The Brockport Golden Eagles continued their successful season into this past weekend’s championship meets at the SERC in Brockport. The women’s team took silver, scoring 156 points, while the men’s team took bronze, scoring 129 points. Sarah Crockett was the star of the weekend for the Golden Eagles as she claimed co-MVP of the event and was voted the event’s most outstanding performer.
John Davis, head cross country coach, explains that medaling in the event is based on the day to day strength of the group and the atmosphere in every practice.
“Leading up to the championship season we’re really focused on promoting a mindsets focused on chasing competition rather than times, trusting the whole body of work that’s been done up to that point and (developing) a sense of confidence from those around you,” Davis said.
Davis also praised the performances of Sarah Crockett and Jonathan Zavala, both of whom have piled up accolades over the course of the season.
“I think Sarah Crockett had an absolutely amazing meet. To win in two events and also have a career day in the shot put when it matters most really just shows great preparation,” Davis said. “She’s also just an amazingly kind person and a great teammate. I also thought Jonathan Zavala had an amazing meet. He broke a 36-year-old school record in the 800 prelims and beat an athlete in the top 15 nationally in doing so. He also came back the next day and ran a PR in the mile of 4:16. He’s someone who isn’t afraid to try to win and he does a great job of spreading that mindset to his teammates.”
Zavala’s success this season has been a product of his consistency and dedication. Breaking the 800 meter school record and setting a personal record is a testament to the work Zavala has put into his craft.
“Breaking the 800 meter school record left me in shock. To have that kind of individual success and to not be anywhere close to peaking leaves me with a lot of confidence for this upcoming outdoor season,” Zavala said. “Going into my race, there’s race nerves as always, but putting trust in my training and in my coach gave me a good sense of confidence for both the mile and 800.”
Zavala sees the potential of the Golden Eagles squad, and with such an array of youth talent, he is confident they will be back to take the top spot.
“Placing third and second in the SUNYAC conference against some great teams was a great feeling. Sure we didn’t win as a team, but with such a young team surrounding us, we are bound to change that around real soon, especially at the rate that our program is growing with so many top 10 performances being thrown around,” Zavala said.
Jennifer Metz, a junior mid-distance runner, commends the “team-first” mindset that has allowed the team to find success in the face of adversity.
“We all want the same thing, to win. It’s amazing to see how far people push their limits for this sport and it’s all because of the coach’s support. They make it clear that to be a part of this program, you need to live up to the Brockport name and keep the culture safe, which is motivating,” Metz said.
Brockport was well represented in a handful of different events. In the 60 meter dash, Sarah Levine placed second with a personal record of 7.86 seconds. Olivier Kothor won his third straight 60 meter title with a time of 6.95 seconds and Devin Kipp placed sixth with a time of 7.34 seconds. Kelsie Naldrett took home second place in the 60 meter hurdles, and Marissa Wise finished sixth.
In the 200 meter dash, Sarah Levine placed third, Marissa Wise placed fifth and Paul Suflita placed seventh in the 300 meter dash. Wise also placed eighth in the 400, while Kaylee Haynes took fifth and Jennifer Metz took seventh in the 800 meter dash. Jonathan Zavala also added a fifth place finish in the men’s 800 meter dash.
In the mile, Zavala’s time of 4:16.18 was good enough for third and fourth all-time in program history. Zavala’s teammate Thomas Kressly set a time good enough for tenth place all-time in program history and finished in seventh. Veronica Dailey also took fifth in the women’s mile.
Kerry Flower was the lone Brockport athlete to place in the 3000 meter event and took seventh with a time of 10:36.77. The women’s 4×400, consisting of Lucia Sibley, Kaylee Haynes, Sarah Levine and Marissa Wise placed second with a time of 4:03.40.
Brockport was also well represented in the weight throw, with Matt Faulise taking first, Connor Ferris taking third, Elijah Washington taking fourth and Art Jordan finishing sixth. The women’s weight throw took the top four spots, as Sarah Crockett took gold, Alayna Fredenburg took silver, Emma Kinnicutt took bronze and Ellie Ramirez finished fourth.
In the men’s long jump, Josh Jeziorski won gold and Dion Putaski won bronze. In the women’s event, Chanyce Powell took silver and Halle King took bronze. In the women’s high jump, Halle King placed third, while Sarah Killip finished fourth.
Qualifiers will advance to the All-Atlantic Regional Conference Championships Friday Mar. 4 and Saturday Mar. 5 at Nazareth College.
