Ortiz Shatters Record at SUNY Geneseo to Qualify for Nationals
GENESEO, N.Y. - Saturday marked the first outdoor event for the Finger Lakes Community College track and field team this season. After a successful indoor portion of their season, the Lakers enjoyed a series of standout performances at SUNY Geneseo for their annual Early Season Invitational.
Opening with the field events, Phallon Rivera made her mark by clinching regional qualifications in both the discus, with a throw of 24.57m, and the shot put, reaching 8.11m. On the track, Juliette Ventura displayed her versatility across multiple events. She qualified for regionals in the shot put with a throw of 7.89m, then shifted gears to the hurdles and sprints. Ventura navigated the 100m hurdles in 22.41 seconds before sprinting the 200m in 31.49 seconds. Moreover, her javelin throw of 22.41m further highlighted the day for Ventura, securing another regional qualification. Sophomore Morgan Cheney took on the 3K Steeplechase, finishing with a personal best, regional and national qualifying time of 14:05.46. Teammate Grace Holmes contributed significantly in the sprints, clocking in a regional qualifying time of 1:13.17 in the 400m. Meanwhile, freshman Megan Calder tackled the 1500m with efficiency, achieving a regional qualifying time of 5:50.29.
Highlighting the long jump was freshman Trinity Ortiz who broke the FLCC record with a leap of 5.21m, a feat that earned her regional and national qualifications. Ortiz's mark extends the record she had previously broken at SUNY Brockport during the indoor portion of the season. Ortiz continued her impressive showing as she powered through the 100m in 12.97 seconds and the 200m in 27.97 seconds, securing her a spot at regionals and nationals in both sprint events.
On the men's side, Zachary Lester earned his regional qualifications with a solid 5K time of 18:29.57. On the field, Jason Hunt-McLean made an impact in the discus with a throw of 30.32m, earning a regional qualification. Hunt-McLean would participate in the javelin, finishing with a throw of 31.40m. Sophomore Justin Luna took on a demanding schedule, competing in the 110m hurdles, javelin, and 400m hurdles. His time of 1:13.79 in the 400m hurdles earned him a regional qualification. Classmates Terreque Davis and Aren Weigert wrapped up the team's performance with commendable efforts in the 110m hurdles and javelin, respectively. Davis would earn a regional qualifying time of 17.98 seconds in the hurdles while Weigert finished with a mark of 15.16m in the javelin.
Up next for the team is a trip to SUNY Cortland for the Cortland Red Dragon Open Invitational on Saturday, April 6th. The Lakers will look to put together another impressive showing and earn qualifying marks for the NJCAA Region III and Division III Championships.