BROCKPORT, NY -- Thirty-two members of the Houghton track & field men's and women's teams qualified and traveled to SUNY Brockport on Friday for day one of the Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The weather was in the low 70s, windy, and clear. The Highlanders saw some big performances, and athletes that exceeded their seed to gain points and a podium finishes. The highlight of the evening came when the men's 4 x 800m relay team of
Amos Bixler,
James Eustace,
Henry Sardina, and
Aidan Fish won the event in a meet record time of 7:56.56. This was just over three seconds ahead of second place finisher Nazareth, and earned 10 points.
Alexa Belanger stepped on the runway for only her second long jump competition of the season. In her first jump she set a program record and surpassed the 5.37m of Alyssa Figueroa from 2014. In the end, she lept 5.50m (18'0'') and placed 8th in the competition.
Victoria Brewster and
Evan Kurtz both qualified for the 100m final on Saturday with their marks of 12.09 and 10.86, respectively. These are both their second fastest career marks, and should set up an exciting result on Saturday.
Jackson Collins entered the Javelin competition seeded outside the top 10. Like Belanger, his first throw achieved a 3+ meter personal best (44.82m) and earned him a place in the final flight. He finished in 7th place in the event for his first ever podium placement.
Noelle Linenfelser placed 4th in the 10,000m run in a personal best time of 39:44.95 to earn 5 points for the team. She will compete in the 5,000m on Saturday, as well. In the Decathlon,
Andrew Ryan is off to a hot start, achieving four marks that better his day one performance at Brockport earlier in April. He currently sits in 5th place with 2,913 points headed into day two.
Other notable performances were the women's 4 x 800m finishing in 5th place in 9:52.03,
Connor Little with a 7 second personal best in the 3k Steeplechase in 10:38.02, and
Tim Gordon with a lifetime personal best in the 400m in 52.49.
Results for day two can be found here.
