Men's Track and Field | 5/4/2023 12:01:00 PM

UTICA, NY – The St. John Fisher University men and women's track and field teams will compete in the two-day Empire 8 Outdoor Championship meet. The meet will begin on Friday, May 5 at 11:30 a.m. and pick back up on Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. Both days will take place in Utica, NY, and will be hosted by Utica University.
 
Previous Meet: The Cardinals previously competed in the Cardinal Classic Invite.
 
Highlighting for the men were Curtis Cuvilly and Sean Cochrane. Cuvilly started the day competing in the 4x100m relay. The team ran 43.21, placing third overall and moving up to second in the conference. Later in the meet, Cuvilly competed in the 100m. In the first round, Cuvilly ran 11.16, placing fourth and moving on to the finals. In the finals, Cuvilly ran 11.26, placing third overall. Cochrane competed in the high jump, jumping 1.91m and placing third overall.
 
Highlighting for the women were Veronica Duell and Makenna King. Duell competed in the long jump, jumping 5.97m and placing first overall. With her jump, Duell moved up to first in the conference, first in the region, and second in the nation. King started day two competing in the discus throw, placing first with a throw of 41.76m. Later in the meet, King competed in the shot put, throwing 12.15m and placing second overall.
 
Athletes to Watch: On the men's side, Brady Bishop has been in the running for multiple events. In the Empire 8, Bishop currently sits second in the 4x100m relay, third in the 100m, fourth in the 200m, and sixth in the 400m. Ivan Lopez-Testillano has been leading the Empire 8 in multiple jumping events. Currently, Lopez-Testillano sits first in the triple jump and second in the long jump.
 
For the women, Samantha Shea has been dominating the Empire 8. Currently, Shea sits first in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 4x100m relay. Lauren DeMichele has been in contention for multiple distance events. Currently, DeMichele sits second in the 10,000m, fourth in the 5000m, fifth in the 1500m, and seventh in the 800m.
 
Words From The E8 (Men's Team): St. John Fisher is looking to regain the league title and earn its fourth overall championship in 2023. Sean Cochrane and Bryant DePaull form a potent 1-2 punch in the high jump, as both student-athletes are ranked in the top-50 nationally. Ivan Lopez-Testillano is ranked in the top-25 nationally in the triple jump. He is also second in the league in the long jump entering the championship meet. On the throws side, Brandon Kaplan is third among all E8 student-athletes in the hammer throw, while Bryce Grove is second in the javelin. Josiah Bowers and Maxwell Blowers will look to score points in the decathlon for the Cardinals. The Cardinals relay teams will look to score big points. John Ruggio is the two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in the 400-meter hurdles. Sprinters Brady Bishop and Curtis Cuvilly are top contenders in the 100-meters, while Cole Ferris is a standout in the 400-meters. Myles Andersen, Peter Briggs and Tony DiRubbo will look to score key points in the middle distance events, while Ethan Billings, Riley Nash and Brandon Nicosia are standouts in the distance events.
 
Words From The E8 (Women's Team): St. John Fisher is looking to win its third straight Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship and enter the meet with excellent depth in nearly all events. Samantha Shea is having a tremendous spring and enters the meet with the top time among all E8 student-athletes in the 200- and 400-meters, which are also among the best in the nation. She is also expected to be a top contender in the 100-meters. Fellow sprinters Ciarra Franz, Zhane Lettsome, Michaela Kurbs and Grace Wright will also look to gain valuable points. Franz is the defending E8 Champion in the 100-meter hurdles, ranked 33rd nationally. St. John Fisher's 4 x 100-meter relay team is currently ranked in the top-30 nationally as well. Caitlin Voloshen will be Fisher's top contenders in the middle distance events and 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Lauren DeMichele, Laura Witt and Brigid McGee will vie for points in the distance events. steeplechase. On the field side, Veronica Duell and Kurbs both competed in the long jump at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships and will look to earn that distinction again in 2023. Duell recorded one of the top long jumps in Empire 8 history last weekend and moves into second nationally with that leap. Makenna King is the current E8 leader in the discus and is ranked second in the shot put and fourth in the hammer throw. Claudia Vogel and Sarah Jacques are both tied for second in the high jump. Logan Hendrickson will compete in the heptathlon.
 
Previous E8 Championships: Last year, in the 2022 Outdoor Empire 8 Championship, the men's team placed second overall, scoring 189 points. The women's team scored 202 points, placing first and claiming their second-consecutive E8 Outdoor Championship.
 
In the 2023 Indoor Empire 8 Championship, the men's team placed third overall, scoring 104 points. The women's team placed second overall, after scoring 146.5 points.
 
Both teams will look to build on their season, as the men's team aims to finish stronger and the women's team aims to claim their third-consecutive E8 Outdoor Championship.
 
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