UTICA, NY - The Utica University track and field teams open outdoor competition on Saturday, March 26th as they head to Canton, NY to compete in the St. Lawrence University Ice Breaker Open. The meet is set to begin at 2 p.m. at SLU's Leckonby Stadium.
Follow Along: The meet will be timed by the terrific team at Leone Timing. Live results are available at LeoneTiming.com as they come in throughout the day. Live video of portions of the meet can be found at https://saintsathletics.com/sports/2018/11/30/2018-19-saints-track-broadcasts.aspx.
Meet Information: Full meet information, including the schedule of events, can be found at https://saintsathletics.com/documents/2022/3/21/Ice_Breaker_Meet_Information_22.docx.
Mark Your Calendars: The Pioneers will host an outdoor meet for the first time on Saturday, April 9th.
The Rest of the Schedule: After hosting a meet on April 9th, the Pioneers will visit Westfield State (April 16th), SUNY Cortland (April 22nd-23rd), Hamilton (April 26th), and St. Lawrence (April 30th) before heading into the championship season. This year's E8 Championships will be hosted by Nazareth College.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers sent shot put athlete Hunter Logan to the 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, March 12th. The first-time NCAA qualifier and 2021 NJCAA Champion did not disappoint as he landed All-American honors with a fifth place finish on a mark of 16.24 meters. He became the program's second indoor shot put All-American in as many editions of the championship to be contested, with the 2020 and 2021 championships put on hold. Fifth was also the second-highest finish at a national meet by a Utica shot put athlete.
All-Region Teams: Three Pioneers were chosen to the USTFCCCA Indoor All-Region Teams released recently. The top-5 individuals in each event on each regional performance list earned All-Region distinction, in addition to each member of the region's top-3 relay teams. Logan and Jane Fahy (Oriskany, NY/MVCC/Oriskany) were chosen for their work in the shot put, while Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) earned honors at 200 meters.
Remembering the 2021 Outdoor Season: The 2021 outdoor track and field season was one to remember as the first season of full-time competition since the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. The squads combined to capture a total of eight Empire 8 individual event titles, The Utica men were second with 133 points, while the Utica women came home third with 92 points at the Empire 8 Championships. Four athletes were chosen to the All-Region teams, Kyle Swiecki (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) was chosen for his work in the decathlon, Chase Pecoraro (Medina, NY/Medina) was lauded for his performance in the javelin throw, Jane Fahy (Oriskany, NY/MVCC/Oriskany) was commended after a terrific first NCAA season in the shot put, and Kelsey Wands (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) added to her list of accomplishments this season with a selection in the women's long jump. Wands went on to represent Utica at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.
Help's On The Way: The Pioneers could be re-invigorated with some top athletes returning for their final outdoor seasons while completing their graduate level studies. Three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American Ka'Sean Watlington is back in the mix in the jumps after some solid outings competing as an unattached competitor this Winter. Defending Empire 8 outdoor pole vault and javelin champion Chase Pecoraro also returns. He has the #2 mark in school history in the decathlon, which he recorded at Cortland in Spring 2021, and is also second all-time in program history in the javelin. His best javelin throw mark of 2021 ranked 29th nationally. A return for 2019 E8 women's javelin champion Nicole Herringshaw (North Syracuse, NY/CNS) also remains possible.
What's Next: Utica will compete at the Hamilton Invitational on Saturday, April 2nd.
