Buffalo State Athletics Finishes Memorable Weekend of Action
Buffalo State Athletics finished up a memorable weekend of action on Saturday, with the Buffalo State men’s and women’s track and field teams taking home 10 top-three finisher medals, including seven victories, at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships. The inaugural Buffalo State acrobatics and tumbling team also competed in its first-ever acrobatics and tumbling meet for a Division III school in New York State, and the inaugural Buffalo State men’s volleyball team completed a pair of victories on the road over Purchase College and Bard College.
After an extremely successful championship season in 2022–2023, the track and field teams continued to excel at SUNYAC Championships at SUNY Brockport over the weekend.
Natalia Sawyer (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) was the Performer of the Meet on the women’s side, coming away with three victories by winning the 60-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter dash. She also set the conference meet record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.56 seconds. Makhia Laster (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry Charter) was the other winner for the Bengal women, taking the title in the long jump with a mark of 5.65 meters, while also finishing second in the 60-meter dash.
For the men, Tyler McGrath (Clarence Center, NY/Clarence) was the Performer of the Meet, winning the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash titles, while setting the school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.85 seconds. McGrath had also broken the school record in the 200-meter dash earlier in the season. Chris Kaszynski (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) claimed his first SUNYAC title in the pole vault, clearing a height of 4.55 meters. He also had already set the school record in the event earlier in the season. Sophomore Jarrod Polk (Bolivar, NY/Bolivar-Richburg) took second place in the triple jump, leaping 14.19 meters for his third career conference medal. Kai Messmer (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe’s) rounded out the medalists for the Bengals, taking third in the long jump for his first career conference medal with a mark of 6.94 meters.
On Saturday afternoon, Buffalo State acrobatics and tumbling kicked off the inaugural season by hosting Trine in a dual meet at the Sports Arena. Lucy Ingro (Newfane, NY/Newfane) and Adrienne Gardner (Fairfield, CA/St. Patrick-St. Vincent) combined to take the program’s first heat victory, scoring a 7.90 in the duo pass heat of the Tumbling Event. The best individual heat score of the meet for Buffalo State came in the open pyramid heat, as the group topped by Carmela Capizzi (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) earned a score of 8.40 during the Pyramid Event. Gardner, Caitlin Wilhite (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster), and Jackie Heyden (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island), with Ingro as a spotter, also came away with a score of 8.15 in the opening heat of the Acro Event.
Just past the halfway point of the first season of competition, head coach Daniel Miranda has already led Buffalo State Men’s Volleyball to eight victories, and a 5-2 record in front of the home crowd at the Sports Arena. The signature victory of the first half of the season was a five-set, come-from-behind victory over U.C. Santa Cruz, a squad that finished tied for ninth-nationally in the 2023 season.
On Saturday, the Bengals defeated Bard, 3-1, before dominating Purchase in a 3-0 sweep. Against Bard, Christopher Laboy (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Lafayette) led Buffalo State with 16 kills on a .364 hitting percentage, with freshman Gavin Wilczewski (Elma, NY/East Aurora) contributing 11 kills, and setter Jackson Stang (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) delivering 44 assists and a team-high nine digs. Sophomore Jake Woelfel (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West) had 11 kills against Purchase to lead the Bengals.
Expectations for the rest of the season for each team are high. For the latest news, please visit the Buffalo State Athletics website.
Media Contact:
Mitchell Binda
Director of Athletic Communications
Houston Gym 208
