On Feb. 11 both the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams were named Empire 8 conference champions. The men’s team won its second consecutive title, and ninth overall, with 123.5 total team points. The women’s team continued its long stretch of dominance, earning its 10th consecutive title and 13th overall with 218 team points.

In the women’s pole vault, senior Katherine Pitman flew for a height of 4.25 meters, breaking the Division III indoor record of 4.22 meters she set last week. Pitman was named Field Athlete of the Meet. She was followed by freshman Bethany Cripps in second place with a height of 3.65 meters, and senior Amanda Zaput at 3.10 meters in third place.

Both the men’s and women’s teams won the distance medley. The men’s team of freshmen Jeff Montgomery and Logan Winningham, sophomore’s Aaron Smith and John Blake took first with a time of 10:43.07. The women’s team of juniors Sierra Grazia, Brianna Hayes and Taryn Cordani and sophomore Emilie Mertz finished with a time of 12:18.95, 45 seconds ahead of second place Nazareth.

The Bombers dominated the women’s mile run, taking the top four spots. Cordani finished first with a time of 5:06.50, followed by junior Denise Ibarra at 5:16.89, freshman Sarah Rudge with a time of 5:19.86 and Grazia at 5:20.04.

Senior Brandy Smith won the women’s 20 pound weight throw for the Bombers with a distance of 16.38 meters. Junior Caitlin Noonan took second place with a 15.06 meter toss and senior Francesca Boylan took third at 14.30 meters. Smith also won the shot put at 12.52 meters.

Junior Tim Chappell finished at 15:16.57 and senior Jesse Capellaro at 15:17.54, taking the top two spots in the men’s 5000 meter run.

In the men’s 4×400 meter relay, the team of junior Gerardo Munoz-Celada, sophomore Derek Howes and freshmen Rob Greenwald and Dan Harden-Marshall earned first for the Bombers at 3:24.87.
Both teams will compete at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 at the Marc Denault Invitational at Cornell University.