BOSTON & CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Utica College track and field team split up its squad between two sites on Saturday, but combined to produce some outstanding results regardless of location as the teams competed at Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
No team scores were kept at either meet.
Saturday brought about men's competition at the prestigious Boston University Valentine's Invitational, and a new day also brought another school record. Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) secured his long-anticipated new school record in the men's weight throw, tossing a new personal best of 16.61 meters to place ninth. He was the top Division III competitor in that event. His mark bested the previous school record of 16.58 meters he set in 2020. That performance will put him just inside the top 50 nationally.
Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) threw the second-best mark in program history in the shot put with a fifth place finish at a personal-best distance of 16.42 meters. That mark ranks seventh nationally at the end of the day Saturday, and Logan was the meet's top Division III shot putter. Arthur Bittel (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) was 23rd with a 13.15 meter throw.
In the jumps, Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) was sixth with a 2.01 meter clearance. That ties the best mark of his career set earlier this season. Wright was also fifteenth in the men's long jump at 6.36 meters, followed by Washington in sixteenth at 6.35 meters.
On the track, Daijon Richards (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon) put down a 22.66 second 200 meter performance to finish 88th and set a new personal best indoors. Josh Washington was 111th with a time of 22.91, which was also a convincing personal best. James Boss (/Moorpark College) (23.21) and Michael Campbell (23.74) also set personal bests. Campbell also clocked a 7.63 in the men's open 60 meters.
Meanwhile at MIT's Gordon Kelly Invitational, a mixed men's and women's squad also put together quality performances.
Sophie Henderson had one of her best outings yet this season. She put down a personal best time of 8.61 seconds to place 23rd in the 60 meter dash, and improved on her Friday time in the 60 hurdles with a season-best 9.72 second performance to place sixth. Elsewhere in the hurdles, Justin Valentin (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) was sixth in the men's event with a time of 9.31 seconds to place sixth.
Mackenzie Mix set a new indoor personal best at 200 meters as her time of 26.27 seconds placed as the runner-up. Janaiya Cruz-Bermudez was thirteenth in 28.5 seconds.
In the men's 200 meters, Sei Sei (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) was sixteenth with a time of 24.82 seconds, while Valentin was nineteenth at a time of 25.16.
In the men's 3,000 meters, Michael Roberts (Remsen, NY/Remsen) was fourth with a time of 9:25.61.
The women's throws featured Jane Fahy in the shot put once again. Competing for a second straight day, Fahy placed second with a mark of 12.74 meters. In the women's weight throw, Skyler Whorf was 17th at a distance of 11.68 meters, while Rebecca Clifford was 21st with a 11.04 meter performance.
Utica sent three men's throwers to the MIT meet, with Brady VanAernam (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown), Billie Mays III (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), and Michael McNeil (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) representing the squad. VanAernam led the way for the squad in the weight throw as he placed 21st with a 12.80 meter performance. Mays was the top shot put performer of the group with a 12.31 meter toss to place 23rd.
In the jumps, Laura Meade led the way in the women's long jump (4.59m) and triple jump (10.58m). She was thirteenth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump. Gianna Cognetti was sixteenth in both events. In the men's jumps, Valentin was 14th in the men's high jump at 1.75 meters and Sei was twelfth in the long jump at a 6.21 meter leap.
The Pioneers will compete at St. Lawrence next weekend.
