The men and women's outdoor track and field teams hosted the Geneseo Open over the weekend.
While competition is usually at the forefront at a track meet, it "sometimes takes a backseat to hosting," said head coach Dave Prevosti. "It was an all-hands-on-deck effort."
Weather played a significant role in the event for the second straight week, causing the javelin throw and steeplechase events to be relocated.
In spite of the setbacks, Geneseo had one of the strongest showings of the teams at the meet. Sophomore Ian Besso set a school record of 10.96 seconds in the 100-meter and posted 22.85 in the 200, a top-ten school record.
"Besso had a great meet for us," Prevosti said.
Senior Jon Brotsch continued his strong campaign, winning the 400 in 50.45. Junior Lee Berube won the 5,000 in 14 minutes, 30.26 seconds, a time that qualifies him for the NCAA tournament.
Senior Bill Juda helped set up the relocated steeplechase event and then went on to win it in 9:49.91, clocking in a full eight seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Junior Alyssa Smith, freshman Mary Aldridge, sophomore Danae Polsin and junior Julie Dmochowski finished first, second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 1,500. The 1,500 was the only race of the meet where runners from one school comprised the top four. Junior Meghan LaPoint won the 10,000 in 40:38.24 and senior Maria Barbaglia finished second in the hammer throw with an ECAC-qualifying throw of 45.75 meters.
"I'm always confident in our team, but I'm very excited for us this year," Prevosti said. "We may not be the favorites, but we weren't last year when we won SUNYACs either."
Geneseo faces Robert Wesleyan College on Saturday and will host the SUNYAC on May 6-7. The ECAC and NCAA championships will be held later in May.