ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure track teams open their indoor season Friday, Dec. 5 at Houghton University at the Houghton December Classic. Friday starts a six-meet campaign stretching all the way to the end of February for the indoor season.

The Bonnies will travel to Lewisburg, Pa. on Jan. 24 for the Bucknell Invitational, Rochester, N.Y. on Jan. 31 for the Nazareth Challenge Cup, State College, Pa. on Feb. 7 for the Skyes & Sabock Challenge, and will wrap up the regular season in Youngstown, Ohio on Feb. 13 at the YSU Last Chance Invitational. Atlantic 10 Championships are set for Virginia Beach Feb. 27-28.  

Senior Christian Figueroa and junior Riley Dillon lead returners for the men's sprint events. Figueroa holds the school record for both the 200 (23.00) and the 400 (49.88), set in last year's Atlantic 10 Championships. Dillon sits with the second-best times for both events with a time of 23.40 in the 200 and 50.74 for the 400.  

The mid-distance for the men's team brings back multiple top 10 performers from years prior.  

In the 800, junior Ryan Umiker (1:58.82), sophomore Nathan Sikorski (1:59.28) and graduate student James Hoffman (2:03.04) headline returners with top 10 program times in the event. Junior Joshua Lopez (2:33.99), Sikorski (2:37.16) and Umiker (2:41.07) look to improve their top 10 Bonaventure 1000-meter efforts. For the mile, Sikorski (4:27.08) junior William McCarthy (4:30.07) and senior Aiden Holt (4:30.24) round out the mid-distance team as the top returning milers.
 
McCarthy (8:49.71), graduate student Ethan Luce (9:04.68) and senior Casey Malloy (9:05.03) anchor the returning runners in the distance events. In the 3000, McCarthy ranks fourth in the program record book, Luce ranks fifth, and Malloy stands sixth. Luce and Malloy also hold the two fastest times in school history for the 5000 meters as well with Luce (15:39.62) holding the school record and Malloy (15.39.80) in the second spot. 

The Bonnies running program has expanded its track program this year, notably in the sprints with the addition of sprint/hurdle coach Matt Walter to the coaching staff along with head coach Bob Macfarlane and associate head coach Sarah Lonzi.

"My first year leading the sprint and hurdle squad has been an incredible experience. I feel blessed to coach at a university with such rich athletic history, and working with sprinters and hurdlers at this level is something I've always dreamed of," Walter said. "Every day is an opportunity to help these athletes grow, push themselves, and reach their full potential. From top to bottom, this team is incredibly talented, and I love working with runners from all event groups. It genuinely feels like a family here. I'm excited about what this season holds, and I'm proud to call Bonaventure home for the long term." 

On the women's side, Meghan Litteer and twin sisters Julia and Jenna Wyant lead returners for sprint events. Julia Wyant owns the school record in the 60m (8.33) as well as the 200m (27.46) while Litteer is fourth in the 60 (8.76). Sophomore Madeline McKillop stands third in the 200 (28.42). In the 400, Jenna Wyant posted the program record in the 400 last year of 1:01.36 with sophomores McKillop (1:03.49) and Madison McMahon (1:03.55) third and fourth in the program record book. 

When looking at the mid-distance squad, a plethora of top 10 performers return to action this year. 

In the 800, McKillop (2:21.27) holds the school record, while senior Adria Magnusson (2:23.64), senior Faith Caldwell (2:24.87), McMahon (2:30.01), senior Mary Trost (2:30.82), junior Elise Brooks (2:30.91), and sophomore Alex Jensen (2:32.60) all post top 10 times as well.  

For the mile, McMahon (5:22.89) returns with the second-fastest time in school history. Senior Mia Winters is third (5:23.72) while juniors Chloe Fisher (5:28.07) and Katelyn Wilkes (5:34.69) also look to improve on their top 10 times. 

In the returners for the distance events, Winters (10:23.76) currently holds the school record in the 3000 meters and will return in the spring semester after missing the cross country season due to injury. Other top 10 performers the Bonnies have coming back include sophomore Miranda Habshi (10:50.64), senior Molly Gipson (11:03.73) and junior Elise Brooks (11:10.18). For the 5000 meters, junior Jayne Gavin (20:06.95) features the top returning time. 

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