Men's and Women's Track & Field Set To Host Empire 8 Outdoor Championships

Championship Information

The Polisseni Track and Field Complex at St. John Fisher University will serve as the host site for the 2026 Empire 8 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2.

2026 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Participants
Alfred University 
SUNY Brockport 
SUNY Geneseo
Hartwick College 
Houghton University 
Nazareth University
Russell Sage College
St. John Fisher University 
Utica University

Admission (Friday or Saturday Single Day)
$7.00 - Adults
Free - Students and seniors with ID/Children under 12

Admission (Two Day Pass)
$10.00 - Adults
Free - Students and seniors with ID/Children under 12

Previous St. John Fisher E8 Outdoor Champions (Men)

110 Meter Hurdles: Kyle Rollins (2022, 14.91 seconds), Eddie Mahana (2017, 14.86 seconds), Peter Girardi (2016, 14.55 seconds & 2015, 15.04 seconds), Chris Wehner (2013, 15.34 seconds)

200 Meter Dash: Joseph Dagostino (2014, 22.40 seconds)

400 Meter Dash: Peter Girardi (2018, 47.98 seconds & 2017, 47.35 seconds), Trevor Wilkes (49.76 seconds)

400 Meter Hurdles: John Ruggio (2024, 55.83 seconds & 2023, 56.52 seconds & 2022, 57.58 seconds & 2021, 57.94 seconds) Eddie Mahana (2019, 54.31), Peter Girardi (2016, 52.95 seconds & 2015, 56.76 seconds)

800 Meter Run: Ryan Allen (2022, 2:00.46), Grant Stokoe (2021, 2:01.29)

1500 Meter Run: Andrew Ford (2022, 4:12.22), Grant Stokoe (2021, 4:12.81), James Felice (2018 4:02.97),

5000 Meter Run: Mcquade Milligan (2018, 15:55.48), Chuck Collins (2017, 15:05.49)

3000 Meter Steeplechase: Mcquade Milligan (2018, 9:49.75)

4x800 Meter Relay: Mitchell Briggs, Dylan Esquivel, Anthony DiRubbo, Myles Anderson (2023, 8:10.77); Ryan Allen, Ryan English, Myles Anderson, Grant Stoakoe (2021, 8:20.27)

High Jump: Kyle Rollins (2022, 1.90m & 2021, 2.10m & 2019, 2.06m & 2018, 2.01m), Mark VanMarter (2017, 1.80m), Eric Riley (2014, 1.98m & 2012, 1.93m)

Pole Vault: Hayden Penna (2025, 4.90m & 2024, 4.60m), Garrett Boehmer (2012 3.80m), 

Long Jump: Kyle Rollins (2021, 6.76m), Mark VanMarter (2018, 7.46m & 2017, 7.01m & 2016, 6.84m & 2015, 7.05m), Eric Riley (2014, 7.11m)

Triple Jump: Manuel Sepulveda (2025, 14.58m), Ivan Lopez-Testillano (2023, 14.46m), Kyle Rollins (2021, 14.25m & 2019, 14.66m), Mark VanMarter (2016, 13.20m & 2015, 13.60m)

Shot Put: Ryan Desautels (2021, 14.01), Kyle Koehler (2015, 15.17m & 2014, 14.25m)

Discuss Throw: Daniel Davis (2025, 40.43m), Joe Jerkovich (2022, 41.16m), Chase Corcoran (2021, 44.59m), Jonathan Robinson (2019, 42.81m), Kyle Blessing (2014, 43.29m)

Hammer Throw: Brandon Kaplan (2025, 60.87m & 2024, 55.82m), Chase Corcoran (2021, 53.99m), Ross Mathewson (2019, 52.52m & 2018, 55.45m), Kyle Barry (2013, 43.33m)

Team Championships: 2015, 2018, 2021

Previous St. John Fisher E8 Outdoor Champions (Women)

100 Meter Hurdles: Ciarra Franz (2023, 14.45 seconds & 2022, 14.69 seconds), Tayler Dence (2019, 15.53 seconds & 2018, 15.32 seconds)

200 Meter Dash: Samantha Shea (2023, 25.35 seconds)

400 Meter Dash: Samantha Shea (2023, 56.99 seconds)

400 Meter Hurdles: Tayler Dence (2019, 1:04.80 & 2018, 1:05.06 & 2017, 1:04.06)

5000 Meter Run: Riley Corey (2021, 18:31.31)

3000 Meter Steeplechase: Alivia Collins (2021, 11:58.07)

10,000 Meter Run: Lauren DeMichele (2024, 38:57.59 & 2023, 38:49.51), Riley Corey (2022, 39:07.43 & 2021, 39:37.52), Clarissa Hensler (2019, 39:14.25)

