Men’s Indoor Track and Field | 3/19/2024 2:55:56 PM

Kaleb Luton of league champion Nazareth University earned his second Track Athlete of the Year honor, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023-24 Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference awards on Tuesday, March 19. The awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Luton garnered his second Empire 8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honor, having also won in 2021-22. Luton was named the 2024 Empire 8 Indoor Track Championship Field Athlete of the Meet after securing 28 points to help lead Nazareth to its second straight Empire 8 Championship. Luton set an Empire 8 Championship meet record and posted the eighth fastest time in Division III (which qualified him for the NCAA Championships) in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.01 seconds. He also won the 60-meter dash in a personal-best time of 7.06 seconds, was runner-up in the triple jump and placed sixth in the long jump. At nationals, Luton finished 11th overall in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.15 seconds. Luton a USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region selection in the 60-meter hurdles, made it three straight years that a Nazareth student-athlete earned E8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year accolades.
 
Senior Sean Cochrane of St. John Fisher University was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Cochrane, who represented St. John Fisher at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the high jump, was also the Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Championship meet. He won the 2024 E8 Championship in the high jump, clearing 2.07 meters and was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 6.43 meters. Cochrane, who also earned USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region accolades in the event, qualified for nationals in the high jump with his winning leap at the E8 Championships. Cochrane moved into the national rankings in the event early in the season, recording a leap of 2.03 meters on December 1 at Houghton. He wrapped up the indoor season by placing 14th at the NCAA Championships. He is the fourth St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn E8 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year accolades.
 

St. John Fisher’s Hayden Penna was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. Penna enjoyed a tremendous debut for the Cardinals, winning the pole vault at the E8 Championship, clearing 4.55 meters. The week prior at Nazareth, Penna cleared a season-high mark of 4.60 meters, which earned him USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region accolades in the event. He finished the season tied for 51st nationally in the pole vault. Penna is the fourth St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn E8 Indoor Track and Field Rookie of the Year accolades.
 

Nazareth head coach James Goss and his staff was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Golden Flyers won their second straight Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championship. Overall, Nazareth had 16 different student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. Goss was also named the 2023-24 USTFCCCA Niagara Region Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year.
 
The Empire 8 first, second and third team all-conference selections were determined at the championship meet on Feb. 23-24 from the Kerr Pegula Field House, hosted by Houghton.
 

One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2023-24 Men’s Indoor Track & Field Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that “Competing with Honor and Integrity” is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
 
2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Indoor Track & Field Award Winners
 
Track Athlete of the Year: Kaleb Luton, Gr., Nazareth
Field Athlete of the Year: Sean Cochrane, Sr., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Hayden Penna, Fr., St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by head coach James Goss
 
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Kenneth Berlin, Sr., Alfred (Erie, PA/Harbor Creek)
Corey Quomony, So., Hartwick (Aberdeen, MD/Bel Air)
Avery Belanger, So., Houghton (Burnt Hills, NY/Ballston Spa)
Aaron Lund, So., Nazareth (Rochester, NY/Wheatland-Chili)
Dominic Harkness, So., Russell Sage (Morrisonville, NY/Saranac)
Matthew Stasiw, Sr., St. John Fisher (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads)
Mike Rollins, Sr., Utica (Port Henry, NY/Moriah)
 

2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship All-Conference Selections

 
60-Meter Dash
First Team: Kaleb Luton, Gr., Nazareth – :7.06
Second Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – :7.09
Third Team: Evan Kurtz, Jr., Houghton – :7.16
 
60-Meter Hurdles
First Team: Kaleb Luton, Gr., Nazareth – :8.01 (Meet Record)
Second Team: Connor McCauslin, Gr., Nazareth – :8.53
Third Team: Aaron Lund, So., Nazareth – :8.76
 
200-Meter Dash
First Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – :22.19
Second Team: Tanner Warren, Fr., Utica – :22.61
Third Team: Michael Puglisi, So., Nazareth – :22.79
 
