Four Blue Devils are SUNYAC's top seeds
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Track & Field
FREDONIA, N.Y -- Four Fredonia State student-athletes -- two women and two men-- are atop SUNYAC rankings heading into the conference championship meet Saturday at Geneva, N.Y.
Nine-time SUNYAC champ Julia Hopson (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) is No. 1 in both the women's 20-pound weight throw and the women's shot put, based on her best performances to date this winter. A senior, Hopson is the defending champ in both events (she holds the SUNYAC record in the weight throw), while sophomore hurdler-sprinter Kate Brett (Webster/Webster Schroeder) is the defending champ in the 55-meter high hurdles. Brett is seeded No. 1 heading into Saturday's meet, and will also be competing in the 200 meters.
On the men's side, junior jumper Mike Kelley (Geneseo) and junior distance runner Tom Williams (Queensbury) are the top seeds, respectively, in the men's triple jump and the men's 3,000 meters. Kelley is also just one centimeter short of being No. 1 in the long jump, while Williams is ranked third in the 5,000 meters.
"Mike has unleashed some big jumps in recent weeks and could be a big surprise this weekend," Blue Devil head coach Liz Aldrich said. "Injuries kept Mike from jumping to his potential the last two SUNYAC meets and his healthy return will be a big boost to the men's team."
In the women's jumps, sophomore Jackie Majka (Depew) is ranked second in the high jump, third in the long jump, sixth in the triple jump, and like Kelley, has been jumping well in recent weeks. Meanwhile, junior distance runner Sarah Furman (West Berne/Berne-Knox-Westerlo) is seeded No. 2 in the women's 3,000 meters and has been dropping seconds off her times throughout the season.
In the 800 meters, Fredonia State men are seeded No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5, in junior Robbie Rappole (Bemus Point/Maple Grove), sophomore Nick Guarino (Bergen/Byron-Bergen), and sophomore David McMahill (Hemlock/Livonia). "This will be," Aldrich said, "a close and exciting race and any one of the three could grab the title."
Aldrich said sophmore distance runner Eddie Novara (Angola/Lake Shore) has been improving in the 3,000 meters (No. 5) and the 5,000 and could be a surprise.
Other Blue Devil men ranked in the top eight in their respective events are sophomore Greg Craft (Cheektowaga/JFK) in the pole vault (No. 6); junior Greg Jackson (Sherman) in the 55 meters (No. 7); freshman Carl Caughell (Niagara Falls/Niagara-Wheatfield) in the 55-meter hurdles (No. 7); sophomore Louis Solomon (Bronx/Evander Childs) in the 35-pound weight throw (No. 7); and Nick Guarino in the mile (No. 8).
On the women's side, freshman Keri Heath (Farmington/Victor) in the weight throw (No. 7), and senior Trisha Ippolito (Angola/Lake Shore) in the mile (No. 8), are the Blue Devils' other top seeds.
The meet will be held in the Bristol Fieldhouse on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
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