Track and Field finishes fourth and eighth at 2015 MAC Outdoor Championships

By now I suppose if you're really interested in the final-day fate of UB Track and Field at the MAC Championships, you've found out, but even a day or so late I should wrap it up. When everything settled Saturday afternoon, the Men's team finished fourth for the second straight year, having briefly challenged Kent State for third but unable to keep up in the last five events or so. The women finished eighth, but were just a point and a half out of sixth.

Nothing on Saturday was ever going to match the 1-2-3 performance in the men's shot put that UB put together on Friday, but few events on the final day saw big surprises that helped the Bulls further up the standings.

The highlight, without a doubt, was Meghan Manley's championship in the 800, UB's lone victory on the day. With the win, Manley claimed both the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles in that event this season. Mid-distance got a chance to shine in other events, as well, as Tyler Scheving and Brian Crimmins went 3-4 in the men's 800, and Crimmins' school record in the 1500 was good for third.

Buffalo had three further medalist performances from the sprinters -- Ryan Billian in the 100 (2nd), Camaria Long in the 200 (3rd), and the men's 4x100 relay (2nd) -- and Austin Price took a bronze medal in the triple jump.

After that, though, while most of the team still in action performed well enough to earn points, it was mostly in fifth- through eighth-place finishes. Seventeen further Bulls added to the UB total.

Mike Morgan did not compete in the decathlon in this event, presumably for the same reasons he opted out of the indoor heptathlon in March, but also failed to make much a dent in the events he did enter, finishing the high jump at 2.01 meters and failing to register a height in the pole vault. I was hoping for big points in each event, but Morgan and Reape shared fourth in the first, while Adam Hume took just fifth in the latter. Laurent Dure also placed eighth in the high jump.

Track and Field has the longest season of any team at UB, and is now the lone squad still in action. Nationals aren't for another four weeks, and while Jon Jones and Mike Morgan are likely on their way, more will have a chance to qualify at the NCAA Preliminary meet in Jacksonville two weeks from now.

Go Bulls