Men's Outdoor Track and Field | 6/3/2025 9:58:28 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2025 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference awards on Tuesday, June 3. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Graduate student Charlie Wilson of SUNY Geneseo was named the 2024-25 Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year., Wilson, a native of Romeo, MI, earned runner-up honors in the 10,000-meter run at the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship, crossing the finish line in an all-time Empire 8 record time of 29:21.43 to earn First Team All-American honors. He also shattered the Empire 8 record and qualified for nationals in the 5,000-meters with a time of 14:08.50 at the Widener Final Qualifier on May 12. He would go on to finish 12th in the 5,000-meters at the NCAA Championships and earn Second Team All-American honors. Wilson was also a USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region selection in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meters.
Junior Brandon Kaplan of St. John Fisher University was named the 2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Kaplan, a native of Grahamsville, NY, earned NCAA Second Team All-American honors in the hammer throw. Kaplan was the 2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Champion in hammer throw, setting an all-time Empire 8 mark with a throw of 60.87 meters. He was named the Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet. Kaplan also won the hammer throw at the All-Atlantic Region Championships from Williams College. He is the fourth St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn E8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year accolades.
Ellis Urgent of Utica University was named the 2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. Urgent, who hails from Cornwall, NY, enjoyed a tremendous debut for the Pioneers, winning the long jump at the E8 Championship, with a leap of 7.24 meters, which was a personal best. He also won long jump titles at the Utica Spring Invite, RPI Capital District Invitational and Cortland Classic, while finishing third at the All-Atlantic Region Championships. Urgent also earned USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region honors in the event and finished the season tied for 23rd nationally in the event. He is Utica’s third straight Empire 8 Rookie of the Year recipient and seventh in program history.
SUNY Geneseo head coach Chris Popovici and his staff of assistant coaches Dan Moore, Christian Johnson, Kieran Sheridan and Gwen Shepardson was named the 2025 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Knights won their first Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championship in decisive fashion. Overall, Geneseo had 26 different student-athletes earn All-Conference honors, while Charlie Wilson (10,000-meters), Ryan Hagan (1,500-meters) and the 4 x 400-meter relay team of Arjun Ojha, Sam Belmont, Giancarlo Di Fava, and Jacob Miller earned NCAA First Team All-American honors. The Knights shattered four E8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship records and five overall league marks in 2025.
The Empire 8 first, second and third team all-conference selections were determined at the championship meet on May 2-3 from Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium, hosted by SUNY Brockport.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Award Winners
Track Athlete of the Year: Charlie Wilson, Gr., SUNY Geneseo
Field Athlete of the Year: Brandon Kaplan, Jr., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Ellis Urgent, Fr., Utica
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Geneseo, led by head coach Chris Popovici
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Jayden Noel, Sr., Alfred (Brooklyn, NY/Automotive)
Jeremy Chen, Jr., SUNY Brockport (Latham, NY/Shaker)
Andrew Kent, Jr., SUNY Geneseo (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia)
Cody Bazemore, Fr., Hartwick (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air)
Ben Allen, Jr., Houghton (Elmira, NY/Elmira)
Jack Healy, So., Nazareth (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck)
Brandon Clarke, Sr., Russell Sage (Freeport, NY/Freeport)
Cole Fuller, Sr., St. John Fisher (Derby, NY/Lakeshore)
Tristan Vargo, Sr., Utica (East Aurora, NY/Orchard Park)
2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship All-Conference Selections
100-Meter Dash
First Team: Derek Grimshaw, So., SUNY Brockport – :11.00
Second Team: Evan Kurtz, Sr., Houghton – :11.01
Third Team: Jack Towns, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – :11.00
110-Meter Hurdles
First Team: Brendan Style, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – :14.87
Second Team: Jeremy Chen, Jr., SUNY Brockport – :14.99
Third Team: Jackson Gloskey, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – :15.17
200-Meter Dash
