HOUGHTON, NY - The Utica University Indoor men's track & field team completed day one at the Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championships in first place with 70 points. 
 
Utica earned 26 points in the shot put, 18 in the 400x, 10 in the distance medley, eight in the long jump, four in the mile and four in the pole vault. 
 
Utica saw pure dominance in the shot put with four placing in the top five. Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) captured first place with a 16.01m toss. Logan has placed first in every shot put event this season that he has competed in. Billie Mays III (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) came in second place with a 14.13m toss and Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) finished third (13.91m). 
 
The 4000m distance medley saw another first place finish with a time of 10:43.37. The team of Tobias Jeralds (Chatham, NY/Chatham), Jonathan Simmons (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth), Timothy Jeralds (Denver, CO/Chatam) and Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) showed why they're the best in the conference. 
 
Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) came up huge in the 60m, winning in a time of 7.08. This is Hadasz's fourth consecutive meet where he has placed in the top three. Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) and Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) rounded out the top five. Flynn ran a 7.22 followed by Kain's 7.24. 
 
Andrew Wieder (Clinton, NY/Clinton) leads in the heptathlon after day one with a total score of 2,458. He scored a 7.57 in the 60m followed by long jump (6.01m), shot put (10.82m) and high jump (1.82m).Wieder looks to place first for a second time this season after taking first at the Utica Holiday Classic.
 
In the 400m, there were three top five finishers. Tanner Warren (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) in second (50.78), Hadasz in third (50.87) and Connor Dean (Taberg, Ny/Camden) fourth (51.04).
 
Day two of the Empire 8 Indoor Championships will follow on Saturday, February 24 at 10 a.m.