's weight throw with a mark of 15.65 meters. The junior's mark was a personal best. In the men's shot put, junior transfer Aiden Walker (5th, 14.76m) and freshman Bryson Bodner (6th, 14.61m) finished inside the top ten.

On the women's side of throwing, Loretta White tool sixth with a mark of 15.94 meters, falling just shy of her pesonal record of 15.97 meters set at MAC Indoor Championships last year. In the shot put, Bernice Balk finished 10th with a mark of 10.86 meters.

Freshmen Aidan Norris (4th, 4:17.88) and Kevin Sherry (6th, 4:21.14) both place inside the top 10 runners in the mile.

Freshman Rylee VanAlstine finished fourth in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 49.30. VanAlstine later earned a top-ten finish in the men's 200-meter dash, taking eighth with a time of 22.49.

Freshman Alexis Grijalva (9th, 1:01.20) and Lindy Betrus (10th, 1:02.72) placed inside the top ten in the women's 400-meter dash. Melissa Carden trailed to take 12th with a personal record time of 1:03.01.

Megan Smith posted a new indoor personal record of 10:48.85 in the 3000-meter run to finish sixth. Paris Welker took seventh with a time of 11:17.39. In the men's 3000-meter run, Chris Turner (2nd, 8:58.17) and freshman Connor Domoy (3rd, 9:01.02) posted top-three finishes.

The Buffalo women closed out the day on the track with a third-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:00.96. The Bulls team consisted of Bhattacharjee, Pryce, Sampson and Ehrhardt.

All results from Friday's meet at Akron can be accessed here. The Bulls are next in action after the winter break, competing again at Akron on January 17th in the Al Campbell Invitational. A complete schedule for UB track and field can be found here.

For all the latest on UB Track and Field, follow the program on X (@UB_XCTF), Instagram (@BullsTFXC), and Facebook ("Buffalo Track & Cross Country").

Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.

Click here for ticket information regarding all athletic events.