*The author of this article is on the team
SUNY Cortland Track and field team sent 10 members to the NCAA D3 Track and Field National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, putting out promising performances, including one All-American finish.
To qualify for the national meet, competitors must be ranked in the top 20 in Division 3 in their respective events, and relays must be ranked in the top 12. Placing within the top eight of an event at the National Championships grants you the honor of ‘All-American’.
Qualifying for a meet of this magnitude is no small task and can be the source of a lot of mental stress and pressure on the athletes to perform. Dealing with the heightened competition is difficult, especially if it is their first time in this environment.
One of Cortland’s seven first-time national qualifiers, Isaiah Brunache may have felt this pressure most of all.
“Didn’t get the best throws, not what I wanted. But I’m happy to be here,” said Brunache.
The freshman placed 20th out of 20 in the shot put with a throw of 14.01 meters (45′ 11.75″) at the national meet. Although off from his initial seeding of 13th, he has no reason to hang his head. Brunache is the youngest of the individual qualifiers, and getting accustomed to a high-stakes meet in his first collegiate season bodes well for his future.
The other freshman joining Brunache at nationals was Harrison Gavalas. Joined by his relay mates, junior Evan Jensen, and seniors Douglass Knapp and Coletrane Goring, the 4×400 meters relay team had squeaked in the national meet, being the 12th team out of the 12 granted qualification. Essentially playing with house money, they couldn’t finish in a worse spot than where they started, and ended in 10th place with a time of 3:17.26s.
None of the members were happy with their final time but were pleased to not only make it to the meet — all relay team members were first-time qualifiers — but to exceed expectations.
Their overachieving run was largely due to a monster anchor leg by Goring. Going forward, the relay has its eyes set on making it back to the national stage outdoors, and a chance to compete for an All-American spot.
Individually, Goring, like Brunache, didn’t produce his desired performance in the 400 meters but was positive about the experience overall.
“Dropped a few places in the seedings. But it’s a good learning experience, my first nationals,” Goring said.
Goring came into the meet seeded 12th and ran a 48.97s in the 400 meters to place 18th nationally. For the sprinter, the experience motivates him for what’s to come.
“I’m learning the ins and outs of everything. I’m happy to be here, but I’m not satisfied.”
Cortland’s triple jumpers, Sassine and Hughes joined in making their national meet debuts in a bittersweet outing.
In the triple jump, Jean-Andre Sassine improved on his seeding, jumping a lifetime personal best 14.43 meters (47′ 4.25″) to earn a 12th place finish, above his initial 17th place entry. The senior jumper had statistically the best meet of his career, but feeling he has so much room to improve, it’s been hard for him to be completely happy with the outcome.
Junior, Amarian Hughes, the seventh seed entering the meet, finished 11th with a triple jump of 14.55 meters (47′ 9″). The jumper from Newburgh, NY, was disappointed not to break Cortland’s indoor triple jump record or not to be an All-American but is adding those accomplishments to a list of goals for the coming outdoor season. Among them, are an individual and team SUNYAC title.
For these debutants the shorter outdoor season will provide a smaller window to perform and qualify for the national meet. Regardless, these seven athletes look to improve on their indoor success by using their newfound championship experiences to propel them to another national championship meet this coming May.