SWARTHMORE, PA. - The Cortland men's and women's outdoor track and field teams competed at the Swarthmore Final Qualifier Meet on Monday. Despite the "final" nature of the meet, the Red Dragons will have one more chance to qualify for nationals or improve their standing as athletes who have qualified for the inaugural All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Outdoor Championships will compete in the two-day meet Wednesday and Thursday in Brockport.

The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held May 24-26 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The top 22 women and 20 men in each individual event, including the decathlon and heptathlon, respectively, as well as the top 16 relay teams for both genders, will qualify for nationals.

On the men's side, Dev Williams (Syracuse/Corcoran), currently ranked 22nd nationally in the long jump, finished third with a distance of 7.09 meters (23' 3.25"). Micheal Outing (Farmingdale) finished third in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.97 second and ranks 21st in Division III.

Dawan Jones (Buffalo/Tapestry Charter) was sixth (13.98 meters/45' 10.5") and C.J. White (Middletown) finished seventh (13.86 meters/45' 5.75") in the triple jump. Jones ranks eighth nationally in the event, while White is currently 31st.

James Forte (Merrick/Sanford H. Calhoun) met the regional mark in the 800 meters in 1:55.56, while Ryan Konotopskyj (East Amherst/Williamsville North) was 47th (3:58.28) and Nolan Vest (Coram/Longwood) finished 48th (3:58.34) in the 1,500 meters. Vest qualified earlier in the outdoor season for regionals, but this was Konotopskyj's season best and first regional qualifier. Matt DeLorenzo (Wallkill) placed fifth in the pole vault at 4.48 meters (14' 8.25").

On the women's side, Kelly Gardner (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) finished sixth in the 200-meter dash (25.86 seconds), and 12th in the 100-meter dash (12.92 seconds). She has qualified earlier this season for both events for the AARTFC Championships. Kaylee Uhl (Waverly) placed 16th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:06.82.

(Recap by Cortland sports information student intern Kyle Lancto)

Complete Results (PDF)

Coach's Corner - Comments from Cortland Head Coach Steve Patrick

It's always fun to head down to this meet at Swarthmore College. Most importantly, it's a great competitive opportunity with some world-class athletes present! An extra bonus is that it is the alma mater of Dr. Peter McGinnis, a Distinguished Teaching Professor here at the college and our pole vault coach. Coach Peter also happens to be in the Swarthmore Athletics Hall of Fame and still holds their school record in the pole vault!

Speaking of the pole vault, sophomore Matt DeLorenzo had a great meet, taking great attempts at 4.63 meters, which is over 15'! While his season probably ends this Wednesday at the regional meet at Brockport, it's been a thrilling year to see the progress he has made!
 
Our distance crew had a pretty phenomenal day, with four of our five athletes running big season bests, and the fifth being quite close. Considering that all five are sophomores, it is a nice statement for the direction our program is heading!
 
We're looking forward to the upcoming regional championships this Wednesday and Thursday. We had some of the team that didn't make the trip to Swarthmore as it was a little too close to the regional meet, and we're excited to see what they can do with the extra time they have had to prepare.