Orange Trio Advances to ACC Finals
2/27/2026 6:01:00 PM | Track and Field
Three Syracuse runners moved onto the finals of their respective events during day two of the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday.
Drew Zundell started the day off by posting the fifth-fastest prelim time in the men's mile to advance in the event. He crossed the line in 4:01.08, which was third in his heat, but easily moved him through. Teammates Ruben Rojas Betanzos (4:07.66) and Charles Guerrera (4:07.76) took 26th and 27th, respectively.
Next up was the hurdles, where the Orange had six competitors across the men's and women's events – moving three to the final.
Jamir Brown set a personal-best and one of the 15-fastest times in the country to date, winning his heat handily in 7.58 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. It was the fastest prelim time across either heat. Isaiah Hayes (8.21 seconds) was 14th overall, while Tawakal Omar was disqualified after clipping an early hurdle and not finishing.
Taleea Buxton led the 'Cuse women, advancing back to the ACC final in the event for the first time since 2024. She finished in 8.31 seconds, which was the sixth-best overall time. Tia Outlaw placed second in her heat to move on in 8.35 seconds. Peyton Rollins narrowly missed advancing, taking 10th overall in 8.41 seconds, while Emeline Clark finished 20th.
Elijah Mallard's time in the 400-meter dash originally advanced him to Saturday's final, before ultimately being disqualified upon review for stepping outside of his lane. Nicea Jones finished 16th in the women's event, crossing the line in 54.35 seconds.
Indie Wallace-Persaud placed 12th in the 60-meter dash to end the evening for the Orange, posting a time of 7.49 seconds.
Saturday will have a host of Syracuse runners competing for conference titles. Zundell will start the quest at Noon in the mile, followed by Brown's 60-meter hurdles final at 12:30. Buxton and Outlaw will run at 12:50 p.m., before the day ends with the 3,000-meter runs. Those races will feature Zundell, Ben Gabelman, Assaf Harari and Peter Walsdorf for the men at 2:30 p.m., followed by Emma Eastman for the women at 3:05 p.m.
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Drew Zundell started the day off by posting the fifth-fastest prelim time in the men's mile to advance in the event. He crossed the line in 4:01.08, which was third in his heat, but easily moved him through. Teammates Ruben Rojas Betanzos (4:07.66) and Charles Guerrera (4:07.76) took 26th and 27th, respectively.
Next up was the hurdles, where the Orange had six competitors across the men's and women's events – moving three to the final.
Jamir Brown set a personal-best and one of the 15-fastest times in the country to date, winning his heat handily in 7.58 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. It was the fastest prelim time across either heat. Isaiah Hayes (8.21 seconds) was 14th overall, while Tawakal Omar was disqualified after clipping an early hurdle and not finishing.
Taleea Buxton led the 'Cuse women, advancing back to the ACC final in the event for the first time since 2024. She finished in 8.31 seconds, which was the sixth-best overall time. Tia Outlaw placed second in her heat to move on in 8.35 seconds. Peyton Rollins narrowly missed advancing, taking 10th overall in 8.41 seconds, while Emeline Clark finished 20th.
Elijah Mallard's time in the 400-meter dash originally advanced him to Saturday's final, before ultimately being disqualified upon review for stepping outside of his lane. Nicea Jones finished 16th in the women's event, crossing the line in 54.35 seconds.
Indie Wallace-Persaud placed 12th in the 60-meter dash to end the evening for the Orange, posting a time of 7.49 seconds.
Saturday will have a host of Syracuse runners competing for conference titles. Zundell will start the quest at Noon in the mile, followed by Brown's 60-meter hurdles final at 12:30. Buxton and Outlaw will run at 12:50 p.m., before the day ends with the 3,000-meter runs. Those races will feature Zundell, Ben Gabelman, Assaf Harari and Peter Walsdorf for the men at 2:30 p.m., followed by Emma Eastman for the women at 3:05 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
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