The women's track team has been crowned conference champions after a resounding victory last weekend at the SUNYAC Championships. The men's injury-riddled squad finished a respectable fourth.
The women's squad totaled 165 points at the event, which was held at SUNY Cortland. Their total placed them a comfortable 19 points ahead of runner-up Brockport. Head coach Dave Prevosti was more than satisfied with the showing.
"Going in we felt like we had a good team and overall we were really strong across the board," he said.
Leading the way for the Knights were seniors Meghan Nolan and Christy Finke, who each brought home a first and second place finish. Nolan won the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:43.90 and took second in the 5,000 (17:58.18). Finke placed second in the 1,500 (4:46.00) and won the 800 in a time of 2:20.54.
"Meghan's knee has been injured, but when she is 100 percent she is pretty much unstoppable," said Prevosti. "And Christy is just an outstanding student athlete who has accomplished a lot for us. She basically stepped up when it mattered the most."
The Knights also received first-place finishes from senior Amanda Haney in the high jump (1.66m), junior Julie Thering in the discus (37.07m) and junior Laura Iafrati in the 10,000-meter (37:48.13).
The men's squad turned in a solid performance, accumulating 102 points, which was good enough for fourth place. Prevosti was pleased with the showing considering the injury problems that his team had to overcome.
"We kind of limped into the meet this year," he said. "Our top long and triple jumper didn't compete and our top pole vaulter was also battling injuries. Given [the injuries] I was really pleased with how they competed."
The squad was led by sophomore Jesse Berube's first-place finish in the 5000-meter (15:39.29) and sophomore Ryan Joyce's victory in the triple jump (13.78m).
"It was great to see Jesse and how he stepped up for us," said Prevosti. "And Ryan was seeded seventh going in and he gave us a performance that we really needed. I mean for him to do it on his last jump like he did, it was the highlight of the meet."
Other strong performances for the Knights included freshman Ryan O'Connor placing third in the 5,000 (15:49.52) and sophomore Andrew Sorrento taking second in the hammer throw (53.15m).
With the SUNYACs behind them, the team will now look ahead to this weekend, when they will travel to Rochester for the New York State Collegiate Track Conference championships.