ROCHESTER, N.Y- The Cortland men's indoor track and field team finished 10th out of 55 schools at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships. The event was hosted by Nazareth University on Friday and Saturday.
 
Cortland scored 22 points. Rowan won the meet with 100 points, followed by Geneseo with 54 and Rochester with 50.
 
Isaiah Brunache (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union) highlighted Cortland's performances with a school record in the weight throw. He finished second in the event with a distance of 18.51 meters (60' 8.75"), breaking the previous record of 18.38 meters (60' 3.75") set by Mitch Couch in 2017.
 
The foursome of Harrison Gavalas (Southampton), Andrew O'Gorman (Melville/Half Hollow Hills East), Zion Cheatham (Lockport) and Doug Knapp (Brooklyn/Xaverian) won the 4x400-meter relay title in 3:17.25.  Jack Bisbee (Deer Park/Half Hollow Hills West) placed fifth in the 800 meters (1:56.43).
 
The top eight individual finishers and the top three relays earn All-AARTFC honors.
 
Matthew Schaffert (Lockport) had the eighth-best time in the prelims of the 60-meter dash (6.96) but just missed qualifying for the finals. He also finished 11th in the long jump (6.71 meters/22' 0.25") Evan Collette (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) finished 11th in the weight throw (16.15 meters/53' 0") and 15th in the shot put (14.61 meters/47' 11.25").
 
Brandon Levin (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) placed 12th in the 200-meter dash (22.41). Camden Buchanan (Dundee) was 14th (13.37 meters/43' 10.5") and Mitch Diamond (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills West) finished 16th (13.02 meters/42' 8.75") in the triple jump, while Nick LaRocque (Millbrook) finished 21st in the shot put (14.11 meters/46' 3.5").
 
Cortland awaits the announcement of qualifiers for next weekend's NCAA Division III Championships, which be held March 8-9 in Virginia Beach, Va. The final participant list will be posted on NCAA.com this Sunday, March 3, by 7 p.m. The top 20 in each individual event and the top 12 in each relay (4x400 and DMR) qualify for nationals. As of late Saturday night, Cortland athletes ranking in the national qualifying spots are:
 
Amarian Hughes (Newburgh/Marlboro), tied 4th, Triple Jump
4x400-meter relay (Gavalas, O'Gorman, Cheatham, Knapp), 9th
Brett Morse (Saratoga Springs), tied 13th, 60-meter hurdles
Brunache, 13th, Shot Put and 16th, Weight Throw


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

This was truly a great weekend for those that had the chance to compete. We didn't have a PR out of each and every performer, but we were close! The number of folks that tied or exceeded their previous best was pretty outstanding! We didn't have a lot of instances where there was a major good in terms of how we competed; where we didn't completely perform as we hoped we do feel like there was good learning taking place.

We didn't go into this meet worries about scoring, but earning 10th place (out of close to 60 teams) is a pretty nice confirmation that both teams are doing things the right way.

To point out a couple of areas where there was a great performance that doesn't necessarily show up in the result, Alexa Wolcott is the obvious choice. She led the first heat of the 5000 from 205 meters to the finish and kept a steady pace the whole way, resulting in a nearly 30 second PR. To race like that is very mentally challenging and she handled it like a champion today.

I'll also commend our mens 4x400 relay who not only also led nearly the entire race, but handled a last-minute change in order quite well. Changes can sometime result in nervousness or concerns, and their focus on performing well was key to posting such a a fast time.

We're anxiously awaiting the close of the qualification period tonight so we know who is in the meet and are excited to make our way down to the NCAA Champions in Virginia Beach.