COLLEGEVILLE, PA - The Utica track and field team challenged another championship event this past Wednesday and Thursday, heading down to Collegeville, Pennsylvania for the annual AARTFC Regional Championships.
 
At the meet, the Pioneers saw a plethora of premier performances as their athletes looked to secure top regional honors, while also potentially securing last-second qualification to the upcoming NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. A few Pioneers secured incredible marks, with eight top-five finishes, led by Spencer Borghardt (Smithtown, NY/St.Anthony's) and Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville), who each finished second in their respective events. As the meet wrapped up, the Pioneers, as a unit, achieved some of the highest team scores of any participating teams, as the men ranked 12th of 62 teams with 26 points, and the women finished 20th of 65 teams with 17 points.
 
As the dust settled, the Pioneers would see three athletes achieve qualification to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in four different events. Below are the results for each of the Pioneer athletes at the AARTFC meet.
 
AARTFC RESULTS
Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) - Women's Shot Put - 5th of 21 - 13.52m
Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) - Women's Discus - 10th of 27 - 40.03m
Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) - Women's Hammer Throw - 28th of 36 - 42.46m
Arianna McClendon (Rome, NY/New York Mills) - Women's 800m - 27th of 43 - 2:21.09
Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) - Men's 3000m Steeplechase - 2nd of 20 - 9:02.80
Cate Manna - Women's 800m - 35th of 43 - 2:22.81
Forest Martin (Poland, NY/Poland Central) - Men's 800m - 22nd of 27 - 1:57.99
Genna McCallum (Mora, MN/Indian River) - Women's Pole Vault - 18th of 19 - 3.18m
Hailey Hrouda (Wappingers Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) - Women's Hammer Throw - 25th of 36 - 43.40m
Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) - Women's High Jump - 3rd of 23 - 1.60m
Jade Bailey (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) - Heptathlon - 14th of 16 - 2967 Points
Kaiden McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) - Men's High Jump - 3rd of 24 - 2.02m
Killian Bauer (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill) - Men's 5000m - 9th of 12 - 15:31.27
Lacey Simmons (Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) - Women's 400m Hurdles - 10th of 17 - 1:06.10
Louis Pinto (Clinton, NY/Clinton) - Men's High Jump - 12th of 24 - 1.92m
Marlo Townsend (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) - Women's 5000m - 9th of 37 - 17:58.63
Olivia Jensen (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) - Women's 100m Hurdles - 13th of 30 - 15.24
Shiann Williams (Bronx, NY/Hydel) - Women's 200m - 4th of 33 - 24.89
Shiann Williams (Bronx, NY/Hydel) - Women's 400m - 5th of 29 - 56.99m
Spencer Borghardt (Smithtown, NY/St.Anthony's) - Men's Hammer Throw - 2nd of 28 - 57.20m
Stefania Grimaldi (Poland, NY/Poland Central) - Heptathlon - 13th of 16 - 3277 Points
Tanner Warren (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) - Men's 400m - 28th of 29 - 51.93
Wayne Spencer (Rochester, NY/Padilla (Franklin Campus)) - Men's Triple Jump - 5th of 29 - 14.48m
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) and Spencer would kick off day one of the Regional Championships with an outstanding pair of second place finishes in their respective events.
 
Melita would log one of his best outings of the season, taking second place among a field of 20 runners in one of the first events of the meet. His school record time of 9:02.80 allowed him to break away from the rest of the pack, as he reached second place by the second split, and wouldn't relinquish his position for the rest of the event. The time was also his best of the season, and secured him qualification to his first-ever NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as he enters next week's 3000m Steeplechase Championship as the #16 seed.
 
Borghardt had an excellent battle as the senior strongman pushed for a last-second qualification to the National Championships. He saved his best throw for last, as a season-best mark of 57.40m saw him take second place and fall just 24 centimeters away from a top 22 national ranking and a spot at next week's event. He would take second place by a wide margin, defeating the third-farthest throw by nearly two whole meters.
 
A majority of the Pioneers' top finishers participated on Thursday, as Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer), Kaiden McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), Shiann Williams (Bronx, NY/Hydel), and Wayne Spencer (Rochester, NY/Padilla (Franklin Campus)) all secured top-five finishes on day two. Williams would even grab two top-five finishes as a part of a solid AARTFC outing for the sophomore.
 
Williams would kick off Thursday with a fifth-best time of 56.99 in the Women's 400m, before notching an even better placement in the 200m later that afternoon, securing fourth in the second event with a time of 24.89.
 
After Williams' run, an array of field athletes would wrap up the AARTFC with stellar marks.
 
Reigning Empire 8 Indoor Men's High Jump Champion Kaiden McCaskill (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) would fall just short of an AARTFC Championship with a top leap of 2.02m, taking the bronze with clinical precision. He was 0.05m away from second place and 0.08m away from the gold.
 
Reigning Empire 8 Outdoor Women's High Jump Champion Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) would also have a solid outing in the accompanying female event, landing in a five-way tie for third place with a leap of 1.60m.
 
Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), the Empire 8 Women's Field Athlete of the Meet at the conference championships, would continue to showcase her longevity, qualifying and competing in three events at the AARTFC Championships. Her best showing would come in the Women's Shot Put, as she grabbed fifth place thanks to a 13.52m toss. Incredibly, Cary's exploits earlier in the year saw her become the first female athlete in Pioneer history to qualify for the NCAA National Championships in multiple events. She will participate in both the Women's Shot Put and Women's Discus this coming week out in Wisconsin. She will be seeded ninth in the Shot Put and 10th in the Discus.
 
Wayne Spencer (Rochester, NY/Padilla (Franklin Campus)) would wrap up the event with a fifth-place finish in the Men's Triple Jump, logging a distance of 14.48m. Despite a great showing in the Triple Jump, Spencer, the Empire 8 Indoor Men's Rookie of the Year, would qualify for a different event at the NCAA National Championships, as the rookie will participate in the Long Jump next week. He is seeded 20th entering his first ever National Championships.
 
Up Next - The National Championships: The Pioneers' three NCAA Division III National Championships qualifiers will head to La Crosse, Wisconsin next week to compete for national glory. Melita (3000m Steeplechase), Cary (Discus), and Spencer (Long Jump) will all compete on Thursday to open the event, while Cary (Shot Put) will also have an additional event on Friday. Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates about the event!