University at Buffalo
Jesse Owens Classic
Kapp & Williams Post Personal Records at Ohio State Jesse Owens Classic
5/3/2026 11:47:00 AM | Track and Field
COLUMBUS, OHIO – The University at Buffalo track and field program competed at Ohio State on Friday and Saturday, returning to the Jesse Owens Classic for the second consecutive season. The Bulls were headlined by Stella Kapp and Nicalis Williams posting personal record performances that entered the program's all-time outdoor top 10.
DAY ONE
Stella Kapp began the Bulls' momentum on the opening day of competition by posting a personal best distance in the women's javelin throw. The sophomore's mark of 37.59 meters surpassed her previous best of 37.43 meters to rank 10th in UB outdoor history. Kapp finished sixth of 13 throwers in the event. Krista Perry also competed for the program, placing eighth (32.23m).
Brady Hughes headlined the men's throwing events on day one, posting a personal best in the men's javelin throw of 48.35 meters. Hughes placed sixth in the field of 14 throwers. In the men's hammer throw, Kenneth Gulloso placed 14th. The senior posted a mark of 54.42 meters.
Loretta White rounded out the Bulls' throwers by placing 15th in the women's hammer throw. The junior's mark of 49.18 meters was better than 17 Mid-American Conference throwers in the competition.
Micah Blair headlined for the men's jumpers, finishing third in the long jump field of 15 athletes with a mark of 7.13 meters. Blair was just over a tenth of a meter shy of his personal record in the event (7.26m) that ranks 10th in program outdoor history. Mitch Diamond placed 11th in the event with a mark of 6.33 meters.
Kara Moran was the top finisher for the women's jumpers, taking third of 20 athletes in the long jump with a season-best mark of 5.87 meters. The junior's jump was also the best on the women's roster this season. Isa van Puffelen placed 11th with a distance of 5.34 meters and Uma Bhattacharjee finished 16th with a jump of 5.22 meters.
Track events opened with Gemma Galligani (5th, 1:02.07) and Linnea Neureuther (6th, 1:02.99) earning top six placements in the women's 400-meter hurdles field of 18 athletes. Galligani was within a second of her personal record in the event (1:01.14) that ranks sixth in program history.
Rylee VanAlstine finished the men's 400-meter hurdles event with a time of 55.08 seconds. The sophomore was within a tenth of a second of his personal best time (55.00) that ranks 10th in program outdoor history. VanAlstine finished ninth in the event.
Vassi Klocked placed 10th in the women's 1,500-meter field of 44 runners, posting a time of 4:32.06. Sophie Brettholtz placed 29th (4:42.80), Bronagh Cassidy took 32nd (4:44.21), Jacquie Appenheimer finished 37th (4:45.67), Reese Wilber placed 39th (4:48.63) and Meghana Reddy rounded out the Buffalo runners in 43rd (5:01.16).
Vincent Guaresimo was the Bulls' top finisher on the men's side of the 1,500-meter, placing 10th with a time of 3:54.47. Noah Brightman (15th, 3:56.01) and Luke Stoeffler (16th, 3:56.03) were next to place for the Bulls. Gabe Watson (31st, 3:59.59), Xavier Gordon (33rd, 4:00.40) and Michael Huebner (38th, 4:07.82) rounded out the Buffalo runners.
Keoni Chong was the program's top finisher in the men's 200-meter, finishing 14th in the field of 31 sprinters with a time of 21.58 seconds. The freshman was just shy of his personal best time in the event (21.55). Matthew Schaffert earned 18th in the event (21.68), with Fernando Sanchez rounding out the men's sprinters in 27th (22.30). Hailey Martinez placed 24th in the women's 200-meter with a time of 25.57. The sophomore was just shy of her personal best in the event (25.24).
The Bulls closed out night one with the 5,000-meter run. The Buffalo men were led by Chris Turner, who placed 28th with a time of 14:51.93. The time was a new personal record for the junior. Jacob Brink was next to place for the men, taking 33rd with a time of 15:04.41. Connor Domoy (36th, 15:13.69) and Matt Gensel (40th, 15:14.67) rounded out the Bulls' competitors on the men's side. Brianna Urban (35th, 17:51.21) and Fiona Klingbeil (38th, 17:57.63) represented the Buffalo women.
