UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo cross country programs will open up their 2018 campaign on Friday evening as they head to Toledo, OH for the Toledo Opener which will be held at Ottawa Park Golf Course. The women’s 4K race will begin at 6:30 pm with the men’s 6K race to follow.
After the UB women posted a fifth place finish and the UB men placed sixth at the MAC Championships a season ago, a rebuilt roster will look to get the 2018 campaign opened up on the right foot this weekend.
The men were selected to finish fifth in the MAC this season in the preseason poll as they return 17 letter winners and welcome five incoming freshman to the fold. The Bulls will be leaning heavily on William Hilbert and Jack Jibb as they closed out their 2017 seasons with impressive showings at the NCAA Northeast Regionals as they took home 42nd and 57th place, respectively. The Bulls will also be looking for Dan Muldoon, Christopher Nowak, Matthew Mercer, Thomas Flannery and Benjamin Cardamone to build on strong showings in 2017.
The five newcomers on the men’s side that will be looking to make an early impact for the Bulls are Ryan Buzby, Louis Greco, Michael Hannon, Scott Loforte and Cal Puskar.
On the women’s side, the new look Bulls were selected to finish in sixth place in the preseason MAC Coaches Poll as UB will be looking to replace some talented runners from a season ago. The Buffalo roster will feature 10 returners and eight newcomers to the program.
The Bulls will be looking for strong seasons from senior Rachel Barich and junior Chardae Henry as they closed out the 2017 season with strong showings at the MAC Championships while also competing in the NCAA Northeast Regionals. Junior Meghan LaTuso will look to build off her sophomore campaign while sophomore Alanna Kramer should make a strong push up the depth chart this season.
The women will be welcoming an influx of eight newcomers this season as Angela Artini, Elizabeth Bukoskey, Heidi Cavalluzzo, Riley Jones, Megan Kane, Natalie Kurz, Lily Meek, Saroja Rao and Samantha Vettereach look to make a positive impact on the new look Bulls roster.
Buffalo will have a week off before their next event as they will welcome teams across the region for the UB Stampede Invite on Friday, September 14 at 11:00 am.
