University at Buffalo
Fred Hardy Invite
Track & Field Begins Spring in Style at Richmond’s Fred Hardy Invite
3/21/2026 11:01:00 AM | Track and Field
RICHMOND, Va. – The University at Buffalo track and field program competed at the University of Richmond's Fred Hardy Invite to open the outdoor track and field season on Thursday and Friday. The Bulls began the spring season in style despite substantial winds, posting two all-time top 10 performances and 15 top-three placements.
TRACK
Vassi Klock had the Bulls' first historic performance of the season, winning the women's 800-meter with a time of 2:10.98. The performance earned the ninth spot in program history. Meghana Reddy (4th, 2:15.37) and Bronagh Cassidy (8th, 2:18.07) also earned top 10 placements for the program.
Cassidy also opened the season for the Bulls in distance events, placing fourth of 52 runners in the women's 1,500-meter with a personal record time of 4:35.75. The time was just over a second shy of reaching the program's all-time top 10 (4:34.56). Sophie Brettholtz (14th, 4:48.69) also posted a top-15 placement. Reese Wilber (19th, 4:51.85) added another top-20 finish for the Bulls.
Noah Brightman earned the Bulls' second event win, taking first place in the men's 800-meter with a time of 1:51.84. Brightman just missed the program's all-time outdoor top 10 (1:51.64). Collin Stafford added another top 10 placement in the event (7th, 1:54.75).
Xavier Gordon (20th, 4:00.32) and Luke Stoeffler (21st, 4:00.36) were the Bulls' top finishers on the men's side of the 1,500-meter. Michael Huebner (35th, 4:05.65), Gabe Watson (40th, 4:06.89) and Matt Gensel (44th, 4:09.77) also competed for the program.
The Buffalo women won the 4x100-meter relay to open the action on the track. Uma Bhattacharjee, Amber McDonald, Sophia Sampson and Hailey Martinez posted a time of 46.89 seconds. The time was within two seconds of the program's outdoor record (45.29).
Sampson placed second of 46 sprinters in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.41. The Bulls had three more sprinters post top 10 finishes in McDonald (6th, 12.62), Shannon Schmieder (7th, 12.67) and Bhattacharjee (10th, 12.75).
The Buffalo men placed second in the 4x100-meter relay to open the action on the men's side. Rylee VanAlstine, Matthew Schaffert, Sam Mellinger and Braden Dunn finished with a time of 40.99. The Bulls were nearly a second shy of the program's all-time outdoor record (39.88).
VanAlstine posted the program's second all-time top 10 performance of the afternoon, finishing the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.00. The time entered UB outdoor history to rank 10th. VanAlstine took third in the event at Richmond. Krista Perry earned a third-place finish of her own on the women's side of the 400-meter hurdles, posting a time of 1:05.20.
Schaffert (8th, 11.08) and Mellinger (10th, 11.12) earned top 10 finishes in the men's 100-meter. Schaffert was half of a second shy of the program's all-time top 10 (10.62).
Olga Skolasinska (2nd, 14.65) and Perry (3rd, 14.66) earned top-three placements in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Perry was less than three-tenths of a second shy of her personal best in the event (14.39).
Juliette Salazar (9th, 58.39) and Hailey Martinez (10th, 58.50) earned top 10 placements in the women's 400-meter. Stephney Pryce posted a top 20 placement too, taking 17th with a time of 59.09.
On the men's side of the 400-meter, Keoni Chong (11th, 49.05) and Aidan Norris (14th, 49.44) had top 15 finishes. Chong was less than a second shy of reaching the program's all-time top 10 (8.16). Kala'i Makanani (20th, 50.42) and Fernando Sanchez (21st, 50.43) also finished inside the top 25 sprinters. Gordon (32nd, 52.21) and Brady Hughes (39th, 53.46) also competed.
Buffalo's sprinters closed out the afternoon on the track with the 200-meter. The women had five athletes place inside the top eight of the event. Sampson earned second with a time of 25.16, trailing the first-place finisher by less than fourth-tenths of a second (24.88). Schmieder finished fourth in the event with a time of 25.51 and Bhattacharjee added another top-five placement with a time of 25.62. Martinez took sixth (25.65) and Pryce finished eighth (25.73) to stack five Bulls into the top eight sprinters.
On the men's side of the 200-meter, the Bulls had three top 15 finishers. Schaffert placed fifth with a time of 21.83. The freshman's time nearly entered the program's all-time top 10, missing the mark by just over three-tenths of a second (21.51). Chong finished 12th (22.26) in the event and Mellinger earned 14th (22.31).
FIELD
Bryson Bodner and Hughes opened the outdoor season for the Bulls on Thursday afternoon, competing in the men's shot put. Bodner placed third with a mark of 15.11 meters. Hughes earned a second top 10 placement for the Bulls, finishing ninth with a throw of 13.64 meters.
Kenneth Gulloso and Julian Vittuci also competed for the program on Thursday, both earning top 10 placements in the men's hammer throw. Gulloso finished third in the event with a mark of 53.14 meters. Vittuci made his debut in the event with the Bulls, placing sixth with a throw of 48.49 meters.
On the women's side of the weight throw, Loretta White and Faith Hamilton both earned top-five placements for the program. White was the Bulls' top finisher on Thursday, taking second with a mark of 49.25 meters. Hamilton placed fourth in the event with a throw of 39.94 meters. White's season-opening mark in the event nearly matched her personal record (49.44m).
Brian Murphy was the Bulls' lone field competitor on Friday, placing second in the men's pole vault with a mark of 4.45 meters.
All results from the Fred Hardy Invite are accessible here.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will next compete at NC State University's Raleigh Relays, beginning on Thursday, March 26th, and continuing through Saturday, March 28th. A complete outdoor schedule can be accessed here.
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Players Mentioned
