GENESEO, N.Y. – The SUNY Cortland women's outdoor track and field team captured its 14th State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title and its first since 2007 at the league's championship meet Friday and Saturday at SUNY Geneseo.

The Red Dragons used great depth to claim the league crown. Cortland won only four of 21 events, but still finished with 164 points to easily defeat second-place Oneonta (135) and third-place Geneseo (127). Buffalo State placed fourth (117), followed by Brockport (107.5), Plattsburgh (98.5), Fredonia (55) and Oswego (14). In all, Cortland earned 34 top-eight scoring finishes.

Cortland head coach Steve Patrick was named the SUNYAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year following the meet.

Graduate student Kristen Serikstad (Oyster Bay) won two field events. She captured the high jump, an event she also won in 2009, with an NCAA provisional qualifying height of 1.65 meters (5' 5”) and won the javelin with a distance of 35.34 meters (115' 11”).

Sophomore Nikki Schafer (Troy/Columbia) won the SUNYAC heptathlon title for the second straight year with an NCAA provisional qualifying score of 4,313 points. Sophomore Amber Stephens (Stony Point/North Rockland) earned a league title in the triple jump (11.32 meters – 37' 1.75”) and placed seventh in the long jump (5.00 meters – 16' 5”).

Junior Abby Vander Veen (Delanson/Faith Bible Academy) finished second in the 400-meter dash (58.33, 58.02 prelims) and sophomore Jordyn Naylon (Fairport) placed second in the 1,500 meters (4:43.77).

Each individual event champion is recognized as a first-team All-SUNYAC performer, while the individual event runners-up are second-team All-SUNYAC.

Cortland finished second in two relays, both with NCAA provisional qualifying times. The 4x100-meter relay of junior Brittani Sahm (Phoenix/John C. Birdlebough), junior Jenna Evarts (West Islip), junior Veronica Montrose (Clintondale/Highland) and freshman Sarah Bonnell (Norwich) was clocked at 48.35 seconds. The 4x400-meter quartet of Montrose, freshman Cait Reilly (Warwick/Monroe-Woodbury), sophomore Lex Grable (Pine Bush) and Vander Veen finished in 3:54.18.

Bonnell finished in the top six in three events. She was third in the long jump at 5.15 meters (16' 10.75”), fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.52) and sixth in the 200-meter dash (26.18). Junior Alyson Dalton (Sherrill/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) was third in the 5,000 meters (17:58.08), freshman Kelly Hugo (Highland) was third in the pole vault (3.25 meters – 10' 8”) and junior Brenna Filipello (Selkirk/Bethlehem) finished third in the heptathlon (3,796 points).

Cortland's fourth-place finishers were Reilly in the 400-meter dash (58.65), freshman Emily Cotey (Norwood/Norwood-Norfolk) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:43.28), freshman Alex Budd (Riverhead) in the high jump (1.55 meters – 5' 1”) and sophomore Jess Andrianos (Syracuse/West Genesee) in the discus (36.38 meters – 119' 4”).

Evarts earned a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (26.03) and a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.61). Sophomore Caitlin Triantafillou (Getzville/Williamsville North) placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.88) and junior Ashley Gansle (Loudonville/Shaker) was ffith in the javelin (31.17 meters – 102' 3”).

Sophomore Chelsea Lachman (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) finished sixth in the shot put (11.02 meters – 36' 2”) and eighth in the discus (34.58 meters – 113' 5”). Junior Liz Henry (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) was sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.91) and freshman Hannah Hoffman (Rome/Rome Free Academy) finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:53.40).

Also in sixth place were sophomore Karli Johnson (Mount Sinai) in the discus (35.40 meters – 116' 2”) and sophomore Katie Darling (Delhi/Delaware Academy) in the heptathlon (3,317 points). Freshman Dayna Eikeseth (Staten Island/Tottenville) finished seventh in the 5,000 meters (18:40.76) and junior Val Basciano (New City/Albertus Magnus) was seventh in the 400-meter hurdles (1:09.32, 1:08.24 prelims).

Additional scorers with eighth-place finishers were senior Kristin Vespa (Ossining) in the 5,000 meters (18:43.88), sophomore Alana Hotchkiss (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) in the triple jump (10.23 meters – 33' 6.75”) and senior Kayla Evers (Oneonta/Lighthouse Christian Academy) in the hammer throw (36.50 meters – 119' 9”).

Complete Results

NOTE: Cortland turned in numerous ECAC Div. III Championship qualifying performances during the meet. In addition to those performances above that are labeled as NCAA provisional, the following efforts were ECAC qualifiers:

Stephens – Triple Jump
Schafer – 15.38 time in 100-meter hurdles during heptathlon
Vander Veen – 400-meter dash
Naylon – 1,500 meters
Dalton – 5,000 meters
Hugo – Pole Vault
Bonnell – 100-meter dash
Bonnell – 200-meter dash
Reilly – 400-meter dash
Cotey – 3,000-meter steeplechase
Andrianos – Discus
Evarts – 200-meter dash
Evarts – 100-meter dash
Hoffman – 3,000-meter steeplechase
Eikeseth – 5,000 meters
Vespa – 5,000 meters