The Plattsburgh State track and field teams ended their season last weekend running at Brockport.
Head coach Nick Jones said this season has been a strong one for the Cardinals.
“I think we are very pleased with our returners and how well they did this season and this year and I think they did well setting an example for the underclassmen who came in,” Jones said. “We had a lot come in and they have done pretty well also, so we are pretty happy the way things have gone so far this season.”
Sophomore distance runner Morgan Demming said that she got surgery over winter break, so she used indoor to recover.
“This season I was more focused on getting back into shape and getting closer to where I was during cross country,” Demming said.
This season was a strong one with the Cards with them breaking multiple school records.
Junior sprinter/jumper Jess Huber, freshman sprinter Luke Potash and freshman jumper Ray Adekoya are the three runners who were able to break records this season. Huber broke records in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash while tying the record for long jump, set by Suzette Whitfield in 1992. Potash was able to tie the record in the 200 meter set by Chris Verkkey in 2000 and Adekoya was able to tie the pole fault record set by Schuyler Field in 2009.
This weekend the Cards will return to Brockport for the SUNYAC championships.
To be able to run in the SUNYAC championships, an athlete must finish in the top 16 in there event and hit the qualifying marks.
Jones said for both the men and women, the team has a decent amount of runners who were able to qualify.
On the men’s side, the athletes who are expected to be top finishers are sophomore mid-distance runner Ethan Vinson, freshman sprinter Ben Wells and freshman jumper Ray Adekoya. Wells said he is ready to run at Brockport for the third time this season.
“Being back-to-back Brockport and Brockport, the track will be really similar,” Wells said. “Every track is different, some are more circular, some have longer straightaways and this one has longer straightaways so it will be good, on the straightaways you pass people, that’s where I want to focus on if I am not in first for that race.”
On the women’s side, the point getters will be junior jumper/sprinter Jess Huber, senior throwers Amanda and Ashley Gadway, freshman distance runner Hayley Mooney and freshman jumper Brooke Knight.
Huber said she expects the weekend to be a challenge.
“I have trials and finals in all three events that I am doing,” Huber said, “so hopefully I get enough sleep because it is going to be rough.”
Huber is going to be running in the 60-yard dash, the 200-meter dash and competing in the long jump event. She said she expects to have hard competition in all three of her events.
“Well in the 60 I have some good competition, so I am looking forward to that, the 200 I might have to push myself which is fine because I am really mostly concerned about ECACs and nationals and then for long jump just, hopefully I don’t have a horrible day.”
The competition is expected to be tough at Brockport. It should be challenging for the team to come out with top finishes and should help them prepare for the rest of the championship season.
Email Nick Topping at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
