BROCKPORT, NY - There have been many immaculate individual performers in the history of the Utica Track and Field program, but after the Empire 8 Outdoor Championships this weekend, there may be none greater than Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College).
 
Logan took home his eighth-straight Empire 8 shot put Championship, capping off what was a very successful day for the program as a whole. The shot put star landed a throw of 15.79 on his third attempt, completing a career sweep of the event. His success was only the start for the Pioneers on Saturday though.
 
In the decathlon, Theodore Tsamis (Richmondville, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville) secured a top-four finish during both the discus throw and pole vault portion of the event to snag sixth place overall, posting a final score of 5,039.
 
Just after high noon in Brockport, the Pioneers' 4x100 team of Shane Tinney (Whitesboro, NY/Oriskany), Chris Ganley (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush), Shane Wallace (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) and Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) put together a solid race. The quick quartet finished with a 42.31, grabbing a third-place finish in the event. The team finished with a slim gap between them and the top two of Brockport and Geneseo as the top three squads blew away the rest of the competition.
 
In the 1,500m, Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham Central) finished in 18th with a time of 4:11.01.

Later in the day, brother Timothy Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham Central) competed in the 400m hurdles, notching an eighth-place finish in his second event with a PR of 59.68.
 
Freshman Cade Tavares (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) broke in his first Empire 8 Outdoor Championship appearance with a seventh-place finish in 110 hurdles, ending with a 15.78.
 
In the 800m, a set of Sophomores showed out for the orange and blue, as Eddy Corperan and Forest Martin (Poland, NY/Poland Central) finished in ninth and 11th, respectively. Corporan finished with a 1:57.09 while Martin ended just behind with a 1:57.66.
 
Utica's long-distance leader was back at it again on Saturday, as Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) competed in the 5000m. He finished fourth overall, grabbing a final time of 14:36.45 which also registered as a school record for the event. Melita was accompanied in the top four by two other sophomores, setting up some solid battles in the event for years to come.
 
Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollows Hills West) also competed in the 5000m, with the junior grabbing a 13th-place finish with a time of 16:02.65.
 
The Pioneers also owned some great outings in Saturday's field events.
 
The orange and blue held a champion in the high jump, with sophomore star Louis Pinto (Clinton, NY/Clinton) taking home the hardware thanks to a jump of 1.96. His jump ranked fifth all-time in school history and made him the Empire 8 Champion for the event.
 
Kaiden McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) also had a stellar showing in the high jump, securing a fifth-place finish thanks to a 1.85.
 
In the discus, Michael McNeil (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) finished sixth with a throw of 38.51.
 
In the triple jump, rookie participant Justin Couture (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) cracked the top 10, getting 10th with a jump of 12.23.
 
The day ended with Logan completing his historical career sweep of the Empire 8 shot put, grabbing his eighth total conference title (four indoor, four outdoor) with a 15.79.
 
Billie Mays III (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), along with the aforementioned McNeil, also threw well in the shot put. The former landed in seventh with a long of 13.95, while the latter slotted in right behind at eight with a long of 13.09.
 
The team as a whole finished in fourth place among the conference's nine competing teams, achieving a final team score of 94.5.
 
The team will now look towards the Farley Inter Regional which will be held next weekend in Williamstown, Massachusetts. A few days after that, the Pioneers will be back in Williamstown for the AARTFC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The 4x100 team, Melita (5000m), Pinto (HJ), and Logan (SP) all qualified for the meet with their Saturday marks.