Men's Outdoor Track and Field | 5/6/2021 2:52:13 PM
Alfred University, Houghton College, Nazareth College, Russell Sage College, St. John Fisher and Utica College will compete at the 2021 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8 at the Polisseni Track and Field complex the campus of St. John Fisher. Action begins at 2:30 p.m. Friday and continues at 12 p.m. Saturday. Follow along with
live video and
live results.
2021 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2019 Championship Finish)
St. John Fisher is looking for its third Empire 8 crown in 2021, having also won in 2015 and 2018. The Cardinals enter the meet with the current top performer in 10 events. Senior Kyle Rollins is looking for his third straight E8 crown in the high jump and second straight triple jump title. Rollins is the national leader in the high jump (2.17 meters) and triple jump (15.45 meters). He was the 2021 E8 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after sweeping all three jumps events. 2021 E8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Meet and 2021 E8 Cross Country Champion Grant Stokoe is the top-seed in both the 800- and 1,500-meters. Jonah Dean and Matthew Pennell will look to score big points in the sprint events, while John Ruggio will vie for points in both hurdles events. Dean is the top seed in the 200- and number two seed in the 400-meters. Ethan Billings is a top contender in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meters. Phoenix Palmer and Jordan Kostera are among the E8 leaders in the pole vault, while Matthew Stasiw and Zachary Briggs will contend in the jumps. Ryan Desautels, Chase Corcoran, Joe Jerkovich and William Corwin give the Cardinals a strong quartet in the throws. Corcoran is in the top-30 nationally in both the hammer and discuss throw this spring.
Utica will be a strong contender to earn the E8 crown in 2021. First-year sprinters Daijon Richards and Josh Washington are top contenders in both the 100- and 200-meter events. Senior Kyle Swiecki, who is among the national leaders in the decathlon, is expected to score points in the 400-meters and the 110-meter hurdles on the track side, along with the high jump, pole vault and long jump. First-year Jonathan Simmons enters as the top-seed in the 400-meter hurdles, while senior Chase Pecoraro is the current E8 season’s leader in the pole vault and javelin. Utica has several strong contenders in the long and triple jump events, including Zuriel Wright, Matthew Breault, Washington and Sei Sei. Wright, Pecoraro and Andrew Wieder will look to score points in the high jump. Throwers Arthur Bittel, Antwan Kelly, Jacob Barnes, Justin Swavely, Mark Brown and Brady VanAernam are among the current E8 leaders in several events.
Nazareth is looking for its first Empire 8 indoor track and field title. Connor McCauslin is Nazareth’s top sprinter, along with Kaleb Luton and Mike Welch. McCauslin and Luton are the top-two seeds in the 110-meter hurdles. McCauslin currently has the 22nd fastest time nationally in that event. Josh Tomaka, Chris Celecki, Patrick Healy and Nate McNally will be in the mix to score valuable points in the middle distance events. Nathan Bowers is the top seed in the 5,000-meters, while Celecki is the top seed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Nazareth’s 4 x 800-meter relay team enters the championship with fastest time in the E8 to date this spring. Luton is a multi-event standout in both the long and triple jump events. Junior Josh Pomerleau enters the championship as the No. 2 seed in the pole vault, while Bryce Florian is seeded third. Matt Johnson will also be expected to score in the triple jump. Sophomore Chris Perez is Nazareth’s top contender in both throwing events.
Alfred enters the 2021 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of a fourth place finish in 2019. Cody Collins, Neil Peters, George Mecca and Rashid Abuelmaali will look to excel in the sprints and hurdles events, while Chris Mayo and Kyle Jenkins can contribute in the middle-distance races. Gavin Wilbert will vie for points in the long distance events and Kyle Full will compete in the steeplechase. On the field side, Sean Foley is among the top pole vaulters in the conference, while Peters and Collins are contenders in the long jump. Saul McCoy and Israel McClure will vie for points in the throwing events.
Houghton will look for a top-three team finish. Sprinter Nathaniel Zedomi is seeded first in both the 100- and 400-meter dash and has the second fastest time in the 200-meters to date this spring season. Jerome Houston, Micah Williams, Jack Howard and Brennan Lewandowski can provide a spark for the Highlanders in the sprints and hurdles. Lewandowski is also a standout high jumper. The Highlanders have several distance runners who will look to score key points, including Dave Russo, Dillon Bell, Dylan Beckhorn and Seth Greene. Houghton’s 4 x 100-meter relay enters the championship as the top-seed. Malachi Yeager and Micah Williams are also contenders in the long jump. Caleb Lutz and Howard will also look to score points for Houghton in the javelin.
Sage is looking to continue its ascent up the E8 rankings. First-year standout Dominic Nova, the 2021 E8 Indoor Rookie of the Meet, enters the championship with the second fastest time among all E8 student-athletes in the 800-meters and is a contender in the 1,500-meters. Ellis Richardson enters the meet third in the 400-meters. The 4 x 400-meter relay enters the championship with the top current time to date. Ramosaj Williams will look to score in the sprint events, while Holden Maynard will compete in distance events. Williams and Tyler Mitchell will represent the Gators in the jumps, while Arnoldo Burnett will compete in the javelin.
Current 2021 Empire 8 Top Performances
100-meter dash – Nathaniel Zedomi, Houghton – :11.29
200-meter dash – Jonah Dean, St. John Fisher – :22.47
400-meter dash – Nathaniel Zedomi, Houghton – :49.82
800-meter run – Grant Stokoe, St. John Fisher – 1:55.56
1,500-meter run – Grant Stokoe, St. John Fisher – 4:05.57
5,000-meter run – Nathan Bowers, Nazareth – 15:41.22
10,000-meter run – Ethan Billings, St. John Fisher – 33:41.76
110-meter hurdles – Connor McCauslin, Nazareth – :14.85
400-meter hurdles – Jonathan Simmons, Utica – :59.12
3,000-meter steeplechase – Chris Celecki, Nazareth – 10:14.28
4 x 100-meter relay – Houghton – :44.48
4 x 400-meter relay – Russell Sage – 3:31.48
4 x 800-meter relay – Nazareth – 8:32.46
High Jump – Kyle Rollins, St. John Fisher – 2.17 meters (7’1.5”)
Long Jump – Kyle Rollins, St. John Fisher – 6.96 meters (22’10”)
Triple Jump – Kyle Rollins, St. John Fisher – 15.45 meters (50’8.25”)
Pole Vault – Chase Pecoraro, Utica – 4.40 meters (14’5.25”)
Shot Put – Ryan Desautels, St. John Fisher – 14.37 meters (47’1.75”)
Discus Throw – Chase Corcoran, St. John Fisher – 47.14 meters (154’8”)
Hammer Throw – Chase Corcoran, St. John Fisher – 53.77 meters (176’5”)
Javelin Throw – Chase Pecoraro, Utica – 55.05 meters (180’7”)
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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