Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY KYLE MAIER, SPORTS WRITER
The St. Bonaventure University men’s and women’s track teams opened their indoor seasons at the RIT Invitational in Rochester, New York, last Friday.
Freshman Brendan Chapple won the mile in his Bonnies debut for the men’s team. Chapple’s time of 4:23.90 ranks third in school history.
“My goal going into the mile was simply to execute a tactically sound race regardless of the results,” said Chapple. “I was able to achieve my goal, running controlled through the 1k mark and closing the last 609m fast enough to come away with a win. I’m happy with how comfortably I was able to execute my plan and claim the victory.”
Sophomore Alex Ryan placed third in the mile at 4:29.26, and classmate Aiden Holt followed in eighth in 4:36.69, a personal record.
Freshman Riley Dillon ran a program-best 52.82 in the 400 meters, finishing second.
“What I did well coming into the RIT invitational was being in the right mental state,” said Dillon. “I left what I didn’t have control of into God’s hands and just went out there to give it my best effort. Overall, I thought this was a good start to the season and look forward to what I can accomplish throughout the rest of it.”
The Bonnies took the top three spots in the 3000 meters. Senior Zane Courtwright won with a personal record of 8:42.53, followed by freshman William McCarthy and sophomore Casey Malloy, who ran 9:03.72 and 9:05.88.
Senior Kieran Ryan placed sixth in the 800 meters, running a 2:00:06, a personal record.
For the women’s team, freshman Megan Lex ran a school record 5:18.92 to win the mile in her Bonnies debut.
Freshman Chloe Fisher and sophomore Faith Caldwell also achieved times within the top 10 in program history, finishing in 5:38.13 and 5.38.80.
In the 5000 meters, sophomore Jenna Gregory finished third with a personal record of 19:14.34, which stands second all-time in program history.
“I was happy with a strong first performance,” said Gregory. “It was a big improvement for me compared to last year’s indoor season, and I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks getting back and trying to improve on getting my 5k time down. As for the team, it was an amazing performance for everyone. We had a few new records and numerous added to the top ten in their events. We’re all excited for a fun and successful season.”
Sophomore Mia Winters won the 3000 meters with a record-breaking 10:54.53.
Sophomore Adria Magnusson placed second in the 400 meters in 1:03.04, while classmate Mary Trost came in third with a personal record of 1:05.73.
The Bonnies will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 2, at the Youngstown State Mid-Major Indoor Invitational in Ohio.
maierkj22@bonaventure.edu
