T&F finds success at SUNYACS

By Emma Deo

Junior Charles Cypress led the way for the Plattsburgh State Cardinals’ men’s track and field team at the SUNYAC championships, shattering a program record on day one and bringing home the gold on day two. 

Sophomore Tyler Baker also brought home a medal for the Cardinals, placing third in the heptathlon. 

The team finished in sixth place out of twelve, tallying 41 points. 

Cypress set his third program record of the season in the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.86 seconds. In this race, Cypress also qualified for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference. 

On day two, Cypress won the 60 meter dash, earning his first career gold medal and first team All-SUNYAC honors. Baker was named to the All-SUNYAC third team following his third place finish in the heptathlon. 

In his bronze winning heptathlon run, Baker won the 60-meter dash, long jump and high jump, and placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000-meter run.

First-year Thomas Clark scored in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.48 seconds. Junior Jordan Williams also competed in the 60 meter dash, earning sixth place with an All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference qualifying time of 7.01 seconds. 

Sophomore Isaiah Ritter put up a new personal best in the long jump, clearing 6.83 meters, also qualifying for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference. 

First-year Jackson Hooper earned fifth place in the high jump, leaping 1.85 meters.

The 4×400-meter relay team of sophomore Ryan Beltran and first-years Joshua Gaboriault, Jack Gregory and Ethan Cypress placed seventh with a time of 3:31.38.

The Plattsburgh women’s track and field team also brought home some hardware for the Cardinals, as junior Marissa LeDuc and the 4×400 relay team earned gold while juniors Marissa Colvin and Grace Yarkosky took home bronze. 

The team finished in fifth place out of twelve, racking up 47 total points. 

LeDuc earned first place and first team All-SUNYAC honors in the pentathlon, winning the long jump (5.20 meters) and the 800-meter run (2:42.02), while placing second in the shot put (9.93 meters), third in the 60-meter hurdles (9.61), and fourth in the high jump (1.38 meters). 

Colvin placed third in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 18:41.53, earning her third team All-SUNYAC honors qualifying her for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference. 

The 4×400-meter relay team of first-year Emma Mahoney, first-year Isabella Scott, first-year Brianna Wise and Yarkosky brought home a gold medal with a time of 4:05.99, also earning first team All-SUNYAC honors. The team was in third place heading into the final 400 meters, but Yarkosky raced to take the lead in 58.39 seconds, the fastest split of the day. 

To finish up, Yarkosky placed third in the 400 meter dash. 

Both Cardinal track and field teams are back in action at the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference championships on March 7 and 8, held at Ithaca College.