MAC Outdoor Championships
Bulls To Compete At Outdoor MAC Championships Starting Thursday
5/7/2024 12:55:00 PM | Track and Field
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo Track & Field team is traveling to DeKalb, Illinois to compete in the 2024 Outdoor Mid-American Conference Championships. The conference championships begin on Thursday, May 9th and conclude on Saturday, May 11th.
The Bulls enter the weekend of competition in search of their first conference championship. The Buffalo men most recently finished fourth at the indoor championships in February, with the women finishing 10th.
Similar to the indoor season, the Bulls set numerous personal and school records in the outdoor season. Between the men's and women's teams, Buffalo had 12 personal best performances that were etched into the all-time outdoor ranks.
The Bulls most notably rewrote the record books in the men's and women's 5,000 meter run, setting new school records in both. Following an indoor season in which he set a new 5,000 meter record, Ryan Buzby doubled back to achieve the same feat outdoors. The fifth year's time of 13:52.63 at the Raleigh Relays broke his previous school record by over ten seconds. Buzby's time ranks second in the conference headed into outdoor championships. The fifth-year also joined the all-time leaderboard in the 1,500 meter, finishing in 3:48.96, taking the fourth spot in outdoor school history.
Graduate student Alex Hislop joined the 5,000 meter outdoor leaderboards with Buzby, ranking seventh with a time of 14:25.86 at the Raleigh Relays. Hislop's personal best in the event is fifth among the conference headed into outdoor championships.
Aleksandra Szulska was the second Bull to rise atop the 5,000 meter leaderboards and also join the 1,500 meter outdoor rankings this outdoor season. Szulska broke the women's 5,000 meter school record by nearly ten seconds at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. The freshman completed the event in 16:34.52, a time that ranks eighth in the MAC this season. Szulska entered the 1,500 meter all-time rankings at the East Coast Relays, taking the seventh spot on the list with a time of 4:30.20. The freshman's time is 18th among the conference.
Matt Gensel was one of the many on the men's distance team to join outdoor history. The sophomore completed the 10,000 meter run in 30:10.96 at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic, taking seventh on the all-time outdoor leaderboard at UB. Gensel's time ranks third in the MAC this season. The sophomore also had the third fastest 5,000 meter time amongst Buffalo men this season and ranks eighth in the conference, with a personal best mark of 14:38.80.
Luke Stoeffler and William Marchant had personal best performances at the St. John Fisher Cardinal Classic in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase. Stoeffler won the event with a time of 9:10.40, ranking sixth all-time in outdoor history. Marchant finished less than a second behind Stoeffler, taking the seventh spot on the all-time leaderboards with a time of 9:11.38. The two Buffalo runners rank second and third respectively in the conference this season.
Tal Hamel continued to make his mark on program history throughout the outdoor season, rising the ranks in both the 200 meter and 400 meter dash. Hamel ran the second fastest 200 meter time in school history at the East Coast Relays, finishing the event in 21.02. The junior's time ranks sixth in the conference. Hamel doubled back at the same meet in the 400 meter to take the fourth spot on the all-time leaderboard with a time of 47.19. The junior's time is the third fastest in the MAC this season.
Scilla Benussi had a strong performance in the women's pentathlon at the indoor championships, placing second with a score of 3,880. The senior was the only female competitor to finish top five in all five events. Benussi brought that momentum to the outdoor season, winning the women's heptathlon with a score of 4,384 at the Bison Outdoor Classic, the best of any female on the Bulls' roster this season. The senior is set to compete in the javelin throw. Benussi took gold in the javelin throw at the 2023 outdoor championships.
On the men's side of combined events, Kevin Gabalski will be looking for gold in the men's decathlon. Gabalski's season-best score of 6,311 ranks second in the conference this season. The junior finished second in the men's heptathlon at the indoor championships with a personal best score of 5,033. Gabalski's indoor personal best rose the UB all-time leaderboard, taking fifth.
Zahra Amos looks to secure a MAC title in the women's high jump for the second time in her collegiate career. Amos won her first gold medal at the 2024 indoor championships, tying her school record performance with a jump of 1.80 meters. The junior set a new outdoor personal best at the Texas Relays with a mark of 1.75 meters, tied for fourth all-time in UB outdoor history. Amos' outdoor best ranks second in the conference this season.
Graduate transfer Jenna Reid has put the conference on notice in the javelin throw this season, ranking atop the MAC with a personal best mark of 44.38 meters. Reid's distance also joined the all-time school leaderboard, taking third behind former MAC Champion Vanessa Roelofsen (51.71m, 2006) and alumni Katie Weston (46.97m, 2008).
Jonathan Surdej is looking to win his eighth straight shot put MAC Championship. The graduate student has won every shot put title since 2021 and holds the school record for most individual MAC Championships. The Bulls' outdoor shot put title streak dates back much further than Surdej though, with Buffalo throwers winning every outdoor shot put championship since Rob Golabek first did so in 2010. Surdej's season-best mark of 17.79 meters ranks atop the conference. The graduate student's all-time personal best throw of 17.82 meters is sixth all-time in school outdoor history.
Imahni Sinclair had a strong season in the women's hammer throw, rising the all-time UB outdoor leaderboards with a throw of 57.33 meters at the West Virginia Open. Sinclair's personal best performance ranks fifth in the conference this season. The senior took sixth place at the MAC Indoor Championships in the weight throw (17.61m).
Caleb Nickens enters the outdoor championship ranking fifth among the MAC in the men's hammer throw. The graduate student's personal record in the event was set in 2021, reaching a distance of 60.92 meters and taking third in UB outdoor history. Nickens' season-best throw of 60.12 meters was less than a meter shy of breaking his record, a feat the graduate student will seek to do as he chases gold.
Freshman Manuel Sepulveda joined the outdoor school record books in his first year at the collegiate level. Sepulveda's personal best triple jump mark of 14.71 meters ranks sixth all-time in UB outdoor history and third in the conference ahead of MAC Championships. The freshman finished fifth in the men's triple jump at the indoor conference championships (14.77m).
Brian Murphy heads to the outdoor conference championships ranked fifth in the men's pole vault. The junior had a personal best mark of 4.80 meters in the event at the Raliegh Relays, climbing to fifth on the all-time UB outdoor leaderboards. Murphy took fifth place (4.48m) at the indoor conference championships.
The 2024 Outdoor MAC Championships begin on Thursday at 11am. All information regarding the conference championships including event schedules, timing and tickets can be accessed here.
For live coverage of Buffalo men's and women's Track & Field, follow the program on X (@UB_XCTF), Instagram (@BullsTFXC) and Facebook ("Buffalo Track & Cross Country")
Players Mentioned
