BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The Cortland men's indoor track and field team, behind the strength of five individual victories, earned the league title at the 2016 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet was held Friday and Saturday at Brockport's Special Events and Recreation Center.

Cortland claimed its eighth SUNYAC indoor title overall and its first since 2009 with a final score of 135 points. Buffalo State finished second with 109.5 points, followed by Geneseo (106). Oneonta (95), Brockport (82), Fredonia (80.5), Plattsburgh (28) and Oswego (26) rounded out the eight-team field.

Junior Nick Vachon (Johnson City/Maine-Endwell) set a facility record with his winning height of 2.10 meters (6' 10.75"). He currently ranks seventh nationally in Division III, and the effort is the best at Cortland since Mark Mirabito's school-record 2.15 meters in 2002.

Sophomore Dawan Jones (Buffalo/Tapestry Charter) won the triple jump with a distance of 14.76 meters (48' 5.25") that presently ranks him second nationally. He also finished seventh in the long jump at 6.60 meters (21' 8").

Junior Mitch Couch (Oneonta) scored the most field points of any athlete in the meet with 18. He won the weight throw at 17.17 meters (56' 4") and was second in the shot put at 15.34 meters (50' 4"). Cortland also claimed the top two distance races as junior Mitch Ryan (Plattsburgh/Seton Catholic) won the 3,000 meters (8:31.12) and graduate student Nick Marcantonio (Glens Falls) won the 5,000 meters (15:01.30).

Junior Jack Flood (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) finished second in the high jump behind Vachon at 1.98 meters (6' 6"), third in the 60-meter hurdles (8.46) and fifth in the long jump at 6.76 meters (22' 2.25") for 18 total points. Freshman Micheal Outing (Farmingdale) was second in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.31 seconds, which ranks him 18th nationally, and freshman Brent DiVittorio (Brewster) was second in the heptathlon with 4,716 points, which currently ranks eighth nationally. DiVittorio scored 816 points in the 60-meter hurdles (8.69), 809 points in the 60-meter dash (7.21) and 749 points in the high jump (1.94 meters - 6' 4.25").

The individual league champions earn first-team All-SUNYAC honors, while individual runners-up are recognized as second-team all-conference.

Senior Romain Saint Germain (Westbury) placed fourth in the 60-meter dash (7.11) and senior Jerel Williams (East Islip) was fourth in the 400 meters (49.90). Freshman Storm Malone (Harrison/Highland) finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.49) and senior Jake Davis (Castleton/Maple Hill) was fourth in the heptathlon (4,365 points). Davis scored 749 points in the 60-meter dash (7.39) and 712 points in the 1,000 meters (2:55.18).

Sophomore Charlie Kollmer (Mount Sinai) placed fifth in the pole vault at 4.50 meters (14' 9"). Junior Connor Christopherson (Morrisonville/Saranac) was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (8.58, 8.49 in prelims), freshman C.J. White (Middletown) placed seventh in the triple jump (13.87 meters - 45' 6.25"), senior Kyle Howe (Scipio Center/Southern Cayuga) was seventh in the shot put (14.16 meters - 46' 5.5"), and freshman Tyler Hochadel (Hamburg/Frontier) finished seventh in the weight throw (13.74 meters - 45' 1").

Also scoring individually for the Red Dragons were junior Corey Fitchett (East Islip) with an eighth-place effort in the pole vault (4.35 meters - 14' 3.25") and senior Dante Binotto III (Canajoharie) with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw (13.65 meters - 44' 9.5").

In relay action, the Distance Medley Relay of freshman Grant Boyd (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy), freshman John Nitterour (Big Flats/Horseheads), senior Nate Ashton (Norwich) and sophomore Jesse Perrone (East Syracuse/East Syracuse Minoa) finished fifth (10:50.20), while the 4x400-meter relay of Williams, Nitterour, freshman Austen Johnson (Jamestown) and junior Zach Meszler (Altamont/Herkimer) finished sixth (3:26.51).

Cortland will compete at the ECAC Div. III Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, at the Ocean Breeze Park in Staten Island. The Red Dragons' ECAC qualifiers during the SUNYAC Championships were:

Christopherson, 60-meter hurdles
Couch, Weight Throw
Couch, Shot Put
DiVittorio, Heptathlon (currently 5th on ECAC list; top 15 qualify)
Flood, High Jump
Flood, 60-meter hurdles
Flood, Long Jump
Jones, Triple Jump
Kollmer, Pole Vault
Malone, 60-meter hurdles
Marcantonio, 5,000 meters
Outing, 60-meter hurdles
Ryan, 3,000 meters
Vachon, High Jump
White, Triple Jump
Williams, 400 meters
4x400-meter relay

Complete Results (Men)
Complete Results (Women)

Final Results (Leone Timing Site)