April 30, 2008

2008 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championship Central

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams are scheduled to travel to Annapolis, Md., this weekend, May 2-3, for the 2008 Outdoor Patriot League Championships, hosted by Navy.

According to Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner, "Navy seems to be the heavy favorite; being at home will help them as well. Army has had a nice outdoor season and I expect them to be very competitive. They have won every single outdoor Patriot League since they joined."

Coach Donner also explains, "Like the women, our men have battled the injury bug, however most of our injured guys are now back. We hope we can slug it out with the two `big boys' like we did indoors."

The Bison men are coming off an indoor season that brought a second-place league finish, the highest finish for the Orange and Blue since 2002. Additionally, Bucknell was picked third behind Navy in first and Army in second, in the Patriot League Outdoor Preseason Poll, released on March 20.

A complete schedule of events and results following each day of competition can be found at the 2008 Patriot League Outdoor Championships homepage. Results will also be posted on BucknellBison.com on both Friday and Saturday.

Bucknell Men's Track and Field Notebook

Last Time Out ... At The Penn Relays:
- At the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Bucknell's men's 4x400 relay team ran in the Wetzler/Pennsylvania division, taking first place. The Bison men ran an IC4A-qualifying time of 3:15.17 to win the event. The time is also the third-fastest in Bucknell history.
- The Bison men also ran in the college division of the 4x100 relay. Bucknell took eighth in the sixth heat, recording a time of 42.98.
- The Bucknell 4x800 relay team placed 17th with a time of 7:43.80, missing an IC4A standard by 0.20 seconds.
- In field events, senior James Meyer (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Pacific Palisades) placed 14th in the hammer throw with an IC4A-qualifying distance of 174-10. Additionally, Sophomore Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central) took 15th in the eastern college division of the triple jump with a distance of 45-9.

Last Time Out ... At The Red Flash Open:
- Highlighting the men's side at the Red Flash Open, hosted by Saint Francis (Pa.) was sophomore Timothy Medlock (Evan Mills, N.Y./Indian River) finishing third in the shot put (49-5 ½) and junior Joe Foley (Howell, Mich/Flint Powers Catholic) taking second in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:17.20. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Matt Schelberg (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) took third with a time of 9:55.40. Another top finisher for the Bison was sophomore Ryan White (Elkins Park, Pa./Father Judge) in the pole vault. He tied for third with a height of 14-1 ¼.

IC4A-Qualifying Marks (Outdoor 2008) -
- Kyle Anthony: Triple Jump (48-8 ¾, Auburn Classic)
- Andrew Yehl: 110-Meter Hurdles (14.66, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Kerry Boyle: 400-Meter Dash (47.61, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Kevin Macleod: 400-Meter Hurdles (52.52, Bucknell Team Challenge); 110-Meter Hurdles (14.82, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Drew Fitzgerald: High Jump (6-8 ¼, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Ryan White: Decathlon (6,439, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Nicholas Hruch: High Jump (6-8 ¼, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- James Meyer: Hammer Throw (177-8, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Kerry Boyle, Guy Castranova, Clement Gyan, Kevin Macleod: 4x400 Relay (3:14.76, Maryland Invitational)
- Guy Castranova, Kerry Boyle, Kevin Macleod, Kyle Anthony: 4x400 Relay (3:16.20, Auburn Classic)
- 4x400 Relay (3:15.17, Penn Relays)

New Bison Top-10 Marks (Outdoor 2008) -
- 110-Meter Hurdles: Andrew Yehl (14.66, 4th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- High Jump: Drew Fitzgerald (6-8 1/4, 3rd, Bison Outdoor Classic); Nicholas Hruch (6-8 ¼, 3rd, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Hammer Throw: James Meyer (177-8, 7th, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- 400-Meter Hurdles: Kevin Macleod (52.52, 2nd, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- 400-Meter Dash: Guy Castranova (48.51, 5th, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- 4x400 Relay: Kerry Boyle, Guy Castranova, Clement Gyan, Kevin Macleod (3:14.76, 2nd, Maryland Invitational), (3:15.17, 3rd, Penn Relays)

2008 Outdoor Honors -
- Patriot League Preseason Poll: Bucknell (3rd, 81 points, two first-place votes)
- Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week: Kevin Macleod (4/22/08)

Looking Ahead -
- The ECAC and IC4A Championships are set for May 16-18, in Princeton, N.J. The NCAA East Regional Championships are scheduled for May 30-31, and the NCAA Championships will take place June 11-14, in Des Moines, Iowa.