CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland men's outdoor track and field team recorded 24 All-Atlantic Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) qualifying marks, including three NCAA Division III top-20 efforts, at the Cortland Classic, hosted by the Red Dragons Friday and Saturday.
 
Zach Nyhart (Hamburg) won the pole vault by clearing 4.80 meters (15' 9"), which as of late Saturday night ranks 11th nationally in Division III and third in the AARTFC. Mitchell Makowski (Webster/Webster Thomas) placed first of 20 in the hammer throw with a distance of 54.86 meters (180' 0") that is 12th nationally and fifth in the AARTFC.
 
Brett Morse (Saratoga Springs) won the 110-meter hurdles, edging teammate Aaron Jones (Buffalo/Hutch Tech) in the finals. Morse's winning time of 14.78 seconds ranks 20th nationally and second in the AARTFC, while Jones is currently 29th nationally and third in the AARTFC with his runner-up time of 14.93 seconds.
 
Jones earned a victory in a field of 41 competitors in the 200-meter dash after running basically a dead heat with teammate Coltrane Goring (Los Angeles, CA/Notre Dame). Both sprinters officially finished in 21.91 seconds in the same heat, with Jones being awarded the title with an extended time of 21.901 seconds to Goring's 21.905 seconds. They are currently tied for sixth in the AARTFC in the event. The Red Dragons also claimed the next three spots in the 200 with AARTFC times - Evan Jensen (Red Hook) placing third (22.14), Morse in fourth (22.29) and Doug Knapp (Brooklyn/Xaverian) in fifth (22.40).
 
Goring, Jenen and Knapp swept the top three spots in the 400-meter dash with regional times. Goring was first of 23 in the event at 49.17 seconds, Jensen placed second at 49.30 seconds and Knapp was third in 49.76 seconds.
 
Four Cortland runners finished in the top five in the 800 meters with AARTFC marks. Rich Samuels (Wallkill) defeated 32 other competitors in 1:53.71, which ranks seventh in the AARTFC. David Soto (Warwick/Warwick Valley) finished third (1:54.31), Cameron Szabo (Owego/Owego Free Academy) was fourth (1:56.40) and Clay Santiago (Bethpage) finished fifth (1:56.60).
 
Amarian Hughes (Marlboro) was third overall, and second among collegiate entries, in the triple jump with an distance of 13.79 meters (45' 3") that ranks eighth in the AARTFC. Jean-Andre Sassine (Queens Village/The Lawrenceville School) also met the AARTFC standard with his fourth-place distance of 13.61 meters (44' 8"). Harry Tomasi (Port Jervis) was third of 22 in the 5,000 meters with an AARTFC time of 15:22.80.
 
Ryan Serp (Commack/Fayetteville-Manlius) also hit the AARTFC qualification board with his second-place score of 5,380 points in the decathlon. His highest point totals came in the 100-meter dash (799 points, 11.28 seconds), the 400-meter dash (729 points, 51.90 seconds), the 110-meter hurdles (697 points, 16.32 seconds) and the long jump (675 points, 6.40 meters/21' 0").
 
Cortland met AARTFC standards in a pair of relays. Jensen, Michael Eubanks (Islip), Brandon Root (Bellmore/John F. Kennedy) and Goring won the 4x400-meter relay in 3:21.13, and Morse, Jensen, Goring and Jones won the 4x100-meter relay in 42.27 second, which is currently fifth in the AARTFC. The Red Dragons won the 4x800-meter relay (not an AARTFC event) as Szabo, Hunter Braun (Victor), Santiago and Soto posted a time of 7:53.52.
 
Two Red Dragons qualified for the AARTFC meet during the 100-meter dash prelims. Goring was clocked at 11.09 seconds and Jensen in 11.10 seconds. Neither competed in Saturday's finals. Zashon Abrams (Morrisonville/Saranac) finished third in the finals in 11.19 seconds, Malachi Williams (New Haven, CT/Amistad Academy) was fourth in 11.27 seconds (11.26 prelims), and Root qualified for the final with a prelim time of 11.20 seconds but didn't run Saturday.
 
Morse bolstered his weekend resume' with a victory over 20 other athletes in the long jump at 6.66 meters (21' 10.25"). Hagie Sesay (Buffalo/Hutch Tech) was third in the event at 6.32 meters (20' 9"). Matt Mullen (Mastic/William Floyd) won the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:28.44). Tommy Burek (Latham/Shaker) and Makowski placed third and fourth, respectively, out of 31 in the shot put - Burek at 13.52 meters (44' 4.25") and Makowski at 13.50 meters (44' 3.5"). Roland Zanger (Port Jervis) was fourth in both the high jump (1.82 meters/5' 11.5") and the 110-meter hurdles (16.43), and Christopher Blake (Red Creek) finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (59.74).

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

The meet went great! The weather was cooperative, the team was supporting each other in a very positive fashion, and we had a number of performances that showcased our excellence and our depth. There's a lot to be proud of in terms of results over the weekend. It would be more time-efficient to list of the few places where we didn't excel as a program over the weekend than to name all that things that went well. We clearly had one of the better weekends in my time here as coach.
 
There's a bit more to be proud of on this weekend, however. This meet was also our 'senior recognition day,' so the chance to have 18 (!) members of the team recognized was certainly special; this year it was great to have a lot of family in attendance as well. With such a large program, we can lose sight of those things sometimes, so having a day like this is extra important!
 
We were fortunate to have a number of alumni in attendance as well, including a few that competed! We had over a dozen alumni in attendance over the weekend, including a few that were present in coaching roles. We have such a long legacy of producing coaches, so that is always great to see them return as collegiate coaches with their own programs.

But the highlight of the day may have been the competition for the Cortland Stars. We have a number of team members that have been involved in coaching Special Olympians as a part of the Cortland Stars program at the college, and today we had athletes participating in the softball toss (quick thanks to Cortland Softball for providing us with some implements to throw), the long jump, the 50 meter dash, and the 4 x 100 relay. It was fantastic to see these athletes return for the first time since 2019, and we are incredibly proud of our program for helping to support this opportunity, and especially those team members that work with the Cortland Stars on a regular basis.

We'll host a small tune-up meet on Tuesday to close our home season – fingers crossed that the good weather we enjoyed through the weekend sticks around!