ROCHESTER, NY - The Empire 8 Conference has officially released the 2025 outdoor men's track and field All-Conference selections, giving recognition to the top performers from this past season's Empire 8 Championships. Among the conference's elite are a plethora of Pioneers who were able to set staggering marks at the competition. These 10 strong competitors took care of business in six different events, reeling in all-conference honors thanks to their productive outings. Chief among these honors is this season's Empire 8 Men's Track and Field Rookie of the Year: Ellis Urgent (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central). Urgent, a dual athlete here at Utica (Men's Soccer), dominated the long jump all season long, setting the pace from the start and eventually being crowned Empire 8 Outdoor Long Jump Champion at season's end. He headlines this group of superstars who've achieved all-conference status this season.
 
Ellis Urgent (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central) | Empire 8 Outdoor Men's Track and Field Rookie of the Year - First Team All-Conference (Long Jump)
Urgent lands at the top of the all-conference ranks after a debut season for the ages. The freshman phenom blew away the competition in the long jump this season, routinely taking the top spot and adding to his max distance every single week. Urgent captured the Empire 8 Outdoor Men's Long Jump Championship with a leap of 7.24m, bringing home the hardware in just his rookie season. He was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Region team for the long jump. The Cornwall graduate will look to build upon a stellar rookie campaign and set new highs for the team as he continues what looks to be a standout career in the making.
 
Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) | First Team All-Conference (Shot Put)
Logan wrapped up a legendary career this season, capping off his run with another pair of Empire 8 Shot Put Championships (Indoor & Outdoor). His throw of 15.79m at the Empire 8 Championships led him to complete a career sweep of the event, with his eighth straight gold at the conference championships since joining the team. Logan will leave Utica as the most decorated individual athlete in school history, racking up four All-American nods along with five NCAA National Championships qualifications.
 
Louis Pinto (Clinton, NY/Clinton) | First Team All-Conference (High Jump)
Pinto rounds out the trio of first-team honorees for the Pioneers, helping the team build an impressive field event resume this past spring as he brought home the Empire 8 Outdoor Men's High Jump Championship. Pinto's top tally of 1.96m was the winning mark and gifted the junior from nearby Clinton his first championship and first team selection. Pinto was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team.
 
Spencer Borghardt (Melville, NY/St.Anthony's) | Second Team All-Conference (Hammer Throw)
Borghardt battled his way to the Pioneers' only second team all-conference finish, grabbing second in the hammer throw at the conference championships. As just a junior, Borghardt will have plenty to look forward to during his senior season, especially after achieving USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the hammer and launching a toss of 56.17m at the Empire 8 Championships, which gave him that second-place finish. The Long Island native will look ahead to a much anticipated senior year.
 
Joshua Talbot (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) | Third Team All-Conference (Hammer Throw)
Right behind Borghardt on the conference championships leaderboard was Section III strongman Josh Talbot. Talbot tallied the third-longest toss in the conference final event, landing right behind Borghardt's throw with a 55.74m chuck. This finish gave the Pioneers two top-three finishers in the hammer, both of whom were juniors. Talbot, who also achieved USTFCCCA All-Region honors, will join Bordhardt at the peak of the Empire 8 hammer throw ranks next season.
 
Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) | Third Team All-Conference (3000m Steeplechase)
Melita maintained his stellar long-distance form from early in the season to achieve a third-place finish at the conference championships, nabbing a third-team all-conference selection along the way. His finish of 9:19.34 wasn't far off from the top mark, and he would smash this total a few weekends later at the AARTFC Regional Championships to establish a new school record with a 9:04.76. That AARTFC time would have been .03 seconds behind the top time at the Empire 8 Championships, which was also a championship record. As just a sophomore, Melita will look to generate even more history in the coming years.
 
4x100M Relay Team | Third Team All-Conference (Chris Ganley (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush), Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Shane Wallace (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott), Robert Lowry IV (Rochester, NY/Hilton))
This quartet of Pioneer speedsters captured third place at the Empire 8 Championships, finishing with a blazing mark of :42.31. This led the group of four sprinters to each achieve a third-team all-conference accolade. They finished milliseconds behind the championship time of :41.92, with the veteran Kain leading a trio of freshmen in Ganley, Wallace, and Lowry. With so many seasons left for three of the sprinters, the 4x100m future looks bright.
 
Tristan Vargo (East Aurora, NY/Orchard Park) | Utica Men's Track and Field Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Vargo had a solid season for the Pioneers, participating in an array of different sprinting events for the team, even slotting in during some major moments for various relay groups. Vargo displayed excellent adaptability and was rewarded with Utica's Sportsman of the Year nod for his efforts, wrapping up a sensational senior season with the team.