Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick College, Houghton University, Nazareth University, Russell Sage College, St. John Fisher University and Utica University will compete at the 2025 Empire 8 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 at Bob Boozer Field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium on the Campus of SUNY Brockport. Action begins at 1:30 p.m. Friday and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday. Utica will look to win its second straight Empire 8 Outdoor Championship. SUNY Geneseo emerged victorious at the 2025 E8 Indoor Championships in February.
Utica will attempt to earn its second straight Empire 8 Championship this season. The Pioneers had five individuals/relay teams win events in 2024 and have several student-athletes in contention for E8 titles in 2025. Graduate Student Hunter Logan will look to earn his fourth consective league title in the shot put. Last year, Logan broke an E8 Championship record with a toss of 16.39 meters. He is currently ranked 24th in Division III with his season-high throw of 16.30 meters. The 4 x 100-meter E8 champions, Nyles Rogers, Andy Hadasz, Connor Dean and Ethan Kain also return. The Utica 4 x 100-meter team currently leads the E8. Hadasz is the two-time defending 100-meter dash champion who has a top time of 12.14 seconds, while leading the Pioneers in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.88. Hadasz is also the two-time defending league champion in the 200-meters. Teammate Chris Ganley leads the way with a time of 11.00 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Bennett Melita, the reigning 2024 E8 Rookie of the Year, leads the way for Utica in the 1,500-meter run, 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He is among the league leaders in all three events. Two-time E8 field athlete of the week Joshua Talbot leads the league in hammer throw with a toss of 57.49 meters, ranked 19th nationally. Rookie Ellis Urgent is also the league leader in long jump this season with a leap of 7.19 meters, which is ranked just inside the top-25 in Division III.
Nazareth is looking to earn its second Empire 8 outdoor track and field title in three years. After finishing fifth at the E8 indoor track and field championships in February, they will look to get back up to the top. Cade Eells, the 2024 E8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and 2024 E8 Outdoor Track athlete of the Championship Meet sits atop the 800-meter, 1,500-meter, mile and 3,000-meter steeplechase for the Golden Flyers. He is among the league leaders in all four events. Jack Pomykaj, the 2024 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet, will also look to defend his league title in the decathlon. Ben Lewis, Jaylen Savage and Cam Almy are all expected to gain valuable points in the track events while Kyle Reid, Will D'Agata, Adam Reifsteck and Graeden Heichberger will do the same in the field events.
St. John Fisher looks to gain its fourth overall championship in 2025. The 2023-24 and 2024-25 E8 indoor track and field rookies of the year in Hayden Penna and Manuel Sepulveda will lead the way. Penna leads the league in pole vault with a season-high vault of 4.75 meters. Sepulveda leads the league in triple jump with 14.27 meters after smashing the 2025 E8 Indoor record and earning NCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors in the event. Brandon Kaplan, the reigning E8 Champion in the hammer throw will look to defend his crown as he enters the 2025 championships ranked second in the league with a toss of 57.23 meters. Brady Bishop, Corinthian Reed, Nathan Canale, Nate Kulp and Reid Hooker are all looking to earn medal performances on the track.
Alfred enters the 2025 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of a fourth-place finish in 2024. The Saxons are headed by senior Jason Crocker and sophomore Khamani Hunter. Crocker leads the way in throws for the Saxons being the top scorer for shot put, discus throw, hammer throw and javelin throw. Hunter is the top sprinter for the Saxons. He has the fastest times in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Hunter is also part of the 4 x 100-meter relay team.
Houghton will look for a strong finish at the 2025 Empire 8 Championship. Sprinter Evan Kurtz is among the E8 leaders in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He will compete in the 4 x 100-meter relay as well. Avery Belanger will take to both the track and jumps this weekend. He currently leads the Highlanders with a time of 1:01.03 in the 400-meter hurdles along with long jump and triple jump. He will be on the same 4 x 100-meter team as Kurtz. Amos Bixler will lead the way in the distance events. He currently holds the top spot in the 1,500-meter and the 5,000-meter runs.
Russell Sage is looking to continue its ascent up the E8 rankings. Senior Kaiden Simpson is the current E8 leader in javelin throw with a toss of 50.74 meters. Simpson will also compete in the 4 x 100-meter relay. Senior David Adadjo leads the way in the sprints holding the top spot in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. He will also be a member of the 4 x 400-meter relay. Junior Dylan Lawless will have a busy weekend hoping to score points in hurdles, high jump, pole vault and long jump.
Hartwick will look to improve off last year's finish in 2025. Freshman sprinter Cody Bazemore will be someone to watch in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. He will also be a contender in the long jump. Freshman Noah Curtis leads the way for the Hawks in throws. He has Hartwick's top distance in the discus throw, hammer throw and javelin throw.
