Utica, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill men's track and field team launched their indoor season on Saturday with a strong showing at the Utica Holiday Classic, hosted by Utica University. The Fighting Tigers delivered notable performances across multiple events in their season opener.

In distance events, Nik Recore (Peru, NY) and Daniel Jaffin (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) competed in the 5000-meter run, finishing 12th and 14th with times of 16:59.42 and 18:52.98, respectively.

Junior Kameron Cusmano (Oakfield, NY/Oakfield-Alabama) excelled in the 60-meter hurdles, advancing to the finals after clocking 9.18 seconds in the preliminaries, earning third in his heat. He later finished seventh in the final with a time of 9.30 seconds. He also placed seventh in the high jump with a jump of 1.70 (5-7).

Second-year jumper Thomas Herberger (Avon, NY) placed sixth in the high jump with a leap of 1.75 (5-8 ¾).

Sprinter Jeffery Alvarado (Amsterdam, NY) led the Fighting Tigers in the 60-meter dash, finishing 31st in 7.45 seconds. Teammates Patrick Ponzo (Albany, NY) and Gregory McDonald (Wells, ME) followed closely, placing 35th and 37th with times of 7.47 and 7.49 seconds, respectively.

In mid-distance, Antonio Gonzalez (Niskayuna, NY) and Charles Cooper (Connetquot, NY) competed in the 400-meter dash, taking 23rd and 24th, while Gonzalez added a 16th-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14.37.

In the field events, junior Cal Marks (Wellsburg, NY/Elmira) threw 12.60 meters (41-4 ¼) in the weight throw, securing 15th place. First-year Brandon Velazquez-Romualdo (Middletown, NY) marked 11.73 meters (38-6) in the shot put for a 26th-place finish.

The Fighting Tigers return to competition on January 17,  at the Utica Winter Opener Invite. The event is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.