CANTON, NY - The Utica University track and field program brought a christmas tree to hang their medals on at Saturday's Saints Holiday Relays hosted by St. Lawrence University. By the end of the meet, the tree was trimmed in a way worthy of Santa himself. The Pioneers men won three events, the Utica women won five more, and both teams turned in a smattering of second and third place finishes to kick off the indoor season at St. Lawrence's Newell Field House.

The Pioneers finished second in both sets of team standings in this season-opener meet. 

 

Standout performances by veteran competitors Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College), and Laura Meade were among the day's highlights. 

 

Kelly set a new school record in the men's weight throw by becoming the first Pioneer to eclipse 17 meters in that event. His winning toss sailed 17.17 meters. Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) placed third, with Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) coming in fourth in that event. 

 

Meade won all three events she entered. A career-best 9.64 seconds in the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries set the tone for a win in the finals of that event. She also won the triple jump in a solid 10.97 meters, and was on the winning 4x200 relay team. Meade teamed up with Bryona Hayes, Janaiya Cruz-Bermudez, and Mackenzie Mix to produce a time of 1:49.23 and best a pair of relay squads from the University of Ottawa. 

 

Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) also set the bar high for what should be another impressive season in the shot put for the All-American. He spearheaded a Utica 1-2-3 finish in the shot put with his winning performance of 15.46 meters. Billie Mays was second with a throw of 13.52 meters, and Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) rounded out the top three in 13.13 meters. Jacob Barnes (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Michael McNeil (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) were fifth and sixth, respectively. 

 

In the women's weight throw, Gabrielle DeSanctis was the winner with a 14.83 meter throw. Megan Brinck placed fourth in her collegiate debut. Elsewhere in the women's throws, Jane Fahy was the runner-up with a throw of 11.85 meters.

Beyond Meade's performance in the triple jump was a host of other quality jumps performances. Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) and TyJon Billinger were second and third in the men's long jump. Wright marked a 6.49 meter leap, while Billinger's best of the day stood at 6.30. Wright was also second in the men's high jump with a clearance of 1.95 meters, while newcomer Blake Hobin (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) was third at 1.85 meters. Nora Devitt was fourth in the women's triple jump at 10.07 meters. Cooper Jones (Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho) was third in the men's triple jump at 11.10 meters.

The sprint medley relay teams produced a sweep of the top spots. Wright, Dylan Asch (Camden, NY/Camden), Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel), and Hayden Lohmann (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) won the men's event with a clocking of 3:45. Mix, Hayes, Cruz-Bermudez, and Ayjah Clarke topped the women's sprint medley competition with a time of 4:36.41. 

 

At 600 meters, Kyla Reed was fifth in her collegiate indoor debut with a time of 2:04.31. Tristan Vargo (East Aurora, NY/Orchard Park) was sixth in the men's competition at that distance as he hit the finish line at a time of 1:28.63. 

 

At 1,000 meters, Sarah Sharpe and Meghan Sonnacchio placed third and fourth, respectively. Sharpe finished with a time of 3:35.82, while Sonnacchio's performance stood at 3:51. Tobias Jeralds (Chatham, NY/Chatham) was seventh in the men's event. 

 

The men's 4x200 relay team of Billinger, Asch, Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), and Shane Tinney (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) was second in 1:38.70. 

In the distance medley relays, the Utica men's team of Vargo, Jeralds, Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollows Hills West), and Zachary Brown (Milford, NY/Milford Central) was second with a time of 11:11. The Utica women's contingent of Reed, Sonnacchio, Sharpe, and Priya Katwala was third in 15:02.

In the 4x400 meter relay, the Utica men's quartet of Andrew Wieder (Clinton, NY/Clinton), Quallan Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Herkimer College), Jonathan Simmons (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth), and Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) was second with a combined time of 3:40.