Host
SUNY Brockport is ready to compete for the top spot after a second place finish in the 2024-25 E8 indoor track and field championships. The mile run indoor champion and national runner-up Jonathan Zavala currently leads the Golden Eagles in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:57.46. Junior Jeremy Chen currently leads the league in the 110-meter hurdles at :14.83. Chen is also part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that will compete this weekend. The 4 x 100-meter relay team of Kevin Brown, Michael Durski, Alejandro Roberts and Derek Grimshaw leads the league with a time of :41.99. Grimshaw is the leader of the 100-meter dash with a time of :10.80 while Durski is at the top of the 200-meter and 400-meter dash. 2024-25 E8 Field Athlete of the Year Gabe Giannini holds three top spots for Brockport. He leads in pole vault with 4.65 meters, javelin throw with 49.10 meters and decathlon with 6,033 points. Freshman Dennis Bobbitt will be the jumper to watch in both long jump and high jump.
SUNY Geneseo, the reigning 2024-25 Empire 8 Champions is looking to grab its first E8 Outdoor Track and Field title since joining the conference this year. Ten individual athletes lead the league in their events while the 4 x 400-meter relay team holds the top spot as a group. In addition, the Knights have already smashed six E8 records this season. Freshman Bergen Caprood is the first of the ten leaders in the 100-meter dash, while junior Jacob Miller holds the top spot in the 200-meter and 400-meter dash. In the 400-meter dash, he is ranked 15th in Division III and has tied the Empire 8 record of 47.35 seconds. Senior Matthew Sheehan leads in the 800-meter run with 1:50.91, putting him ninth in Division III. Sophomore Ryan Hagan leads both the 1,500-meter run, he is in eighth in Division III. Senior Charlie Wilson has shattered E8 records in the both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs. He is ranked 17th and 14th in Division III in those events. Sophomore Sam Belmont sits on top of the 400-meter hurdles at :53.69, putting him 16th in Division III. Pierce Young has also smashed the E8 record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and is currently fifth in Division III. The team of Trey Fairman, Andrew Kent, Jack Towns and Jackson Burton make up the record-setting 4 x 400-meter relay team with a time of 3:11.65, putting them fourth in Division III. Freshman Daniel Pagan wraps up the league leaders in decathlon. He has the top score of 6,064 points.
Current 2025 Outdoor Track and Field Top Performances
100-meter dash - Bergen Caprood, SUNY Geneseo - :10.75
200-meter dash - Jacob Miller, SUNY Geneseo - :21.73
400-meter dash - Jacob Miller, SUNY Geneseo - :47.35 - (15th in Division III)
800-meter run - Matthew Sheehan, SUNY Geneseo - 1:50.91 (9th in Division III)
1,500-meter run - Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo - 3:47.14 - (8th in Division III)
5,000-meter run - Charlie Wilson, SUNY Geneseo - 14:12.61 - (17th in Division III)
10,000-meter run - Charlie Wilson, SUNY Geneseo - 29:40.95 - (14th in Division III)
110-meter hurdles - Jeremy Chen, SUNY Brockport - :14.83
400-meter hurdles - Sam Belmont, SUNY Geneseo - :53.69 - (16th in Division III)
3,000-meter steeplechase - Pierce Young, SUNY Geneseo - 8:56.20 - (5th in Division III)
4 x 100-meter relay - SUNY Brockport - :41.99
4 x 400-meter relay - SUNY Geneseo - 3:11.65 - (4th in Division III)
4 x 800-meter relay - Utica - 8:16.68
High Jump - Cardin Chan, SUNY Brockport - 1.94 meters (6'4.25")
Louis Pinto, Utica - 1.94 meters (6'4.25")
Long Jump - Ellis Urgent, Utica - 7.19 meters (23'7.25") - (22nd in Division III)
Triple Jump - Manuel Sepulveda, St. John Fisher - 14.27 meters (46'10")
Pole Vault - Hayden Penna, St. John Fisher - 4.75 meters (15'7") - (35th in Division III)
Shot Put - Hunter Logan, Utica - 16.30 meters (53'5.75") - (24th in Division III)
Discus Throw - Daniel Davis, St. John Fisher - 45.30 meters (148'7")
Hammer Throw - Joshua Talbot, Utica - 57.49 meters (188'7") - (19th in Division III)
Javelin Throw - Kaiden Simpson, Russell Sage - 50.74 meters (166'6")
Decathlon - Daniel Pagan, SUNY Geneseo - 6,064 points - (29th 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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