Seniors Matthew Sayre and Emily Pomainville stole the show in their meets as they both set records with their times. Sayre did his work on the 5000-meter where he secured the best finish of any NCAA Division III runner so far by a wide margin. Pomainville was just as impressive with her program and conference record-breaking finish on the 1500-meter on the April 16. Pomainville is also 9th all-time in Division III history after her performance.
On the men’s side, it was another week of dominance as they secured eight first-place finishes, including sophomore Jason Rapazzo’s first place finish in the 400-meter dash.
Other notable finishes included junior Ben Timmons’ first place finish in the 1500-meter, while freshman Frank Bubbico took first in the 800-meter and freshman Jack Heraty secured first in the 5000-meter.
This was Rapazzo’s third straight week with an impressive performance as he tied a program record in the 100-meter dash on April 10, and he has managed to finish first place in at least one event at every meet this season.
Rapazzo has been impressive in what is his first year ever running for Geneseo after the season was cut short last winter and spring. That didn’t stop Rapazzo and the rest of the team from training as hard as they could though, as Rapazzo said head coach Chris Popovici gave the team a dedicated workout plan over the summer to keep them in running shape.
Few athletes took summer work more importantly than Sayre, as he was completely dedicated to improving himself over the summer, according to Rapazzo. The results have been clear for all to see, as Sayre has rocketed out to several first-place finishes including his D-III leading finish this weekend.
Not to be outdone, Rapazzo set his own program record the week prior. Although he trained just as hard as anyone, Rapazzo said he never set out to beat the record in the first place.
“I never set out to beat the record when I started. I just used what I learned in practice and went out and executed,” Rapazzo said. “When I found out, I was really happy because it was my first time going below 11 seconds on the 100.”
Rapazzo is just another example of the benefits of the strong culture and work ethic found in all the track and field team members, especially Pomainville, who set her record on Friday April 16.
Pomainville is hardly alone in her success, as the women’s team has been dominant in each of their meets so far. In the Redhawk Invitational at Roberts Wesleyan over the weekend, junior Madison Mulder joined Pomainville in breaking a record as she set a program record in the 400-meter.
The women’s team ended up with six first place finishes, including another for Pomainville who helped anchor the 4x400-meter relay team that took first, along with senior Roisin O’Neill, junior Tess Duignan and sophomore Tori Fears.
Other notable finishes include a first-place finish by sophomore Ciara Knott in the 10,000-meter and another first-place finish in the 5000-meter for senior Melissa Graham.
Both teams have been off to amazing starts this season, and with the SUNYAC Championships only three weeks away, both the men’s and women’s track and field team look to win yet again and set up for deep runs into the NCAA Championships.