First Team: Jacob Miller, Jr., SUNY Geneseo - :21.85
Second Team: Corinthian Reed, Fr., St. John Fisher – :21.88
Third Team: Jack Towns, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – :22.14
400-Meter Dash
First Team: Jacob Miller, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – :47.24 (Championship Record)
Second Team: Corinthian Reed, Fr., St. John Fisher – :47.76
Third Team: Arjun Ojha, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – :48.26
400-Meter Hurdles
First Team: Jeremy Chen, Jr., SUNY Brockport – :54.18
Second Team: Ayden Grinion, Jr., SUNY Brockport – :54.45
Third Team: Timothy Smith, So., SUNY Brockport – :54.47
800-Meter Run
First Team: Matthew Sheehan, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 1:52.16
Second Team: Owen Arbocus, So., SUNY Brockport – 1:53.54
Third Team: Connor Hitt, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 1:53.62
1,500-Meter Run
First Team: Ryan Hagan, So., SUNY Geneseo – 3:49.78 (Championship Record)
Second Team: Jonathan Zavala, Sr., SUNY Brockport – 3:50.05
Third Team: Connor Hitt, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 3:51.17
3,000-Meter Steeplechase
First Team: Emerson Comer, So., SUNY Geneseo – 9:04.73 (Championship Record)
Second Team: Pierce Young, So., SUNY Geneseo – 9:12.02
Third Team: Bennett Melita, So., Utica – 9:19.34
5,000-Meters
First Team: Emerson Comer, So., SUNY Geneseo – 14:28.20 (Championship Record)
Second Team: Pierce Young, So., SUNY Geneseo – 14:30.44
Third Team: Charlie Wilson, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – 14:31.24
10,000-Meters
First Team: Micah McCulley, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 32:45.73
Second Team: Justin Thang, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 32:45.81
Third Team: Mike Taranto, So., SUNY Geneseo – 35:48.04
4 x 100-Meter Relay
First Team: Trey Feirman, So., Andrew Kent, Jr., Jack Towns, Fr., Jackson Burton, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – :41.92
Second Team: Kevin Brown, Fr., Michael Durski, Jr., Aaron Ottenwalder, Jr., Derek Grimshaw, So., SUNY Brockport – :41.95
Third Team: Chris Ganley, Fr., Shane Wallace, Fr., Ethan Kain., Gr., Robert Lowry IV, Fr., Utica – :42.31
4 x 400-Meter Relay
First Team: Arjun Ojha, Fr., Dawson Wadsworth, So., Jacob Miller, Jr., Matthew Sheehan, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 3:15.29 (Championship Record)
Second Team: Michael Durski, Jr., Jeremy Chen. Fr., Cole Ferris, So., Ayden Grinion, Jr., SUNY Brockport – 3:18.21
Third Team: Brady Bishop, Sr., Adam Johnson, Fr., Michael Prentice, Fr., Corinthian Reed, Fr.., St. John Fisher – 3:19.69
4 x 800-Meter Relay
First Team: Amos Bixler, Jr., James Eustace, Sr., Henry Sardina, Fr., Aidan Fish, Sr., Houghton – 7:56.56
Second Team: Ethan Kenyon, Sr., Michael Puglisi, Jr., Cade Eells, Sr., Gavin McAllister, Jr., Nazareth – 8:00.33
Third Team: Luke Dacey, Fr., Owen Sweet, Fr., Brian Kenny, Jr., Aidan Glynn, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 8:02.08
Pole Vault
First Team: Hayden Penna, So., St. John Fisher – 4.90 meters (Championship Record)
Second Team: Oren Welch, Fr., St. John Fisher – 4.80 meters
Third Team: Daniel Reinhart, So., SUNY Brockport – 4.70 meters
High Jump
First Team: Louis Pinto, Jr., Utica – 1.96 meters
Second Team: Bryant DePaull, Jr., St. John Fisher – 1.93 meters
Second Team: Jack Valentine, Fr., SUNY Brockport – 1.93 meters
Long Jump
First Team: Ellis Urgent, Fr., Utica – 7.24 meters
Second Team: Bryce Roberts, Fr., SUNY Brockport – 6.78 meters
Third Team: Cody Bazemore, Fr., Hartwick – 6.71 meters
Triple Jump
First Team: Manuel Sepulveda, So., St. John Fisher – 14.58 meters
Second Team: Dennis Bobbitt, Fr., SUNY Brockport – 13.94 meters
Third Team: Sean Stewart, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 13.78 meters
Shot Put
First Team: Hunter Logan, Gr., Utica – 15.79 meters
Second Team: Ray Trottier, So., SUNY Geneseo – 15.35 meters
Third Team: Graeden Heichberger, Fr., Nazareth – 15.18 meters
Discus Throw
First Team: Daniel Davis, Fr., St. John Fisher – 40.43 meters
Second Team: Paul Hayes, So., SUNY Geneseo – 40.23 meters
Third Team: Duncan Harbin, So., SUNY Brockport – 40.22 meters
Hammer Throw
First Team: Brandon Kaplan, Jr., St. John Fisher – 60.87 meters (Championship Record)
Second Team: Spencer Borghardt, Jr., Utica – 56.17 meters
Third Team: Joshua Talbot, Jr., Utica – 55.74 meters
Javelin Throw
First Team: Kaiden Simpson, Sr., Russell Sage – 50.87 meters
Second Team: Alexander Kolpien, Fr., St. John Fisher – 50.23 meters
Third Team: Allen Reome, So., SUNY Brockport – 49.15 meters
Decathlon
First Team: Jack Pomykaj, Jr., Nazareth – 6,173 points (Championship Record)
Second Team: Daniel Pagan, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 6,105 points
Third Team: Tyler Miller, Sr., SUNY Brockport – 5,767 points
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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