STONY BROOK, N.Y. — For the first time in 762 days, there was competition at University Track.
And the Stony Brook track and field team — hosting a meet for the first time since March 23, 2019 — collected 13 total wins, the most of the eight participating schools at Friday's Wolfie Invitational.
In her first career 5000-meter run, freshman Fiona McLaughlin held a wire-to-wire lead on her way to her first collegiate victory. She finished in 16:55.97, crossing the line seven seconds ahead of second-place finisher Gianna Tedeschi.
"When the gun went off, I just maintained the same pace and relaxed," McLoughlin said. "It challenged my mental strength a lot. When we had one mile left, I had to just keep pushing and going strong."
With the America East Outdoor Championship looming, McLoughlin thinks the best is ahead.
"I've felt super strong this season and I can't wait to see what's ahead of me."
The Seawolves earned 12 other individual wins on the day.
In the men's 400m, teammates
Patrick Abel and
Aleks Zdravkovic nearly tied. Zdravkovic held a lead for the majority of the race before Abel jumped in front for the final stretch to win it.
"It felt like practice," said Abel, who won in 48.28, three-hundredths ahead of Zdravkovic. "Aleks is a strong finisher so I knew I had to finish strong as well."
Stony Brook earned three other wins on the men's side.
Richmond Boateng, who set the program record in the 400m hurdles a week ago, earned another first-place finish on Friday. Boateng beat out teammate Niles Ryan, winning the race in 53.74.
In the 100m,
Anthony Urbancik (10.88) picked up the first individual win of his career.
"I had a good start off the blocks, had a good pace and ran well," he said. "I use [the opponents] as motivation and make sure I'm always first."
Led by a pair of veteran runners earning career-best times, Stony Brook dominated the 1500m.
Robert Becker finished in 3:44.54, just milliseconds ahead of teammate
Vann Moffett's 3:44.89. It was the first win of the season for Becker, who took three seconds off his previous best.
The women also put on a strong performance on their home track, collecting nine total wins.
Dana Cerbone was responsible for two of those wins. The junior swept the 100m and 200m with times of 12.17 and 24.79, respectively.
"I just got in the mindset and was ready to go," said Cerbone, who won the 100m at the St. John's Invitational a week ago. "It's hard running a race with no one to chase but this felt really good."
In the 1500m,
Tara Hauff earned a victory in a career-best 4:36.76. She trimmed over three seconds off her previous best, set at the 2019 America East Championships.
Fresh off two second-place finishes a week ago,
Amanda Stead earned a win in the 400m. She topped last week's time, finishing in 54.27.
Stony Brook swept the hurdles thanks to strong performances by
Danella Dawkins and
Siara Guevara. Dawkins ran a 14.60 in the 100m hurdles and Guevara crossed the line in 1:05.30 in the 400m hurdles.
The Seawolves also swept the long jump, led by
Akajia Atkins at 5.54m.
Jaelyn Davis (5.30m) and
Casey Pedone (5.28) rounded out the top three.
In the high jump,
Alexandria Earle jumped 1.60m, tying her career-best en route to the win.
On the women's side, other standout performances included:
And for the men:
Stony Brook is back in action on May 1 for Day 1 of the America East Championship in Lowell, Mass.
