Pioneer Men Win Region III Title, Women 2nd

The Alfred State men's indoor track & field team won the Region III Championship on Friday for the 10th time in school history.  The Lady Pioneers finished 2nd.  The Region III Championship was held in conjunction with the RIT Orange & Brown Invitational.

The Pioneer men scored 266 points in the competition to win over SUNY Delhi (200) and Mohawk Valley CC (76).

Desmond Chambers (Rochester/Gates Chili) had a big night as he won three Region III titles. He won the 60 m (7.12), the 200 (23.03), and the long jump (7.08 m).  His leap of 7.08 m in the long jump was 1st overall in the competition that featured 50 competitors.

Nate Andres (Arcade/Pioneer) won the 400 (52.99), Frankie Bailey (Rochester/John Marshall) won the 60 hurdles (8.90), Travis Nagle (Randolph) won the pole vault (4.21 m), Jayvon Larkin (Rochester/Wilson) won the triple jump (13.77 m), and Brian Edwards (Neversink/Tri-Valley) won the shot put (14.49 m).

The 4x400 relay team of Andres, Josiah Thomas (Rochester/John Marshall), Cody Marvin (Bath), and Logan Phillips (Genesee Valley) also won the Region III title (3:31.43).

Other top performances included:

• Ismail El-Amin (Rochester/Wilson) 2nd in the 60 m (7.27) and 2nd in the long jump (6.78 m)
• Thomas was 2nd in the triple jump (13.61 m)
• Robert Howard (Syracuse/Nottingham) was 2nd in the shot put (14.21 m)
• Zack Woodard (Adams Center/South Jefferson) was 3rd in the 60 m (7.26)

The women's team scored 142 points and trailed just Mohawk Valley's 176 points.  Delhi was 3rd with 70.

Tiara Summers (Staten Island/Port Richmond) was a double individual Region III Champion. She won the 200 (27.93) and 400 (1:03.36).  She was teamed with Caitlyn Hotchkiss (Springville Griffith), Jen Sanders (Arcade/Pioneer), and Nicole Lipa (Lockport/Newfane) to win the 4x400 (4:55.21).

Haley Witchella (Oxford Academy) won the regional title in the shot put with a toss of 11.71 m.  Megan Dillon (Angola/Lake Shore) won the 60 hurdles (11.52), and Sanders won the triple jump (8.79 m).

The Pioneers men's regional championship is the 1st since 2009.

Chambers and Nagle will represent Alfred State at the NJCAA Indoor National Championships at Texas Tech University March 1-2.

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Please note the Region III Championship places are based on the finishes of athletes from Alfred State, SUNY Delhi, and Mohawk Valley.  Twenty teams, mostly NCAA DIII, competed at the event.