A Quick Look
Junior Norberto Cervantes (Williamson/Williamson) successfully defended his SUNYAC title in the weight throw in helping to lead the SUNY Oneonta men's track & field team to a fourth-place finish at the conference championship.
 
The Inside Story
Cervantes was the top performer for Oneonta recording a personal best throw in the weight of 18.18 meters (59'-7 ¾").  Cervantes outdistanced the second-place finisher by 16 inches while strengthening his ranking for a spot at the NCAA Division III championships in two weeks.
 
Senior Griffin Arcuri (Melville/Half Hollow Hills East) also recorded a personal best mark in the weight throw of 14.65 meters (48'-3/4") to finish seventh overall.
 
In addition to Cervantes, seniors Matthew Palmer (Schuylerville/Schuylerville) and Nicholas Grasso (Goshen/Burke Catholic) and junior Nick Michalowski (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) all earned medals for their top-3 finishes in individual events.
 
Palmer finished third in the 5K crossing in 15:12.00, Grasso was third in the 400-meters with a time of 50.15 seconds and Michalowski was runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 8.30 seconds.
 
Palmer's classmate, Blake Dellabough (Warwick/Warwick), placed eighth in the 5K crossing in 15:43.61.
 
Freshman Andrew Rainbolt (Staten Island/Monsignor Farrell) finished eighth in the 3K with a personal best time of 8:58.38.  He then ran the leadoff leg of the distance medley relay that finished fourth overall.  Completing the foursome were classmate Cameron O'Connell (Liverpool/Liverpool) and juniors Jared Stauss (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) and Ryan O'Rourke (Boonville/Adirondack).
 
Stauss and Grasso joined senior Isaiah Ruiz (Staten Island/Susan E. Wagner) and freshman Tyler Lopresti to run a season best time of 3:26.43 in the 4x400-meter relay finishing fifth overall.
 
Competing in his first conference championship, freshman Tyler Price (Stephentown/New Lebanon) finished fifth overall in the Heptathlon.  Price accumulated a personal best score of 4,116 points, which moved him into second all-time in the event for the men.  Price recorded personal best marks in the 60-meter dash (7.26 seconds), long jump (6.49 meters), 60 hurdles (9.68 seconds) and 1,000 meters (2:54.50).
 
What's Next
Next weekend, athletes will travel to Nazareth to compete in the AARTFC championship meet.