University at Buffalo
Fred Hardy Invite
Track & Field to Open Outdoor Season at Richmond’s Fred Hardy Invite This Thursday & Friday
3/18/2026 11:06:00 AM | Track and Field
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo track and field program is set to open the outdoor season at the University of Richmond's Fred Hardy Invite this Thursday and Friday. The meet marks the beginning of an eight-week path to the MAC Outdoor Championships, scheduled to begin on May 14th and conclude on May 16th.
The Bulls enter the outdoor season following a historic indoor season where the program posted 42 performances that joined the all-time UB rankings. The season was highlighted by Michael Parks setting a new school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.83 seconds to win a gold medal at MAC Indoor Championships. Noah Brightman (4:03.62) and Vassi Klock (4:46.99) also set new school records in the mile at Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invite.
The program looks to build off of a successful outdoor season last year. The Bulls laid the groundwork for their recent success last spring by setting two school records and entering 27 performances into the program's all-time top 10. Aiden Walker posted a school record mark of 60.48 meters in the discus throw at MAC Outdoor Championships to take a silver medal. Collin Stafford also posted a school record in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:55.94 to earn a silver medal.
The Buffalo throwers open the action at Richmond on Thursday, with Dominic Weatherly and Bryson Bodner competing in the men's shot put at 2 p.m. Weatherly was named the MAC Men's Freshman Indoor Field Performer of the Year at indoor conference championships. Kenneth Gulloso, Julian Vitucci, Loretta White and Faith Hamilton will follow the shot put, competing in the hammer throw at 3 p.m. Gulloso set a new personal record in the event last year, taking fifth on the program's all-time top 10 with a mark of 57.68 meters.
Bodner and Weatherly will also begin a full slate of action scheduled for Friday, participating in the men's discus throw at 10 a.m.
The Bulls begin action on the track at 10:55 a.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay. Uma Bhattacharjee, Amber McDonald, Sophia Sampson and Hailey Martinez are expected to compete for the program. Sampson joined the UB outdoor record book in both the 100-meter (5th, 11.95) and the 200-meter dash (4th, 24.09) last year. The sophomore will also compete in both events at Richmond.
Six Buffalo women are expected to compete in the 800-meter at 2:05 p.m. in Jacquie Appenheimer, Sophie Brettholtz, Bronagh Cassidy, Klock, Meghana Reddy and Reese Wilber. The Bulls had two women join the program's outdoor top 10 last year in Juliette Salazar (8th, 2:10.94) and Allison Newton (10th, 2:11.26). Klock joined the program's indoor rankings this winter (7th, 2:11.79).
The Buffalo men are scheduled to have six sprinters compete in the 200-meter dash to close out the meet at 3:10 p.m. in Keoni Chong, Braden Dunn, Kala'i Makanani, Sam Mellinger, Fernando Sanchez and Matthew Schaffert. Schaffert joined the program's indoor rankings this winter, taking the 10th spot in UB indoor history with a time of 21.77. Dunn (8th, 6.87) and Mellinger (9th, 6.88) joined the rankings in the 60-meter, and Chong (6th, 48.46) and Makanani (10th, 48.88) entered the rankings in the 400-meter this winter.
Live results from the Fred Hardy Invite can be accessed here. A live stream for Friday's action on the track can be found here.
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