AMHERST, N.Y. — The Damen University men's and women's track and Field teams open their seasons at the Houghton December Classic on Friday.

The Wildcats competed at this meet last season, logging multiple top-three finishes and personal best times.  Pete Gratien enters his seventh season as the head coach of the programs. 

The ECC released its preseason polls on Tuesday, with the men being picked eighth in the conference while the women were slotted 10th.  

Coming off of their fourth consecutive ECC Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship title, Holy Family took the top spot in the men's preseason poll with 69 points and five first-place votes. Roberts Wesleyan was picked second, followed by Felician, Georgian Court, and Molloy, rounding out the top five. St. Thomas Aquinas, Staten Island, Daemen, and Queens wrapped up the poll.

The defending champions, Roberts Wesleyan, were picked first in the women's poll. District of Columbia and Felician were slotted closely after followed by Holy Family and Molloy, rounding out the top five. D'Youville, Georgian Court, Staten Island, St. Thomas Aquinas, Daemen, and Queens finished the 

The Daemen men return three All-ECC selections from last season. Senior Adam Kamagate (Hilton, N.Y.) took home first-team honors after winning the men's 60-meter hurdles at the 2025 ECC Indoor Championships with a program record time of 8.39 seconds. 

Junior CJ Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) finished third in the one-mile run with a time of 4:31.56 to land on the second team. Fellow junior Ethan Keating (Wooster, Ohio) earned Second Team All-ECC honors after placing third in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:04.30.  Additionally, Brad Tobin (Hamburg, N.Y.) placed sixth in the 1,000-meter run at the ECC meet. 

The women return two all-ECC selections from the 2024-25 squad. Junior Kristen Oliver (Massena, N.Y.) secured All-ECC First Team honors after finishing second place in the weight throw at the 2025 indoor championships with a final distance of 14.93 meters.  Oliver had placed within the top three in weight throw in five meets last year. 

Senior Patsy Oberholzer (Greece, N.Y.) placed fourth in the women's 5,000 meters with a final time of 19:13.7, earning second team accolades. Fellow senior Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) finished 11th in the long jump with a final distance of 4.84 meters.

Daemen also welcomed six freshmen men and six freshmen women to the rosters. 

Following Friday's meet, the Wildcats will compete three other times leading up to the ECC Championship, including the Brockport Invitational (Jan. 17), the Highlander Invitational (Jan. 24), and the YSU Mid Major Invitational (Jan. 30-31). The ECC Championship will be on Feb. 15 in Staten Island, N.Y. 

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The Wildcats will have some time off before competing at the Borckport Invitational on Jan. 17.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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