Bonnies Track Continues To Develop With Addition of Sprint/Hurdle Program

In track, the sport depends on three different running categories: Distance running, mid-distance running, and sprint running. For St. Bonaventure, the track program consisted of distance and mid-distance running until this year where the Bonnies introduced a sprint program for the first time since track was re-born at SBU in 2017. 

To help develop the sprint and hurdles program, newly hired coach Matt Walter was brought in last summer to develop the team.  

“What made me want to take the job of sprint and hurdle coach for a program that historically has not had one is the fact that I would be able to work with D-I athletes that are dedicated to bettering themselves every day and to be able to watch them progress throughout the seasons and watch them reach their goals," Walter said. "Coaching is something I’ve always wanted to get involved in, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so for a great institution.” 

This fall, St. Bonaventure also introduced their first sprint-specific recruiting class. The men’s recruiting class consisted of Ben Dillon, Ivan Heagy, Cameron Ogletree and Kohler Preston. The women’s sprint recruiting class consisted of Malaika George, Lana Holt, Brianna Reynolds and Gwendolyn Tompkins.  

Some of the upperclassmen, such as senior captain Christian Figueroa, started out running cross country in their freshman and sophomore seasons and then transitioned to sprinting in their later years.  

“It was tough at first; I never ran cross country before, so I was in a completely different world," Figueroa said when talking about the opportunity to have a sprint and hurdles team on campus now. “However, I saw an opportunity to start training for sprints, so I took it. Being a captain has made me more grateful. This was all new to me but I’m just happy to have the program here.”

The sprint events include the 60, 100, 200, 400-meter dashes and the 110- and 400-meter hurdles.  

“My goals and aspirations for the sprint and hurdle program as it is so new is to work with the athletes that are currently on the roster to help them become the best possible sprinters and hurdlers that they can be," Walter said. "My hope for the future is to grow the sprint and hurdle program through consistent and dedicated recruiting to grow the sprint and hurdle portion of the program.” 

The inaugural sprint season for St. Bonaventure track and field has seen four school records fall on the women's side with Brianna Reynolds setting the 60-meter hurdle record (9.27) during the indoor season and then setting the 400-meter hurdle record (1:05.24) during the outdoor season. Reynolds also set the school record for the indoor 200 (27.11) at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships. Senior Meghan Litteer broke her own outdoor 200-meter record at this spring's Atlantic 10 Championships (26.07). 

“Good coaches don’t just tell their athletes to run harder, they teach to run smarter," Bonnies cross country/track head coach Bob Macfarlane said. “With adding a full-time sprint / hurdle coach, every stride will be sharper, every hurdle becomes an opportunity, and potential turns into performance.”

Five school records fell for the men’s sprint team during the indoor and outdoor season. Freshman Cameron Ogletree set school records in the indoor 60-meter dash (7.29) and the outdoor 100-meter dash (11.33). Senior Christian Figueroa set his own school record in the outdoor 400-meter dash (49.42). Junior Aidan Hurley broke the school's indoor 500-meter school record (1:08.08). Finally, the sprint team also set a new outdoor 4x400 meter relay school record behind Figueroa, Hurley, Henry Morris and Riley Dillon (3.23.84). Henry Morris, Kohler Preston and Riley Dillon also have school records and top-10 performances under their belt as well. 

“My first year as sprint/hurdles coach for St. Bonaventure has been nothing short of a dream. It has been what I expected and a little bit more, and it’s all been really positive. I’ve learned a lot of things from Coach MacFarlane and Coach Lonzi as they’ve helped me navigate through my first year of coaching college track," Walter said. "Getting to know each and every one of the athletes has been a great experience and being able to cheer them on every day in practice and a competition has been really eye-opening for me and really gives me a sense of purpose. I’m constantly learning new things every day that help me become a more effective coach and leader of the sprinters and hurdlers.”