DAY TWO
The jumps program opened day two in fashion with the Buffalo men earning the top three spots in the triple jump. Nicalis Williams' mark of 14.90 meters won the event and rose to fifth in UB outdoor history. The freshman surpassed his previous best of 14.59 meters. Micah Blair placed second only to Williams, finishing the event with a mark of 14.63 meters, just shy of his personal best distance (14.74m). Freshman Mitch Diamond placed third in the event with a personal best of 14.48 meters.
Linnea Neureuther (3rd, 12.49m) and Kara Moran (4th, 12.19m) posted top-five placements in the women's triple jump. Neureuther's mark was just shy of her personal best in the event that ranks fourth in program outdoor history (12.56m).
Stella Kapp had another strong performance for the program on day two, posting a mark of 1.70 meters in the women's high jump to place sixth. Adriana Ellsworth nearly reached her season best mark too (1.68m), finishing the event with a jump of 1.65 meters.
Gemma Galligani (2nd, 14.02) and Krista Perry (3rd, 14.13) earned top three placements for the Bulls in the 100-meter hurdles. Perry's time was a new personal record and was less than a tenth of a second shy of the program's outdoor record book (14.07). Isa van Puffelen also competed in the finals of the event, taking seventh with a time of 14.68. Galligani (13.94), Perry (14.42) and van Puffelen (14.59) all qualified for the finals in the field of 16 athletes. Michael Parks qualified for the finals of the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.90 seconds, but didn't compete in the final round.
Hailey Martinez (11th, 12.15), Sophia Sampson (14th, 12.29) and Uma Bhattacharjee (17th, 12.39) competed in the preliminary round of the women's 100-meter dash. Martinez was just shy of her personal best performance in the event (12.09). Matthew Schaffert represented the Buffalo men in the 100-meter dash, placing 10th in the preliminary round with a time of 10.58 seconds.
The Buffalo men placed third in the 4x100-meter dash. Rylee VanAlstine, Keoni Chong, Mitch Diamond and Schaffert finished the event in 41.04, under two seconds shy of the program record (39.88).
Chong was then the fastest Buffalo runner in the men's 400-meter dash, taking sixth of 18 sprinters with a time of 49.00. Fernando Sanchez (12th, 49.83) and Kala'i Makanani (15th, 50.71) also placed for the program.
Noah Brightman finished 13th with a time of 1:52.74 in the men's 800-meter. The senior's time was a new personal record, surpassing his previous best of 1:53.08. Brightman was just over a second shy of the program's outdoor top 10 (1:51.64). Aidan Norris placed 14th (1:53.14), Gabe Watson finished 21st (1:54.22), Xavier Gordon took 26th (1:54.88) and Michael Huebner placed 29th (1:55.37). Luke Stoeffler (35th, 1:56.77), Nicholas Morgan (36th, 1:56.89) and Vincent Guaresimo (38th, 1:57.48) rounded out the men's competitors. Juliette Salazar (29th, 2:17.40) and Meghana Reddy (33rd, 2:22.63) competed in the women's 800-meter.
Bryson Bodner was the program's top finisher in the men's shot put. The sophomore posted a mark of 16.14 meters. Freshman Dominic Weatherly was the Bulls' next finisher, taking 12th with a throw of 15.88 meters.
The distance team closed out day two on the track, with Ella Reilly finishing sixth in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The sophomore's time of 11:12.35 was nearly a personal best, less than three seconds shy of her record in the event (11:09.76). Kaitlyn Edinger placed seventh in the event with a personal record time of 11:27.09. Cameron Bogdan competed for the Buffalo men, placing 12th (9:37.13).
All results from the Ohio State Jesse Owens Classic.
UP NEXT
The Bulls are next scheduled to compete at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, hosted in Muncie, Indiana, by Ball State University. MAC Outdoor Championships begin on Thursday, May 14th, and continue through Saturday, May 16th. More information regarding conference championships. Complete schedule for UB Track & Field.
For 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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Players Mentioned
