Women's Outdoor Track and Field | 5/1/2024 2:37:39 PM
Alfred University, Hartwick College, Houghton University, Nazareth University, Russell Sage College, St. John Fisher University and Utica University will compete at the 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at the Polisseni Track and Field Complex on the campus of St. John Fisher. Action begins at 1:30 p.m. Friday and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday. Nazareth will look to repeat as Empire 8 Champions. The Golden Flyers also emerged victorious at the 2024 E8 Indoor Championships in February.
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2024 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2023 Championship Finish)
Nazareth is looking to earn its second straight E8 outdoor crown after winning the 2024 E8 Indoor Championship for the second straight time in February. Senior Lea Richard is the two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in the hammer throw, E8 leader in the event, also ranked in the top-25 nationally this season. Isabel Morse is the defending E8 Champion in the pole vault. Kiara Tornusciolo, Rosie Morse, and Isabel Morse are the top-three pole vaulters to date in the E8 this season. Emily Weaver is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and enters the championship ranked second to teammate Ella Impaglia in the event this season, separated by just three seconds. Both Impaglia and Weaver are strong contenders in the 1,500-meters, while Lilianna Hanning and Kennedy Doran are looking to earn points in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events. Sprinters Alaina Morley, Alexis Lasher and Isabella Heath will look to earn valuable points, while Samantha Luba and Lauren Bendall are contenders in both hurdles events. Nazareth’s 4 x 400- and 4 x 800-relay teams enter as the defending E8 Champions. Morley, Heath, Luba, and Sarah Merriwether will vie for points in both the high, long, and triple jump events. Luba, Hannah Ragule and Lauren Bendall are contenders in the heptathlon. Sydney LaSalle enters the weekend with the E8’s top performance in the high jump to date, while Morley has the best long jump this season at 5.63 meters, which is in the top-25 nationally.
Host
St. John Fisher is looking to win its third Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the last four seasons. Distance standouts Lauren DeMichele and Riley Jameson enter the meet with the top-two times in the E8 in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meters, DeMichele is the defending E8 Champion in the 10,000-meters. St. John Fisher’s 4 x 100-meter relay team is the three-time defending E8 Champions. Caitlin Voloshen is Fisher’s top contenders in the middle-distance events and 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Allison List and Olivia Grinnell will also contend in the middle-distance races. Sprinter Grace Dolan will contend for top honors in both the 200- and 400-meters. On the field side, Veronica Duell and Kurbs both competed in the long jump at the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships and will look to earn that distinction again in 2024. Kurbs is the defending E8 Champion in the event. Makenna King is the two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in the discus throw and current E8 leader in the event, ranked 18th nationally. She is also ranked second in the shot put and fourth in the hammer throw. Anna Steed is ranked second in the hammer throw, while Erin McGuiness is ranked fifth in the shot put and fourth in the discus. Claudia Vogel is ranked fourth in the javelin and eighth in the high jump.
Utica is looking to claim its second E8 title this weekend, having also won in 2018. Junior sprinter Mackenzie Mix enters the meet as the top-ranked student-athlete in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter events. Mix, the 2022 Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete and Rookie of the Year, completed the E8 Championship sprint trifecta in all three events in 2022. Mix is also currently second in the 400-meter hurdles. Classmate Jade Dening was the E8 Champion in both the 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2022 and enters this year’s meet ranked second in the 800-meters and third in the 1,500-meters as well. First-year Alyssa Youngs is ranked first in the 400-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, while classmate Stefania Grimaldi is ranked third in the 100-meter hurdles. Youngs also enters the weekend ranked third in the heptathlon. Utica’s 4 x 100-meter relay team enters with the second best time in the league to date. Jane Fahy is the two-time defending E8 Champion, 2023 Outdoor All-American and current Empire 8 record holder in the shot put (14.73 meters), which is also third nationally. Allie Cary, Riley King, Hailey Hrouda, Emilia Costello, and Sarah Florian also lead a deep group of Utica throwers. Defending E8 heptathlon Champion Laura Meade is currently ranked third in the javelin throw. Hannah Allison and Abrianna Wadley are ranked second and fourth, respectively in the E8 in the high jump, while Nora Devitt enters the weekend ranked third among all E8 student-athletes in the long jump (5.52 meters) and second (11.19 meters) in the triple jump. Zeniyah Gholson, Youngs and Grimaldi will also be expected to contribute in the jumps.
