Senior thrower Jordan Fuentes has had a successful outdoor season for the Buffalo State men’s track
and field team, and he looks to continue that success by helping the Bengals put an end to a long-lasting
drought.
Fuentes, who holds a school record in both the shot put and discus, has six total first-place finishes
during the season and was named the SUNYAC Field Athlete of the Week in early April. While Fuentes
acknowledges his individual successes, he also thinks that there’s still work left to be done.
“To use my work ethic and adversity to help propel me to this point in my senior year, it’s a great
feeling, but it’s not done yet,” Fuentes said. “There are still things I want to accomplish, that I can
accomplish and I will accomplish.”
Fuentes initially came to Buffalo State to play football, but track and field coach Eugene Lewis persuaded
Fuentes to join the track and field team. The move paid off as Fuentes, who competes in the shot put,
discus and hammer throw, hopes to help win a conference championship for the Bengals at the SUNYAC
Championships on Friday and Saturday.
Although he expects to perform well and win individually at SUNYACs, Fuentes noted that team goals
come first. He said it would be huge if he could assist in bringing the Bengals their first SUNYAC team
championship since 1967.
As his time as a Bengal comes to a close, Fuentes is proud of what he has accomplished during his four
years.
“It’s just good to see hard work pay off,” Fuentes said. “I’ve been through a lot here personally and as an
athlete, and you just learn from the experience and use the adversity to push yourself, help you succeed
and use it as a driving force.”
He also has fond thoughts of the people that helped him throughout his career at Buffalo State.
“Obviously I couldn’t have accomplished anything without the support of my teammates, my coaches
and the other athletes on campus,” Fuentes said. “They’ve been tremendous in supporting our track
team and throwing program, and that’s one thing I love about Buffalo State, is how the athletes are very
close and support each other.”
Fuentes’ performance was one of the highlights at Saturday’s meet at St. John Fisher College. Fuentes
placed first in shot put with a throw of 15.45 meters.
Other highlights for the men’s team at the meet were junior sprinter Jimmy Campbell, who finished
second in the 400 meter run (49.91), and freshman distance runner Kevin Murray, who added a second-
place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:12.93). Sophomore sprinter Todd Colas finished fourth
in 200-meter dash (22.12) and fifth in the 100-meter dash (11.12).
On top of sending a majority of the team to St. John Fisher, the Bengals also sent two of their athletes to
Hillsdale College Saturday for a tune-up before SUNYACs. Freshman mid. distance runner Bumkoth Jiak
finished eighth in the championship heat of the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.26. Sophomore Alex
Ngabo also ran the 800-meter, finishing third in the open race (1:54.59).
The women’s track and field team, who are ranked 16th in the USTFCCCA national rankings, also had a
split squad competing at both Hillsdale and St. John Fisher.
At St. John Fisher, junior Tara Murphy finished second in the 800-meter run, breaking a 20-year-old
school record with a time of 2:16.09. Freshman Seland Chaplin also finished second in the high jump
(1.48m) while freshman Jazlyn Porter placed fourth in the long jump (5.28m).
At Hillsdale College, senior Sasha Henry finished fifth behind four Division I runners in the 100-meter
dash with a time of 11.86 seconds. With her time, Henry broke the school record in the 100-meter dash
and posted the second-fastest time in Division III this season. Junior Jazmin Dunham also placed fourth
in the 100-meter hurdles (14.41).
With the SUNYACs up next, assistant coach Dustin Dimit thinks the Bengals can carry over their season-
long success into this weekend by working hard.
“We try and have our athletes compete well for this meet because our focus from here on out all the
way to nationals is trying to run fast and train well,” Dimit said. “And hopefully their results will reflect
that this weekend.”
Jiak also reflects a positive attitude heading into this weekend, when he hopes to help bring home a
conference championship for his team, as well as performing well individually.
“At this point, I don’t care about the time,” Jiak said. “All I care about is to win and help my teammates,
and that’s the most important thing, because if I can score 20 points, that’d be awesome for my team,
so that’s what I’m expecting.”
Both teams will compete at the SUNYAC Championships at 9 a.m. May 3 and 4 at SUNY Cortland.
Chris Losey can be reached by email at losey.record@live.com.