Post Classifieds
Track & Field sends four to nationals
By Jordan Smith
On March 6, 2013
The Buffalo State men's and women's track and field team's competed in the ECAC Indoor Track and
Field Championships Saturday in New York City at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory.
On the men's side, Bumkoth Jiak won an ECAC title by finishing first in the 800-meter run (1:52.01).That
time was converted to 1:53.62, and was enough to break the school record in the event that stood since
1988. It was also good enough to qualify Jiak for nationals, as it makes him the No. 11 seed in a 12-man
field.
Rich Pete and Shaun Winter also had good showings. They each competed in the long jump, as Pete took
third (7.02m) and Winter was right behind him in fourth (6.97m).
Shuntone Pricher was the only women's team member to score, crossing eighth in the 60-meter dash
(7.93).
Joining Jiak this weekend at the Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships at North Central College
in Naperville, Ill. will be Sasha Henry, Jazmin Dunham and Cory Cox.
Henry will compete in the 60-meter dash as the No. 1 seed at nationals. Her time of 7.63 seconds at the
SUNYAC Championships Feb. 23 qualified her and was the fastest in the nation this season.
There is no additional pressure being the No. 1 seed, according to Henry. She feels the key to winning
the event is to focus on her reaction and finish strong.
Dunham will race for a national championship in the 60-meter hurdles. Dunham's run of 8.74 seconds
at the Brockport Invitational in early February earned her the No. 4 seed. Dunham was named an All-
American last year in the same event, placing fifth.
Dunham has expectations similar to her results last year.
"I do want to become All-American, whether I win or lose," Dunham said.
Cox, a freshman, will compete in the long jump as the fifth seed.
Of the four athletes competing at the NCAA Championships, only Jiak competed last week at the ECACs.
The ECACs were used to give athletes on the brink of qualifying for nationals their best chance to qualify,
according to assistant coach Dustin Dimit.
Jiak took full advantage of the opportunity and was able to qualify for nationals.
"He performed as we knew he could and shattered the school record by almost two seconds," Dimit
said.
The freshman has made great strides this season. It's been all about hard work and being patient,
according to Jiak.
"I wasn't sure I was going to make it to where I am right now but I am very happy," he said.
Jiak's strong performance elicited an increased confidence, which will be utilized at the NCAA
Championships.
While a couple of other athletes were bumped out of a national spot at the ECACs, they competed well
and turned out some of their best efforts of the season, according to Dimit.
The three other athletes competing this weekend at the NCAA Championships had already solidified
their spots in the tournament.
"Basically, they got the work done ahead of time," Dimit said.
They used the week off to rest, recuperate and should be primed and ready to go at nationals, according
to Dimit. For Dunham, the week off was a "time to rest and prepare mentally."
Coaches will prepare the four athletes with a light week of practice.
"At this point, nothing they do is really going to affect their race, unless they do too much of something
and can't recover," Dimit said.
Dimit feels confident in the athletes' abilities to perform well at nationals, as the athletes have
competed at meets all season in preparation for them.
"The way we train is to be fast at the end of the year," Dimit said.
In order to do well, the athletes will have to "do what it took to get them there," according to Dimit.
Dimit, as well as the other coaches, want to see the athletes finish as high, or higher, as they were
seeded. He also views the NCAAs as a learning experience and hopes the athletes can make it a good
one for themselves.
Though Dimit claims he is not superstitious, he will bring along a special pair of shoes this weekend.
"I'll bring those shoes this weekend because the last time I wore them, we had three national
champions, two years ago at nationals," Dimit said.
The shoes won't perform any magic, of course, but the story "gives athletes a little extra boost."
The NCAA Championships will be held March 8 and 9.
Jordan Smith can be reached by email at smith.record@live.com.
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