Alfred enters the 2024 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off a fourth-place finish in 2023 and has enjoyed a strong spring season to date. Senior Olivia Gilbert is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 800-meters and enters the meet with the league’s fastest time in the event. She also enters second in the 400-meters. McKenzie Hall and Mari Jablonski will look to score points in the distance events. Anne Spila and Bianca Durso enter the meet with the first and second highest scores of 4,068 and 3,837 points respectively, in the heptathlon and will look to claim a league title in the grueling event. Both are ranked in the top-60 nationally. Spila is also ranked first in the 100-meter hurdles (15.70 seconds), fifth in the long jump and fifth in the high jump, while Durso is tied for second in the high jump (1.57 meters). First-year Delaney Prather is the current Empire 8 leader in the javelin throw (34.23 meters).
Houghton will look to earn a top-three team finish in 2024. Sophomore Noelle Linenfelser is a top contender in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events. Teammate Tabitha Clark is ranked sixth in the conference in the 1,500-meters. First-year standout Victoria Brewster is ranked second in the conference in both the 100- and 200-meters. Kyra Binney will look to earn points in the middle-distance events, while Katie Widmer is a contender in the hurdles and jumps. Abigail Nuzzo is currently second among all E8 student-athletes in the javelin and is the defending league champion in the event. Graduate student Madison Palmer, who previously competed at Alfred, won the 2021 E8 shot put championship. She is currently ranked third among E8 student-athletes in the event and is sixth in the hammer throw.
Russell Sage will look to continue to make strides as a track and field program. Elizabeth Ingellis is a strong contender in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events, as she has posted top-five times in both this spring. Mackenzie Feeney will contend in the middle-distance events, while Tirzah Spivey will look to score points in both the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles events. The Gators enter with the sixth best 4 x 400-meter relay time in the league as well. Mercedez Cecelia-Storey will look to earn points in the hammer throw.
Hartwick will look to improve on last season’s seventh place finish. First-year Sprinter Pepita Graham will look to earn points in the 100- and 200-meters, while first-year Brynita Haas and sophomore Madilynne Smith will represent in the long-distance events. Molly Corbett and Giovanna Wall will represent Hartwick in the hurdles, while Sophie Ridgway will look to earn points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Hawks will look to earn key points in the relay events. They enter the meet with the second-best time in the 4 x 800-meter relay.
Current 2024 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Top Performances
100-meter dash – Mackenzie Mix, Utica – :12.21
200-meter dash – Mackenzie Mix, Utica – :25.50
400-meter dash – Mackenzie Mix, Utica – :58.72
800-meter run – Olivia Gilbert, Alfred – 2:17.63
1,500-meter run – Ella Impaglia, Nazareth – 4:52.19
5,000-meter run – Lauren DeMichele, St. John Fisher – 18:14.00
10,000-meter run – Riley Jameson, St. John Fisher – 38:53.39
100-meter hurdles – Anne Spila, Alfred – :15.70
400-meter hurdles – Alyssa Youngs, Utica – 1:08.13
3,000-meter steeplechase – Ella Impaglia, Nazareth – 11:44.41
4 x 100-meter relay – Nazareth – :49.83
4 x 400-meter relay – Nazareth – 4:11.40
4 x 800-meter relay – Nazareth – 10:09.79
High Jump – Sydney LaSalle, Nazareth – 1.59 meters (5’2.5”)
Long Jump – Alaina Morley, Nazareth – 5.63 meters (18’5.75”) – (22nd in Division III)
Triple Jump – Isabella Heath, Nazareth – 11.27 meters (36’11.75”)
Pole Vault – Rosie Morse, Nazareth – 3.52 meters (11’6.5”)
Shot Put – Jane Fahy, Utica – 14.77 meters (48’5.5”) – (3rd in Division III)
Discus Throw – Makenna King, St. John Fisher – 44.17 meters (144’11”) – (18th in Division III)
Hammer Throw – Lea Richard, Nazareth – 52.14 meters (171’1”) – (21st in Division III)
Javelin Throw – Delaney Prather, Alfred – 34.23 meters (112’4”)
Heptathlon – Anne Spila, Alfred – 4,068 points – (43rd in Division III)
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X (@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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