Amherst, N.Y.—The Niagara track and field team traveled to Amherst on Saturday to compete in the UB Alumni Invitational. Niagara finished second of the eight competing teams.
The first track event of the day was prelims for the 100 meter sprint. Freshman Deborah Borysewicz ran the fastest time of the prelims to qualify for the final. Fellow freshman Lauryn Speicher also qualified for the final with the eighth best time in prelims. Later in the day in the finals, Borysewicz finished first with a time of 12.73 to earn 10 points for the Purple Eagles. Speicher turned in a time of 13.32 as she earned two points for Niagara.
Just a week after setting the program record in the 3000 meter steeplechase, Alissa Mete broke her own record as she turned in a time of 11L49.12 as she finished fourth in the event.
The Purple Eagles won their second event of the meet in the 4x400 meter. Sapphire John, Speicher, Hannah Adderley-Julien, and Borysewicz turned in a time of 48.21 and outsprinted UB by .76 of a second to take the win.
Clara Barr, Madelaine Schultz, and Dayanara Gonzalez all competed in the 100 meter hurdles. Barr turned in a time of 15.58 which put her third overall in the event. Schultz won the second heat with a time of 16.30 and earned four points for Niagara as it was the sixth best time. Gonzalez turned in a time of 16.53 which was the eighth fastest time and gave Niagara two points. Schultz turned in her best time of her freshman season. Gonzalez also turned in a new personal best.
The Purple Eagles notched another win in the 400 meter. Niagara senior Kate Pratt turned in a time of 57:94 and won by just under five seconds. Arrianna Blachowicz won the second heat of the event, she turned in a time of 1:03.40 which was the fifth best time of the event. Blachowicz set a new personal best in the event.
Vanessa Woolery, Lara Gritzek, and Mychena Smith all competed in the 400 meter hurdles Woolery earned 10 points for the Purple Eagles as the top NCAA runner in the event. She turned in a time of 1:08.36. Gritzek finished fifth overall with a time of 1:10.69. Smith finished ninth overall with a time of 1:13.32.
Borysewicz, Speicher, Pratt, and Blachowicz all ran in the 200 meter sprint. Borysewicz was the top finisher for the Purple Eagles, she turned in a time of 26.23 which was the third best time in the event. Speicher finished fifth with a time of 26.84. Pratt earned one point for the Purple Eagles as she finished eighth overall with a time of 27.03. Blachowicz finished with a time of 28.74.
Sara Mueller and Lydia Chunco both ran in the 5000 meter race. Mueller finished 12th overall with a time of 19:35.57. Chunco finished 23rd overall with a time of 22:20.23. Mueller set a new personal best for the 5000 meter track race.
Niagara had two relay teams run in the 4x400 meter. Blachowicz, Adderly-Julien, Woolery, and Pratt finished second in the event as they turned in a time of 4:02.85 as were edged out by the UB 'A' relay by just .55 of a second. Mueller, Smith, Gritzek, and Mete finished sixth overall with a time of 4:47.73.
Megan Jackson competed in shot put for Purple Eagles. She earned fifth plates with a throw of 9.44. Jackson also competed in discus. She finished third overall in discus with a best throw of 32.70.
Adderley-Julien and Barr both earned points in the long jump for the Purple Eagles. Adderley-Julien had a best jump 5.48. It is a new personal best for the sophomore as she finished second in the event. Barr finished third in the event with a best jump of 5.11.
Members of the Niagara men's cross country team ran in the event unattached. Braden York was the top finisher for Niagara in the 5000 meter with a time of 15:43.15. Caleb Noble and Caleb Harman finished back to back with a times of 15:56.95 and 15:57.47. Luc DiFlavio finished with a time of 15:59.96. Brendan Wangler turned in a time of 17:57.52. It is the first time that Niagara has four runners finished under 16 minutes in the 5000 meter track race. York, Noble, Brendan Kelly, and Joshua Wolski, all raced in the 1500 meter. York turned in a time of 4:08.16, Noble 4:09.86, Kelly 4:25.04, and Wolski 4:38.13.
The Purple Eagles are back in action next Saturday as they travel to Ashland, OH to compete in the Ashland Alumni Invitational.
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