Stafford Breaks School Record as Bulls Bring Home Two Medals on Day Two of MAC Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 16

Athens OH

11 am

MAC Outdoor Championships

Stafford Breaks School Record as Bulls Bring Home Two Medals on Day Two of MAC Outdoor Championships

5/16/2025 8:33:00 PM | Track and Field

ATHENS, OHIO – The University at Buffalo track and field program competed at day two of the 2025 Mid-American Conference Championships at Ohio University on Friday. Freshman Collin Stafford headlined for the Bulls on day two, breaking a school record and earning one of the program's two medals.

Stafford earned the second MAC medal of his career with a second-place finish in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The freshman became the second runner in program history to break the nine-minute mark in the event with a time of 8:55.94. Stafford surpassed Luke Stoeffler's school record of 8:58.22, set earlier in the outdoor season at Penn Relays. Stoeffler also competed for the Bulls on day two, finishing fifth with a time of 9:18.27.

Kara Moran set a new personal record in the women's long jump with a mark of 6.08 meters to place fourth in the event. The sophomore rose to fourth on the all-time UB outdoor leaderboard. Moran surpassed her previous best of 6.05 meters and Selina Von Jackowski (6.07m, 2017).

Micah Blair earned fourth place in the men's long jump with a new personal record mark of 7.26 meters. The freshman was just seven hundredths (7.33m) of a meter shy of earning a bronze medal in the event and three hundredths of a meter shy (7.29m) of reaching the all-time UB outdoor top 10.

Aidan Norris earned first place in the preliminary round of the men's 800-meter with a time of 1:50.80. Norris was under two seconds shy of his personal record (1:49.50) that ranks fifth in UB outdoor history. The 800-meter finals are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Freshman Bryson Bodner brought his best for conference championships, setting a new personal record in the men's shot put with a throw of 16.01 meters. Bodner surpassed his previous record by over a meter (14.72m). Aiden Walker (8th, 15.16m) and Quintus Simmons (12th, 12.49m) also competed for the Bulls. Simmons' mark was a personal record. On the women's side, Maria Akalonu placed 18th with a new personal record throw of 13.15 meters.

Kevin Gabalski qualified for Saturday's 110-meter hurdles finals with a new personal record time of 14.56 in the preliminary round. Gabalski was just over a tenth of a second shy of reaching the all-time UB outdoor leaderboard (14.45).
Gemma Galligani posted a time of 13.95 in the 100-meter hurdles, a new personal record that rose to ninth in UB outdoor history. Galligani did not qualify for Saturday's finals, placing third in the final heat.

Rylee VanAlstine (11th, 48.84) and Fernando Sanchez (14th, 49.98) competed in the men's 400-meter. VanAlstine was just over three-tenths of a second shy of reaching Saturday's finals (48.53). Johanna Kleiner competed for the Bulls in the women's 400-meter, placing 18th with a time of 58.34.

Jack Faldetta (10th, 10.69) and Sam Mellinger (11th, 10.80) competed in the 100-meter. The top eight sprinters from the preliminary round advanced to the 100-meter finals. Faldetta was within a tenth of a second of reaching the all-time UB outdoor leaderboard (10.62).

Juliette Salazar (10th, 2:11.83) and Allison Newton (11th, 2:12.07) missed the finals cut in the 800-meter by less than a second and a half (2:10.61). Salazar was within a second of her personal record (2:10.94) that ranks eighth in UB outdoor history, with Newton also being within a second of her record (2:11.26) that sits at 10th on the all-time outdoor leaderboard.

On the women's side of the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Eliza Medearis placed seventh with a time of 11.06.52. Rachel Hirschkind finished 12th with a time of 11:15.29.

MEN'S DECATHLON
Gabalski earned the seventh MAC medal of his career by placing third in the men's decathlon with a new personal record of 6,959. The senior's new personal best ranks third in UB outdoor history.

Gabalski opened the day with a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles and a time of 14.64 seconds. The senior then finished second in the discus throw with a personal record mark of 37.52 meters and second place in the pole vault with a mark of 4.15 meters. The senior closed out the decathlon by placing fourth in the javelin throw with a new personal record mark of 48.45 meters and fourth again in the 1,500-meter with a new personal best time of 4:57.77.

WOMEN'S HEPTATHLON
Isa van Puffelen and Krista Perry closed out the women's heptathlon on day two of conference championships with the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter. van Puffelen finished the heptathlon in fifth place with a score of 4,851. Perry finished seventh with a score of 4,692.

van Puffelen began day two with a sixth-place finish and a mark of 5.40 meters in the long jump. The freshman placed eighth in the javelin throw with a new personal record mark of 30.21 meters and second in the 800-meter (2:20.98).

Perry started day two by finishing eighth in the long jump with a mark of 5.29 meters. The freshman then placed sixth in the javelin throw with a new personal record mark of 32.51 meters and sixth again in the 800-meter (2:31.15).

All results from day two of MAC Outdoor Championships can be accessed here.

MAC Outdoor Championships resume at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. For all information regarding the conference championships, click here.

MEN'S STANDINGS

Akron	83
Kent State	58
Eastern Michigan	41
Buffalo	39
Miami of Ohio	26

WOMEN'S STANDINGS

Kent State	48
Bowling Green	44
Miami of Ohio	42
Western Michigan	40
Akron	33
Eastern Michigan	32
Central Michigan	23
Toledo	17
Buffalo	13
Ball State	11
Ohio	6
Northern Illinois	3

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