Spiked Shoe Invite
Bulls Place Ahead of Regionally Ranked Programs at Penn State Spiked Shoe Invite
9/13/2024 12:03:00 PM | Cross Country
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – The University at Buffalo cross country team competed in the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational on Friday morning, running alongside nationally and regionally ranked programs. The Buffalo men made their mark among the competition, finishing ahead of regionally ranked teams in Monmouth, Lehigh and Bucknell.
On the men's side, the Bulls finished 11th with a score of 297 in the eight-kilometer race. Jacob Brink was the Bulls' top finisher, taking 33rd in a field of 197 runners with a time of 25:46.6, a new personal best for the junior. Junior Matt Gensel also posted a personal best time of 25:53.8, placing 41st. Noah Brightman (26:14.2), Evan Hilbert (26:23.6) and Collin Stafford (26:27.2) rounded out the top five for the Bulls.
"It was a strong season opener for the men," said Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben. "We need to build off of this performance so that we are prepared for Mid-American Conference Championships and NCAA Regionals."
The women began the meet this morning with the six-kilometer race, finishing 16th across the ranked field with a final score of 490. Lacey Danilovitz headlined the Buffalo lineup again, mapping the course in 22:34.4. Junior's Vassi Klock (22:41.1) and Bronagh Cassidy (22:41.2) were next to place for the Bulls, with newcomer Eliza Medearis (23:27.9) and sophomore Megan Smith (23:34.4) rounding out the Buffalo top five.
"Our top three women ran between 23-30 seconds faster today than last year at this meet," said Program Director and Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "That shows our fitness improvement. As a team, we have a lot of potential. We are capable of more and we will improve from here over the next six weeks leading into MAC Championships."
All results from the Spiked Shoe Invite can be accessed here.
The Bulls will next race at the University of Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational on September 21st at 10 am.
For more 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").
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