Women's Indoor Track and Field | 2/26/2020 1:01:23 PM
Alfred University, Hartwick College, Houghton College, Nazareth College, St. John Fisher and Utica College will compete at the 2020 Empire 8 Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, February 29 from the Kerr-Pegula Field House on the campus of Houghton. Friday’s action will start at 3:30 p.m., while Saturday’s events commence at 10:30 a.m. There will be a new league champion crowned.
Live results will be available throughout the two-day event. For more on this year's championship - including entries, results, and updated information - please head to the
Championship Central page.
2020 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2019 Championship Finish)
Utica just missed winning its first Empire 8 Championship last season and enters the 2020 title meet with top E8 times or marks in six different events. First-year sprinter Eshone Cofield-Jackson, an Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Week, currently has the 18th fastest time among all Division III student-athletes in the 200-meter dash (25.79 seconds). She also has the fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles (8.02 seconds) among E8 student-athletes. Sophie Henderson and Hannah Durant are looking to score points in the 60-meter hurdles. Julianne Emerson is among the league leaders in the 400-meters, while Laura Levi will contend in the 800-meters. Senior Kaitlyn Stinson, a three-time Empire 8 Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year and 2018 champion in the 5,000-meters will represent the Pioneers in distance events. The Pioneers are well represented in field events. Freshman Kelsey Wands has the 27th best mark nationally in the long jump (5.49 meters), while sophomore Laura Meade is 36th nationally in the triple jump (11.32 meters). Meade is also a top sprinter who will contend in both the 60- and 200-meters. Wands and Meade are currently 1-2 among all E8 student-athletes in the long jump. Caroline Castriotta and Meaghan Romaguera enter the meet 1-2 among all E8 student-athletes in the pole vault. Sophomore thrower Katrina Cornick has the league’s best toss in the weight throw (14.77 meters) and will be a contender in the shot put as well.
St. John Fisher was a strong third in the 2019 E8 Championships. This season, the Cardinals enter the meet with strong depth on both the track and field sides. Senior sprinter Tayler Dence will look for her third straight Empire 8 title in the 60-meter hurdles. She is also a former champion (2018) in the 60-meter dash and will contend in the 200-meters as well. First-year Riley Corey enters the E8 Championship as the conference’s leader in both the mile (5:29.50) and 5,000-meters (18:46.14). In addition, Fisher has the fastest 4 x 400-meter relay time in the league this season to date (4:08.92). Amberlyn Robertson, Kiersten Abbott and Brenna Lambert will also look to contend in the sprint events, while Olivia Pawlewicz enters the meet second in the 800-meters. Senior Gabriella Dunkelberg will team with Corey for a strong 1-2 punch in the distance events, while Taylor Kennard can also contend for points. On the field side, junior Jordan Lehman, a two-time E8 Field Athlete of the Week, will be a strong contender in both throwing events, along with classmate Leah Hulbert. First-year standouts McKenna Cone and Maria Covelli, along with junior Alexandra Buhrle will vie for points in the long and triple jump events. Kaitlyn Kelly and Alondra Arroyo are among the league leaders in the pole vault, while Jennah Ferrari will vie for points in the high jump.
Nazareth is looking for its first Empire 8 crown in 2020. Sophomore Brenna Johnson, the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, returns to defend her crown in the 400-meter dash. In addition, she was part of the winning 4 x 400-meter relay team a year ago with teammate Lydia Dewart. Nazareth has won the last three 4 x 400-meter championship races. Johnson currently has the fastest time in the league in that event and is a top contender in both the 60- and 200-meter races. Classmate Erin Reyner enters the championship with the fastest time among all E8 student-athletes in the 3,000-meter run (10:43.03) and is second in the 5,000-meters. On the field side, Sarah Merriweather enters as the co-leader in the high jump (1.56 meters). The Golden Flyers will also look for contributions from sprinters Madison Sabourin and Elizabeth Decker, along with middle distance standout Claire Barbagos and distance contender Megan Morin. Jumper McKenzie Leahey will team with Merriweather to form a strong 1-2 combo. The Golden Flyers are well represented in the throws as well, as Gabrielle Pighetti, Grace Blankenberg and Ally Criswell lead a deep unit.
Houghton will look to win its first E8 title in 2020. Junior Edena Sanchez is back to defend her title in the 800-meters. She currently has the fastest time among all E8 student-athletes in the event this season and was named Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Week on Feb. 17. Sanchez is also part of Houghton’s distance medley squad that owns the fastest time in the league this season and is a contender in the 400-meters. Senior Gwen Stokes enters the meet with the best high jump performance in 2019-20 and is a middle distance contender. Kealy DeForest and Alexandra Wisniewski can contribute in both the sprints and jumping events. The Highlanders, who won the 2019 Empire 8 Women’s Cross Country Championships, are well represented in the distance events, as Emily Blosdale, Amanda Burrichter and Shelby Langlois are all capable of winning their respective events. Ashley Liddard, Abigail Phillips and Morgan Rohde will look to score valuable points in the throwing events, while pole vaulters Sarah Potocki, Reegan Mitchell and Elisabeth Kettinger enter the meet in the E8’s top-8 this season.
Alfred enters the 2020 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of last season’s sixth place finish. Sophomore Madison Palmer is a strong contender in both throws events. She leads the Empire 8 with a throw of 11.96 meters in the shot put and has the second best toss in the weight throw. Senior Esther Boateng will also vie for points. Senior sprinter Megan Alper will contend for points in the 60- and 200-meter events. Both Alper and Palmer were an Empire 8 Athletes of the Week earlier in the year. Nadia Riley and Alyssa Zarrella are hopeful to score points in the 60-meter hurdles, while Junior Holly Passetti will represent the Saxons in both the mile and 3,000-meters. Karina Morling, Krissy Roberts and Vanessa Newbauer are solid contenders in the jumps.
Hartwick will look for improvement in its second year as a program. Sprinters Charlotte Lee and Tylisha Gourdine will lead the way, along with distance specialist Anne Baskwill. First-year Alyssa Vellekoop is a solid contender in the pole vault, while classmates Vasiliki Drapaniotis and Miriam Fonjweng will compete for points in the jumps.
Current 2019-20 Empire 8 Top Performances
60-meter dash – Eshone Cofield-Jackson, Utica – :8.02
200-meter dash – Eshone Cofield-Jackson, Utica – :25.79
400-meter dash – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth – 1:00.48
800-meter run – Edena Sanchez, Houghton – 2:24.79
Mile run – Riley Corey, St. John Fisher – 5:29.50
3,000-meter run – Erin Reyner, Nazareth – 10:43.03
5,000-meter run – Riley Corey, St. John Fisher – 18:46.14
60-meter hurdles – Tayler Dence, St. John Fisher – :9.43
4 x 400-meter relay – St. John Fisher – 4:08.92
Distance Medley relay – Houghton – 13:13.77
High Jump – Gwen Stokes, Houghton – 1.56 meters (5’1.25”)
Sarah Merriweather, Nazareth – 1.56 meters (5’1.25”)
Long Jump – Kelsey Wands, Utica – 5.49 meters (18’0.25”)
Triple Jump – Laura Meade, Utica – 11.32 meters (37’1.75”)
Pole Vault – Caroline Castriotta, Utica – 2.91 meters (9’6.5”)
Shot Put – Madison Palmer, Alfred – 11.96 meters (39’3”)
Weight Throw – Katrina Cornick, Utica – 14.77 meters (48’5.5”)
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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