From long distances and hurdling to weight throwing and long jumping, the Oswego State track and field teams distributed a strong overall performance at the SUNYAC championships on Feb. 27 and 28. Over two days of action at SUNY Brockport, the team placed ninth overall.

Elena Gaffney set the tone on Friday, building upon her already-impressive resume by placing second in the women’s 5000m with a time of 17:48.31. This time set a new program record in the event, and Kyra Pellegrino trailed closely in third at 18:07.46.

Success translated to events off of the track, as Cory Morton took home second in the men’s triple jump with a score of 14.12. Then, Noah Melita finalized a seventh-place finish in the men’s 5000m with a time of 15:51.58.

That result scored a couple points for the Lakers, and the quartets built upon that momentum. In the women’s distance medley, the relay team – composed of Julay Mustafa, Alannah Edwards, Grace Stevens and Jessica Torrey – finished ninth overall. On the men’s side, their team of Evan Young, Aidan Hafer, Darnell Johnson and Miles Thompson also finished ninth with a time of 11:32.81. 

To close out the day for the Lakers, Rebecca Steiner and Shea Masse both obtained new personal bests in the women’s weight throw, at 11.36 and 10.81, respectively.

The Lakers closed out the opening day of postseason festivities strong, seeking to build upon it on Saturday.

They did just that, as a strong team performance was highlighted by an even bigger individual one, when Hannah Reichard delivered a record-breaking performance in the women’s mile. She had previously set the program record a week ago, and wasted no time in breaking it, finishing with a time of 5:01.75. Reichard then returned and remained consistent, placing fourth in the 800m with a time of 2:19.48.

Gaffney had another successful day, too, as the sophomore finished fifth in the event at a time of 5:19.97. As for the men, Jeffery Simmons published a breakout performance in the 800m, clinching a spot in regionals with a time of 1:57.42. 

Endurance was then tested, with Pellegrino and Nehemiah Daniel taking the track for distance events. Pellegrino finished seventh in the 3000m at 10:41.66, while Daniel kept pace with that, also finalizing a seventh place finish in the same event, at 9:02.09. 

Points were added from the units made up of four, too. The women’s side, showcasing Daiya Kowalski, Sabrina Schmitt, Sophia Shatynski and Reichard gathered a stout time of 4:19.48 for a fourth place finish. The men then added points, as their team of Thomas Mahunik, Morton, Soren Wolford and Simmons crossed the line at 3:32.23 for a fourth-place effort. 

The field events continued to show promise, too, as Kaleigh Durso cleared 1.47 meters in the women’s high jump, closing out the day in a sixth-place finish. 

The Lakers concluded the two days with an accumulation of 23 points, finishing ninth out of 12 teams. For the men, SUNY Cortland took the top spot with 235 points, while Penn State-Behrend (81.5), SUNY Fredonia (70), SUNY  Oneonta (67) and Plattsburgh State (67) rounded out the top five. Cortland once again finished first on the women’s side with 199.5 points, while Oneonta (147), SUNY Delhi (80), Plattsburgh State (50) and Fredonia (47) put a cap on the top five. 

Oswego takes to the track again next week, when it competes in the AARFTC Region Championships on March 6 and 7.