University at Buffalo
SPIRE Midwest Open
Bulls Earn Event Wins and Post Personal Records at SPIRE Midwest Open
1/25/2026 11:00:00 AM | Track and Field
GENEVA, Ohio – The University at Buffalo track and field program competed at the SPIRE Midwest Open on Saturday. The Bulls continued their indoor momentum at the meet, posting four event wins and numerous personal records.
SPRINTS
Shannon Schmieder and Amber McDonald earned top-three finishes in the women's 60-meter dash. Schmieder set a new personal record time of 7.83 seconds in the event to place second. McDonald posted a time of 7.86 seconds to take third, setting a new personal best time of her own. Petrina Zborovszky (14th, 8.24) and Alexia Jones (18th, 8.32) also competed for the Bulls in the preliminary round.
Brady Hughes set a new personal record time of 8.78 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles preliminary round to qualify for the finals. Hughes did not compete in the finals.
Krista Perry (4th, 9.06) and Olga Skolasinska (5th, 9.20) finished inside the top five of the 60-meter hurdles finals. Perry placed second in the preliminary round of the event (9.02). Skolasinska made her debut with the Bulls in the preliminary round, qualifying for the finals with a fifth-place finish (9.35).
The Bulls had four of the top eight finishers in the men's 400-meter. Keoni Chong (2nd, 49.15) and Rylee VanAlstine (3rd, 49.27) earned top-three placements. Malachi Taylor (6th, 50.04) and Kala'i Leahey-Makanani (8th, 50.63) earned two more top-eight finishes for the program.
Chong doubled back to post another top three finish in the men's 200-meter. The freshman's time of 22.02 was a personal best that ranks sixth in the conference. Taylor finished 12th in the field of 59 sprinters (22.95). Leahey-Makanani also placed inside the top 20 (19th, 23.28).
Amelie-Johanna Fraeger placed seventh in the field of 56 sprinters in the women's 400-meter with a season best time of 1:00.22. Sina Ehrhardt finished 16th overall in the field, posting a time of 1:01.55. Lindy Betrus (22nd, 1:03.17) also competed for the Bulls.
DISTANCE
The Bulls earned six of the top 13 spots in the women's mile. Sophie Brettholtz was the team's top finisher, placing second with a new personal best time of 5:11.22. Delaney Mansfield (5th, 5:17.95) and Lexi Bernard (6th, 5:19.65) were next to finish for the Bulls. Mansfield's time was a personal best in the event by nearly 10 seconds (5:26.93). Reese Wilber (8th, 5:20.30) and Paris Welker (9th, 5:22.00) put five Bulls inside the top 10 runners to place. Welker also posted a personal record. Ella Reilly rounded out the Bulls' runners, finishing 13th with a time of 5:37.41.
Meghana Reddy won the women's 800-meter with a time of 2:19.19. The sophomore's time was a new personal best, beating her previous record by nearly 10 seconds (2:27.21). Brettholtz placed seventh in the event (2:22.77), with Wilber taking 13th (2:28.19) in the field of 40 runners. Brettholtz's time was a new personal best in the event.
On the men's side of the 800-meter, Xavier Gordon earned another win for the Bulls. The freshman took first place with a time of 1:55.50, a season-best performance that ranks 10th in the conference. Nicholas Morgan added another top 10 finish for the program, taking seventh (1:57.35) in the field of 57 runners with a season best time of his own.
Connor Domoy earned sixth of 20 runners in the men's 5,000-meter with a time of 15:25.53. Nicholas Hockenbury (19th, 17:11.46) also competed for the Bulls.
Katie Edinger finished fifth of 22 runners in the women's 3,000-meter. The junior's time was a personal best, beating her previous record of 10:47.65.
THROWS
Aiden Walker won the men's shot put with a mark of 15.09 meters. The senior was followed by Dominic Weatherly, who earned second (15.01m) and Bryson Bodner in third (14.89m). Bodner was just shy of his indoor personal best (14.90m).
Loretta White won the women's weight throw with a mark of 16.71 meters. The junior's throw was a season best, ranking eighth in the conference. Bernice Balk finished fifth (14.18m) and Faith Hamilton earned seventh (13.88m). Balk's mark was a personal best.
Kenneth Gulloso earned second place in the men's weight throw with a mark of 15.71 meters. Freshman Julian Vittuci earned third with a new personal record throw of 15.16 meters. Walker rounded out the Bulls' competitors, placing seventh (13.93m).
JUMPS
Daniel Richardson posted a new personal best mark in the men's high jump to place second. The sophomore's mark of 2.00 meters ranks fourth in the conference. Richardson was less than a tenth of a meter shy of reaching the UB indoor record book (2.05m). Tyler Norton placed sixth in the event with a jump of 1.85 meters.
Schmieder earned a second-place finish in the women's long jump with a personal best mark of 5.47 meters. McDonald made her debut in the event with the Bulls, placing fourth (5.43m).
On the men's side, Ryan Cardichon posted a new indoor personal best in the long jump, placing second of 29 jumpers with a mark of 7.01 meters. The sophomore's jump ranks eighth in the conference. Cardichon was just a tenth of a meter shy of reaching the all-time indoor ranks (7.11m). Hughes also competed for the Bulls in the high jump, placing 12th (6.15m).
Stella Kapp and Akuot Kuany earned top-three placements in the women's high jump. Kapp placed second with a mark of 1.65 meters. Kuany earned third with a jump of 1.60 meters.
Amari Hall placed third in the women's triple jump with a mark of 11.15 meters.
All results from SPIRE Midwest Open can be accessed here.
UP NEXT
The Bulls compete next at the Penn State National Open on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st. A complete schedule for UB Track & Field can be found here.
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Players Mentioned
