(Posted May 5, 2006)

CHESTER, Pa. ? After the first full day of competition at the 2006 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships the Juniata College men?s and women?s teams both find themselves in position to earn top finishes in the team competition. The men?s team holds down the fourth spot with 32.33 points while the women are fifth in the 10-team field with 35 points.

Both teams earned school records on the first full day of competition. Freshman Kelsey Buffenmyer (Donegal/Mount Joy) claimed Juniata?s only first-place finish of the day as she placed first in the high jump. Her best effort of 5? 6? established a new Juniata record, and was an NCAA provisional qualifying standard.

The Juniata women had multiple athletes scoring points in two events on the day to add to Buffenmyer?s victory. In the 10,000 the Eagles had three athletes claim top-eight finishes. Nancy Hayes (Westminster/Westminster, Md.) led the way with a third-place effort while Meghan Jones (Meadville/Meadville) and Christina Jones (Fallston/Bel Air, Md.) were seventh and eighth respectively.

Juniata had a pair of athletes earn points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Senior Katey Glunt (Bellefonte/Bellefonte) ran to a second-place finish in the event and Aubrey Cyphert (Seneca/North East) was eighth.

The Eagles also got a third-place effort from Debbie Delaney (Franklin/Reisertown, Md.) in the discus. Rounding out the scoring was Melissa Konowal (Archbishop Carroll/Philadelphia) who placed eighth in the heptathlon for the Eagles.

On the men?s side senior Justin Fritzius (Central York/York) captured a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and broke his own school record with a time of 9:30.69. Jason Hoover (Brandywine/Wilmington, Del.) added a fifth-place finish in the event for the Juniata men.

The Eagles had another second-place finish on the day as Adam Loser (Central York/York) tied for second in the high jump. Juniata then had three individuals earn points in the triple jump. Matthew Booth (Allentown Central Catholic/Allentown) was fourth in the event, while Randy Anderson (DuBois/DuBois) placed seventh and Gary Ondecko Jr., (Bishop Carroll/Northern Cambria) was eighth.

The Juniata men had another pair of athletes earn points in the decathlon. Michael Hucke (Walter Johnson/Potomac, Md.) was fifth in the event and Patrick Filamor (International School/Manila, Phillipines) was eighth. Rounding out the scoring effort from the men was an eighth-place effort from Kyle Mazur (Morris Catholic/Ogdensburg, N.J.).

Juniata will complete the three-day conference championships on Saturday.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.