4x100 Meter Relay: Michaela Kurbs, Samantha Shea, Zhane Lettsome and Ciarra Franz (2023, 47.71 seconds); Ciarra Franz, Samantha Shea, Grace Wright and Michaela Kurbs (2022, 49.15 seconds); McKenna Cone, Brenna Lambert, Michaela Kurbs and Maria Covelli (2021, 50.71 seconds); Tayler Dence, Erica Pawlewicz, Kiersten Abbott and Haley Brust (2019, 49.02 seconds)

4x400 Meter Relay: Grace Wright, Emma Wright, Breanna Lambert and Samantha Shea (2022, 4:01.30); Grace WIndschitl, Tayler Dence, Chelsea Cleveland and Lauren Wiard (2017, 4:02.66); Chelsea Cleveland, Emily Strong, Sydney Saccone and Jessica Colmerauer (2016, 4:04.57)

Pole Vault: Mary O'Brien (2018, 3.40m)

Long Jump: Veronica Duell (2024, 5.68m) Michaela Kurbs (2023, 5.93m), Haley Brust (2019, 5.56m)

Shot Put: Paige Wilson (2015, 13.00m & 2014, 12.55m & 2013, 11.40m)

Discus Throw: Makenna King (2024, 46.65m & 2023, 40.80m & 2022, 38.41m), Jordan Lehman (2021, 36.58m)

Hammer Throw: Jordan Lehman (2021, 48.09m), Taylor Youngkrans (2015, 51.10m & 2014, 46.32m)

Javelin Throw: Jenna Costello (2021, 29.68m), Paige Wilson (2014, 30.78m)

Team Championships: 2021 and 2022

Empire 8 Outdoor Meet Records

Empire 8 Championship Meet Records (first meet was held in 2004)… bold denotes meet records set in last year's E8 Outdoor Championships

Men’s Track Events
100 Meters: Nicodemus Gambill (Utica, 2016 & 2017), :10.57
200 Meters: Alex Kainer (Stevens, 2019), :21.58
400 Meters: Jacob Miller (SUNY Geneseo, 2025), :47.24
800 Meters: Nick Stenuf (Nazareth, 2006), 1:51.73
1,500 Meters: Ryan Hagan (SUNY Geneseo, 2025), 3:49.78
3,000-Meter Steeple: Emerson Comer (SUNY Geneseo, 2025), 9:04.73
5,000 Meters: Emerson Comer (SUNY Geneseo, 2025), 14:28.20
10,000 Meters: Nathan Bowers (Nazareth, 2022) - 32:26.29
110-Meter Hurdles: Peter Girardi (St. John Fisher, 2018), 14.35
400-Meter Hurdles: Peter Girardi (St. John Fisher, 2016), 52.95

Men’s Field Events
High Jump: Kyle Rollins (St. John Fisher, 2021), 2.10m
Pole Vault: Michael Dempsey (RIT, 2010), 4.90m
                   Hayden Penna (St. John Fisher, 2025), 4.90m
Long Jump: Mark VanMarter (St. John Fisher, 2018), 7.46m
Triple Jump: Ka'Sean Watlington (Utica, 2022), 15.10m
Shot Put: Hunter Logan (Utica, 2024), 16.39m
Discus Throw: Keanu Heedram (Utica, 2016), 46.22m
Hammer Throw: Brandon Kaplan (St. John Fisher, 2025), 60.87m
Javelin Throw: Stephen Burns (RIT, 2007), 61.88m
Decathlon: Jack Pomykaj (Nazareth, 2025), 6,173 points

Men’s Relay Events
4x100-Meter Relay: Stevens, 2019, 41.44
(Danny LaMastra, Alex Kainer, MIck DiMaria, Evan Kainer)
4x400-Meter Relay: SUNY Geneseo, 3:15.29
(Arjun Ojha, Dawson Wadsworth, Jacob Miller, Matthew Sheehan)
4x800- Meter Relay: Ithaca, 2005, 7:43.46
(Pat McGreal, Steve Desmond, Matt Manzi, Jeff Abbott)

Women’s Track Events
100 Meters: Victoria Brewster (Houghton, 2025), 11.99
200 Meters: Miasia Hillman (Alfred, 2015), 24.72
400 Meters: Brynn Mooney (SUNY Geneseo, 2025) 55.21
800 Meters: Janelle Eckl (SUNY Geneseo, 2025) 2:12.27
1,500 Meters: Amy Regan (Stevens, 2017), 4:37.75
3,000-Meter Steeplechase: Gabrielle Lebihan (Nazareth, 2014), 11:02.76
5,000 Meters: Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo, 2025) 16:39.34
10,000 Meters: Autumn Swan (Hartwick, 2006), 36:46.86
100-Meter Hurdles: Jillian Ambler (SUNY Geneseo, 2025) 14.14
400-Meter Hurdles: Alexis Rodriguez (SUNY Brockport, 2025), 1:02.84

