Men's Indoor Track and Field | 3/13/2026 8:52:00 PM
BIRMINGHAM, AL - Empire 8 student-athletes from five different institutions began their push towards All-American and national championship status at the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships qualifiers on Friday, March 13 from the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. The SUNY Geneseo men's team is currently fifth in team competition and the women are seventh after Friday's action.
The SUNY Geneseo Distance Medley Relay team of
Arjun Ojha,
Dawson Wadsworth,
Ryan Hagan, and
Pierce Young provided the highlight of the day by winning the national championship with a meet record time of 9:42.65.
Emerson Comer picked up First-Team All-American honors with his eighth place finish in the 5,000-meters, recording a time of 14:17.84. The men's 4x400 relay team also competed in their prelim, and the team of
Jacob Miller,
Andrew Kent,
Giancarlo Di Fava, and
Sam Belmont picked up the fastest time of the day to qualify for finals, recording a time of 3:12.80. Miller also competed in the 400-meters and barely missed on qualifying for the finals, racing to a ninth place finish for Second-Team All-American honors, missing out on finals by .01 seconds.
The men's DMR national championship marks the second in four years for the Knights, as the team of
Ezra Ruggles,
Jason Rappazzo,
Stephen Hoare, and
Nick Andrews won the event in the 2022-23 indoor championship meet. The team of Ojha, Wadsworth, Hagan, and Young became the third overall DMR team to win the national championship.
Overall, 13 different E8 men’s student-athletes earned All-American honors on Friday.
On the women’s side,
Jillian Ambler of SUNY Geneseo highlighted the competition, placing second overall in the long jump for First-Team All-American honors. Ambler jumped a distance of 5.91 meters for runner-up honors, picking up eight points for the Knights in the process.
Lauren Jaklitsch added five points for the Knights as well, placing fourth in the weight throw. Jaklitsch's throw of 18.65 meters earned her First-Team All-American honors. Ambler also competed in the first round of the 60-meter hurdles, and qualified for finals tomorrow with a time of 8.57 seconds.
Sierra Doody joined Ambler in qualifying for finals tomorrow, racing to a third place finish in the 800-meters with a time of 2:10.83.
Six different E8 women earned All-American accolades on Friday.
For each men’s individual event contested, including the heptathlon, the top 20 declared student-athletes were accepted into the championships. For each women’s individual event contested, including the pentathlon, the top 20 declared student-athletes were accepted into the championships. For each relay event contested, the top 12 declared relay teams, one per institution, were accepted into the championships.
Student-athletes who finish 1st-8th in the finals are first team All-Americans, while finishers 9th-16th (9th-12th in relay events) are second team All-Americans.
Below is a complete list of results for the Empire 8 student-athletes competing at the NCAA Championships with results and finals information for Saturday, March 14.
WOMEN
Friday Competition
Long Jump
Jillian Ambler, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – second place – 5.91 meters
First Team All-American
Weight Throw
Lauren Jaklitsch, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – fourth place – 18.65 meters
First Team All-American
4 x 400-Meter Relay
Jillian Ambler, Jr., Brynn Mooney, Jr., Nicole Gretzinger, Sr., Stella Riley, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 11th place – 3:50.27
Second Team All-American
Pole Vault
Isabel Morse, Jr., Nazareth – 13th place – 3.85 meters
Second Team All-American
Pentathlon
Samantha Luba, Sr., Nazareth – 18th place – 3,288 points
Mackenzie Kubat, So., SUNY Geneseo – 19th place – 3,277 points
Saturday Competition
60-Meter Hurdles (Finals, Saturday, March 14, 11:30 a.m.)
Jillian Ambler, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – sixth in prelims – :8.57
Will compete in the finals Saturday for First Team All-American honor
Laura Suppa, Gr., Utica – 10th in prelims – :8.71
Second Team All-American
800-Meter Run (Finals, Saturday, March 14, 5:50 p.m.)
Sierra Doody, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – third in prelims – 2:10.83
Will compete in the finals Saturday for First Team All-American honor
Nicole Gretzinger, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 18th overall – 2:15.15
Shot Put (Prelims and Finals, Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m.)
7. Allie Cary, So., Utica – 14.19 meters
MEN
Friday Competition
Distance Medley Relay
Pierce Young, Jr., Dawson Wadsworth, Jr., Connor Hitt, So., Ryan Hagan, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 9:42.65 (NCAA Championship Meet Record)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
First Team All-Americans
5,000-Meter Run
Emerson Comer, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – eighth place – 14:17:84
First Team All-American
400-Meter Dash
Jacob Miller, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – ninth place – :48.04
Second Team All-American
800-Meter Run
Tim Smith, So., SUNY Brockport – 10th place – 1:52.99
Second Team All-American
Long Jump
Dennis Bobbitt, So., SUNY Brockport – ninth place – 6.96 meters
Second Team All-American
Gabriel Giannini, Sr., SUNY Brockport – 13th place – 6.80 meters
Second Team All-American
Weight Throw
Graeden Heichberger, So., Nazareth – ninth place – 18.26 meters
Second Team All-American
Spencer Borghardt, Sr., Utica – 11th place – 18.06 meters
Second Team All-American
Brandon Kaplan, Sr., St. John Fisher – 13th place – 17.97 meters
Second Team All-American
Pole Vault
Hayden Penna, Jr., St. John Fisher – 16th place – 4.83 meters
Second Team All-American
Saturday Competition
Heptathlon (Finals, Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m.)
Gabriel Giannini, Sr., SUNY Brockport – 11th place after four events – 2,769 points
Triple Jump (Prelims and Finals, Saturday, March 14, 12 p.m.)
11. Dennis Bobbitt, So., SUNY Brockport – 14.86 meters
3,000-Meter Run (Finals, Saturday, March 14, 6:50 p.m.)
5. Ryan Hagan, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 8:03.30
18. Pierce Young, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 8:08.51
4 x 400-Meter Relay (Finals, Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m.)
Andrew Kent, Sr., Sam Belmont, Jr., Arjun Ohja, So., Jacob Miller, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – first in prelims – 3:12.80
Will compete in the finals Saturday for First Team All-American honor