400-Meter Dash
First Team: Michael Puglisi, So., Nazareth – :50.73
Second Team: Tanner Warren, Fr., Utica – :50.78
Third Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – :50.87
 
800-Meter Run
First Team: Amos Bixler, So., Houghton – 1:58.25
Second Team: Cade Eells, Jr., Nazareth – 1:59.02
Third Team: James Eustace, Jr., Houghton – 1:59.43
 
Mile
First Team: Cade Eells, Jr., St. Nazareth – 4:29.23
Second Team: Amos Bixler, So., Houghton – 4:30.75
Third Team: Nathan Bowers, Gr., Nazareth – 4:31.69
 
3,000-Meters
First Team: Bennett Melita, Fr., Utica – 8:45.93
Second Team: Cade Eells, Jr., Nazareth – 8:50.47
Third Team: Nathan Bowers, Gr., Nazareth – 8:50.82
 
5,000-Meters
First Team: Caleb Kasper, Sr., Houghton – 15:25.14
Second Team: Ethan Billings, Sr., St. John Fisher – 15:32.69
Third Team: Zach Tucker, Jr., Houghton – 15:42.06
 
4 x 400-Meter Relay
First Team: Tanner Warren, Fr., Connor Dean, Fr., Jonathan Simmons, Sr., Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – 3:24.52
Second Team: Ben Lewis, Jr., Mike Welch, Gr., Jack Healy., Fr., Gavin McCallister, So., Nazareth – 3:28.67
Third Team: James Eustace, Jr., Evan Kurtz, Jr., Andrew Ryan., So., Amos Bixler, So., Houghton – 3:35.31
 
Distance Medley Relay
First Team: Tobias Jeralds, So., Jonathan Simmons., Sr., Timothy Jeralds, Fr., Bennett Melita, Fr., Utica – 10:43.37
Second Team: Brennan Farr, Fr., Cole Hastings, Fr., Gavin McCallister, So., Ethan Kenyon, Jr., Nazareth –
10:45.07
Third Team: Jacob Taylor, Fr., John Wendt, Sr., Kevin Flint, Sr., Finnegan Dean, So., Alfred – 11:00.57
 
Pole Vault
First Team: Hayden Penna, Fr., St. John Fisher – 4.55 meters
Second Team: Jack Pomykaj, So., Nazareth – 4.45 meters
Third Team: Jason Bletsko, So., Nazareth – 4.15 meters
 
High Jump
First Team: Sean Cochrane, Sr., St. John Fisher – 2.07 meters
Second Team: Bryant DePaull, So., St. John Fisher – 1.86 meters
Third Team: Griffin Killian, Fr., St. John Fisher – 1.83 meters
 
Long Jump
First Team: Matthew Stasiw, Sr., St. John Fisher – 6.68 meters
Second Team: Connor Dean, Fr., Utica – 6.58 meters
Third Team: Gabe Wilson, So., Nazareth – 6.49 meters
 
Triple Jump
First Team: Avery Belanger, So., Houghton – 13.34 meters
Second Team: Kaleb Luton, Gr., Nazareth – 13.04 meters
Third Team: Gabe Wilson, So., Nazareth – 12.95 meters
 
Shot Put
First Team: Hunter Logan, Sr., Utica – 16.01 meters
Second Team: Billie Mays III, Jr., Utica – 14.13 meters
Third Team: Justin Swavely, Sr., Utica – 13.91 meters
 
Weight Throw
First Team: Antwan Kelly, Gr., Utica – 17.75 meters
Second Team: Brandon Kaplan, So., St, John Fisher – 16.29 meters
Third Team: Spencer Borghardt, So., Utica – 15.52 meters
 
Heptathlon
First Team: Jack Pomykaj, So., Nazareth – 4,405 points
Second Team: Andrew Wieder, Sr., Utica – 4,261 points
Third Team: Aaron Lund, So., Nazareth – 4,129 points
 
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
 
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