Women’s Field Events
High Jump: Gladys Njoku (Stevens, 2015), 1.72m
Pole Vault: Katherine Pitman (Ithaca, 2017), 4.10m
Long Jump: Michaela Kurbs (St. John Fisher, 2023), 5.93m
Triple Jump: Sarah Wiatr (Utica, 2016), 11.78m
Shot Put: Jane Fahy (Utica, 2024), 14.50m
Discus Throw: Brandy Smith (Ithaca, 2015), 46.97m
Hammer Throw: Katie Weeks (Stevens, 2019), 52.57m
Javelin Throw: Ashley Dlubac (Ithaca, 2011), 41.19m
Heptathlon: Laren Koppel (Utica, 2006), 4,263 pts.

Women’s Relay Events
4x100-Meter Relay: SUNY Geneseo, 2025, 47.38
(Sam Pynn, Brynn Mooney, Jillian Ambler, Kayla Huba)
4x400-Meter Relay: SUNY Geneseo, 2025, 3:55.50
(Janelle Eckl, Nicole Gretzinger, Ava Bagley, Brynn Mooney)
4x800 Meter Relay: RIT, 9:15.32
(Adrienne Gagnier, Trisha Sliker, Nicole Varble, Danielle Simmons)

St. John Fisher Outdoor Season Highlights  

Men's Team 

Senior Brandon Kaplan moved up to No. 6 on the Division III national performance list for the hammer throw with a season-best mark of 60.07 meters last Saturday in the Cardinal Classic. He placed first in the event and inched closer to breaking his own E8 record (60.87 meters) in the event. He has won the E8 title in the hammer throw in each of the last two seasons. 

Sophomore Gabe Cromer set Fisher's records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter runs during the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on April 12. He placed sixth in the 100 with a time of 10.73 seconds and 16th in the 200 with a time of 21.85 seconds. Cromer bested his mark in the 200 a week later in the Cortland Classic, recording a time of 21.72 seconds. 

The Cardinals' 4x100 team of Corinthian Reed, Elijah Burnley, Ethan Fox and Cromer set a school record with a time of 41.90 seconds in the Cortland Classic. 

Junior Hayden Penna shattered his school record in the pole vault with a mark of 5.10 meters, which currently stands fourth on the Division III performance list, in the Geneseo Outdoor Invite on April 5. 

Junior Jace Stuart placed fourth in the unseeded 1,500-meter run in the Bucknell meet with a time of 3:56.84, good for second on the Cardinals' all-time top-five list for the event. 

Freshman London Premo placed third in the men's decathlon in the Cortland Classic with an overall score of 5,286, good for third on the program's top-five list. He placed first in the event's discus throw (30.74 meters), second in its 1,500-meter run (5:04.81) and 110-meter hurdles (16.12 seconds) events and third in its long jump (6.06 meters) and shot put (10.45 meters) events.

Women's Team

Freshman Makenna Keough set Fisher's outdoor triple jump record in the Cortland Classic, posting a mark of 11.32 meters to place first in the event. She previously set the Cardinals' triple jump record in the Geneseo Invite on April 4 with a mark of 10.61 meters. 

Senior Anna Steed's mark of 50.82 in the hammer throw, recorded in the Cortland Classic, ranks 33rd on the Division III performance list. 

Freshman Emily Heiner placed 23rd in the 100-meter run in the Bucknell Outdoor Classic with a time of 12.37 seconds, the fourth-best mark on Fisher's top-five list for the event. Sophomore Abigail Dorunda placed 29th at 12.47 seconds.

Sophomore Brianne Hurlburt recorded the second-fastest 800-meter run time in program history at 2:19.25 in the Bucknell Outdoor Classic. 

Freshman Juliana Riemersma clocked a time of 25.40 in the 200-meter run in the Cortland Classic, the third-fastest in program history. 

Sophomore Kathryn Hillyard qualified for regionals in the pole vault with a mark of 3.36, good for second on Fisher's outdoor top five list for the event, in the St. John Fisher Tri Meet on March 29. 

Sophomore Hailee Garcia placed first in the discus throw with a hurl of 38.41 meters, the fifth-best mark in program history, in the St. John Fisher Tri Meet. 

The 2026 Outdoor Season In Photos….