ITHACA, N.Y. – After one day, Rochester's men sit comfortably in third place in the highly competitive Liberty League championships for indoor track and field being held at Ithaca College. The Yellowjacket performers have acquired 58.5 points through seven events. RPI is first with 75.5 points and Ithaca is charging hard with 74 points.
 
Gabe Lundy set a Liberty League meet record in the same running distance that the Rochester women did – the 400 meter run. Lundy was timed in :49.29. He was joined on the awards podium by Mitch Lienert who ran to a fifth place finsh in :50.59. Both times meet the qualification standard for the All-Atlantic Regional Track & Field Championships scheduled for next weekend at Nazareth College. (The women's 400 meter champion and record setter was Susan Bansbach.)
 
Rochester competitors seized eight All-Atlantic qualifying performances – six running and two in field events. The other runners to qualify for next week's competition were Scott Sikorski (second in 4:12.34) and James Catania (4:22.76, seventh place) in the mile run, Peter Brodnik (fourth in :08.66) in the 60 meter hurdles and  Lienert in the 60 meter trials (third place, :07.12). Adam Smith will join Brodnik in the 60 meter hurdle trials after running a :08.96, seventh place) while Leinert was one of three to reach the finals in the 60 meter dash along with Lundy (fifth, :07.17) and P.J. London (0:7.18).

 

The other running event completed on Friday was the distance medley relay. Rochester's quartet of Skye Crocker, Adam Smith, Christian Voloshen, and Nate  Brunacini was timed in 10:41.16. That put the Yellowjackets in second place in the race.
 
In the field events, James O'Neill was third in the shot put with a throw of 14.41 m. to hit the Atlantic mark and Ryan Swavely was fifth in 13.99 m. to qualify for the same meet. Dylan Rykert was Rochester's third scorer in the shot put with a distance of 13.28 m.
 
Jared Forer was fifth in the pole vault (4.25 m., 13'11 1.4") and James Schmidt was tied for seventh (4.10 m. – 13' 5 ¼"). Three people scored in the long jump for Rochester: Frederick Liu in fifth place (6.64 m. – 21'9 ½"), Kyle Lane in sixth (6.63 m. – 21'9"), and Cole Goodman in eighth place (6.53 m. – 21'5 ¼").
 
There are five Yellowjackets in the top eight of the heptathlon. With three events to be completed on Saturday (60 meter hurdles, pole vault, 1,000 meter run), this is where they stand (four events complete):
 
1. Alex Opsahl – 2,540 pts.
60 meters - :07.73, 640 pts.
Long Jump – 6.18 m., 626 pts.
Shot Put – 11.24 m., 560 pts.
High Jump – 1.90 m., 714 pts.
 
4. Cole Siewert – 2,288 pts.
60 meters - :07.81, 616 pts.
Long Jump – 5.93 m. , 571 pts.
Shot Put – 10.09 m., 491 pts.
High Jump – 1.78 m. – 610 pts.
 
5. Jarod Forer – 2,274 pts.
60 meters - :07.42, 739 pts.
Long Jump – 6.15 m., 619 pts.
Shot Put – 10.57 m., 520 pts.
High Jump – 1.51 m., 396 pts.
 
6. Gabe Thyne – 2,182 pts.
60 meters - :07.42, 739 pts.
Long Jump – 5.99 m.  584 pts.
Shot Put – 7.26 m., 323 pts.
High Jump – 1.69 m., 536 pts.
 
8. Lucas Thiele – 2,077 pts.
60 meters - :07.62, 675 pts.
Long Jump – 6.14 m., 617 pts.
Shot Put – 6,00 m., 249 pts.
High Jump – 1.69 m. – 536 pts.