CANTON, N.Y. - Junior Sam Ahern picked up a pair of first place finishes and bested a previous Union record of his own at day two of the 2024 Liberty League Indoor Track & Field Championships Saturday, scoring 20 points on his own to lead Union to a fourth-place finish at the conference finale, their best finish since 2017.
 
Ahern began Union's day on the track with the 60-meter finals, and the junior started with no better way than a first place finish and new Union record. His 6.97 second time in the event finals just squeaked past the 6.98 clocking he posted in the prelims Friday to best the previous program record he set originally at the Springfield Season Opener in December 2021. Ahern's first place finish gave the Garnet Chargers 10 points to help kickstart their move up the leaderboard.
 
First-Year Nate Okwaning rounded out the top five in the event, scooping up four additional points with his fifth place finish and 7.07 second time to make it Union's most successful event of the meet.
 
On the opposite end of the day, Ahern secured another first place finish. Coming in a tenth of a second shy of setting another program record, Ahern's 22.11 timing in the 200 meter was still much good enough for the top spot on the podium and another 10 points for the Union men.
 
In Saturday's first men's event, senior Ryan Hilliard kicked off the day with a top-five finish for the Garnet Chargers. A series of strong jumps culminated with a 12.89 meter jump from Hilliard, good for a fourth-place finish and five points tallied for the team. 
 
First-Year Aaron Binion rounded out the top 10 in the event with a 12.17 meter leap.
 
Immediately following in the weight throw to round out the field side of the Championships for the men, sophomores Mason Lang and Nick Entner each easily set personal-bests to finish out their indoor seasons in the event.
 
Union started the day even stronger on the track side of Saturday's events, with sophomore Jason Bois posting a second place finish in the 60 meter hurdles, the first event of the day. Bois' 8.62 second time matched the program record he set at the Pioneer Fast Trax Invitational three weeks ago, and scored eight points for the Garnet Chargers.
 
Ahern and Bois' performances Saturday scored the three individual podium finishes of the Championships for Union, with the team's distance medley relay unit picking up an additional second place finish Friday.
 
The Garnet Chargers 4x400 unit of Hilliard, Binion, first-year Jackson Klehr, and sophomore Aidan Savitt finished off the Championships securing five points in the final event of the weekend, with their 3:30.11 time good for fourth.
 
Union completed the meet with 57 points, over 11 more than fifth-place St. Lawrence. The Garnet Chargers qualifiers for the 2024 AARTFC Regionals will compete next weekend at Nazareth University in Rochester before the outdoor season commences for the entire squad April 5th at the Vassar Invitational.