ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University track and field program finished day two of the Empire 8 Championships on Saturday afternoon. The men finished second with 151 points and the women came in third with 81 points.
 
Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) won the Field Athlete of the Meet award and Michael McNeil (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) won the Torchbearer award for his excellence in the classroom and in athletics.
 
Laura Meade found herself on the podium again finishing second in the women's 60m hurdles with a time of 9.56. Meade also won the triple jump with a time of 11.29 which was a new season best.
 
Mackenzie Mix came in fifth in the women's 60m clocking in at 8.05. The Pioneers had two podium finishers in the men's 60m as Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) finished second with a time of 7.21 and Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) came in third clocking in at 7.23.
 
Jade Dening placed fourth in the women's 800m with a time of 2:28.43. For the men, Tristan Vargo (East Aurora, NY/Orchard Park) came in seventh coming in at 2:03.38.
 
Mackenzie Mix continued her dominance in the women's 200m clocking in at 25.69. Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) took home first in the men's 200m with a time of 22.60. Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) finished fourth and came in at 23.05 which is tenth in program history.
 
Andrew Wieder (Clinton, NY/Clinton) scored 4268 points in the men's heptathlon which ranks second in program history. Wieder dominated the men's heptathlon 1000m clocking in at 3:00.39 and then placed third in the men's heptathlon pole vault with a mark of 3.70m. Cole DeKing's () score of 3772 points is now sixth all-time and his heptathlon 60m hurdles time of 9.07 is ninth all-time.
 
Justin Valentin (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) placed sixth with a time of 8.97 in the 60m hurdles which is now the eighth best in program history. 
 
The men's 3000m featured three top-ten finishers with Michael Roberts (Remsen, NY/Remsen), Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollows Hills West), and Zachary Brown (Milford, NY/Milford Central). Roberts finished sixth clocking in at 9:05.29, Leotta placed seventh coming in at 9:18.28, and Brown came in tenth with a time of 9:22.36.
 
The Pioneers men's 4x400m team continued to shine with another podium level finish. The team of Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel), Dion Putaski (Vernon, NY/Vernon-Verona Sherrill), Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), and Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) came in second clocking in at 3:27.17.
 
Utica dominated the women's weight throw as Gabrielle DeSanctis came in second with her best toss being 14.44m. Duanena Graves finished fourth with her top toss sailing 13.03m which is now tenth in all-time. Emilia Costello finished fifth with a top mark of 12.98m.
 
The Pioneers had three top-five finishers in the men's weight throw. Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) won the event with his 16.98m toss. Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) placed third with his top toss of 14.81m. Spencer Borghardt (Melville, NY/St.Anthony's) came in fifth with a mark of 14.13m.
 
Utica found success in the men's high jump as Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) finished first with a mark of 2m. Blake Hobin (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) came in fourth with his top mark being 1.85m and Greg Olden (Canastota, NY/Canastota) finished fifth bowing out at 1.80m.
 
Amina Sinclair finished fifth in the women's high jump with a mark of 1.54m. 
 
Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) came in third in the men's triple jump with a mark of 13.09m.
 
The program will send qualified athletes to the All-Atlantic Regional Track & Field Conference Indoor Championships beginning Friday, March 3 at the New York City Armory with the time to be determined.