Feb. 19, 2008

2008 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championship Page

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams are set to host the 2008 Patriot League Indoor Championships this weekend, Feb. 22 - 24 at Gerhard Fieldhouse. Action will begin on Friday with the women's pentathlon at 12 p.m. and the first four events of the men's heptathlon at 12:15 p.m.

"Our women have been improving at a great rate all season," said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. "We seem to be in contention for a championship along with Lafayette and Army. Both of those programs have tremendous athletes. Lafayette has a very improved program and Army always seems to be contending for titles. You always have to watch out for Navy as well."

As the defending league champions, the Bucknell women's track and field team has won six consecutive and 11 overall indoor league titles. The record for most consecutive Patriot League titles by a women's program is seven (Army outdoor track and American volleyball). Bucknell's 11 overall titles is tied with Holy Cross women's basketball for the most total championships by a women's program.

Bison Women's Track and Field Notebook

At the Bucknell Winter Classic, Feb. 9 -
- Seven Bucknell athletes won individual events and one athlete notched an ECAC-qualifying mark at the Winter Classic.
- Senior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) won the weight throw, with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 54-11 ½. The distance was a career best for Mockbee and is the second-best throw in Bucknell history.
- Bucknell took the top-two places in the 500-meter dash. Sophomore Allison Janda (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) won the event with the 10th-fastest time in Bucknell history, 1:17.10. She was followed by senior Victoria Gilbert (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) in second (1:18.23).
- Senior Offeibea Hanson-Hall (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) won the mile with a time of 5:10.51 while senior Mariel Fink (Pennington, N.J./Hun School of Princeton) took first in the 1,000-meter run (3:01.19). In the shot put, sophomore Chelsey Musante (Shelton, Pa./Shelton) took first with a mark of 41-5 ¾.
- Sophomore Amy Mantush (Drums, Pa./Hazleton) won both the triple jump and the high jump. She notched the seventh-best mark in Bucknell history (37-9 1/2) in the triple jump and was followed by senior Denise Manero (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) in second, tying her career-best mark of 37-1/4. In the high jump, Mantush took first with a height of 5-5. She also went on to lead Bucknell in the 55-meter hurdles, taking seventh in the final with a time of 8.82, after running a prelim time of 8.75.
- In the 400-meter dash, junior Megan Hathaway (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) notched a career-best time and the ninth-fastest in Bucknell history for second place (58.50).
- Sophomore Stephanie Evans (York, Pa./Central York) took fourth in the final for the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.43, after running the ninth-fastest time on Bucknell's all-time list in the prelim (7.41).

ECAC-Qualifying Times/Marks This Season -
- Rebecca Frey - Pole Vault (11-9 ¾; Bison Opener/Gulden Relays)
- Amanda Mockbee - Weight Throw (54-11 ½; Bucknell Winter Classic)

Top-10 All-Time This Season -
- 55-Meter Dash - Stephanie Evans (7.41; No. 9 all-time; Bucknell Winter Classic)
- 60-Meter Dash - Stephanie Evans (8.07; No. 6 all-time; Bison Open and Multi)
- 400-Meter Dash - Megan Hathaway (58.50; No. 9 all-time; Bucknell Winter Classic)
- 500-Meter Dash - Megan Hathaway (1:16.40; No. 6 all-time; PSU National Invitational); Allison Janda (1:17.10; No. 10 all-time; Bucknell Winter Classic)
- 800-Meter Run - Offeibea Hanson-Hall (2:14.56; No. 7 all-time; Akron Open)
- Shot Put - Amanda Mockbee (43-2 ½; No. 4 all-time; Bucknell Heptagonal)
- Weight - Amanda Mockbee (54-11 ½; No. 2 all-time; Bucknell Winter Classic); Chelsey Musante (50-2; No. 10 all-time; Bison Open and Multi)
- Pole Vault - Rebecca Frey (11-9 ¾; No. 4 all-time; Bison Opener/Gulden Relays)
- High Jump - Kati Dempsey (5-5; No. 6 all-time; Akron Open)
- Triple Jump - Amy Mantush (37-9 ½; No. 7 all-time; Bucknell Winter Classic)
- Pentathlon - Amy Mantush (3,435; No. 3 all-time; Bison Open and Multi)
- 1,600 Sprint Medley Relay - Megan Hathaway, Jennifer Pierce, Stephanie Evans, Allison Janda (4:11.46; No. 4 all-time; Gulden Relays)

In the Rankings -
- The Bucknell women's track and field team was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll, announced Dec. 6. The Bison collected 92 points with 10 first-place votes. Navy followed in second with 88 points and six first-place votes, while Army was third with 76 points. Rounding out the list was Lafayette in fourth (61 points), Lehigh in fifth (51 points), Colgate and Holy Cross tied for sixth (32 points) and American in eighth (18 points).

2007-08 Honors -
- On Dec. 11, freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) was one of three Bison track and field athletes (also junior Kevin Macleod (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) and sophomore Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central) on the men's side) to be honored with a Patriot League weekly award. Frey was named the league's Rookie of the Week after placing second overall and posting the highest mark of collegiate competitors at the Bison Opener in the pole vault. She notched an ECAC-qualifying mark of 11-9 ¾, to place herself fourth on Bucknell's top-10 list for the event.
- On Jan. 15, Frey received her second league honor as Rookie of the Week after winning the pole vault at the Gulden Relays to tie her ECAC-qualifying mark of 11-9 ¾, set at the Bison Opener. Hathaway was tabbed as the league's Track Athlete of the Week on the women's side, after running the lead-off position for the second-place 1,600 sprint medley relay team, running the fourth-fastest time in program history (4:11.46) and going on to lead the Bison women in the 500-meter dash with a second-place finish (1:17.32).
- Also on Jan. 15, Hathaway notched Track Athlete of the Week honors for her performance at the Gulden Relays. Hathaway ran the lead-off position for Bucknell's 1,600 sprint medley relay squad that ran the fourth-fastest time in program history (4:11.46) for second place. Hathaway went on to notch the top finish for the Bison in the 500-meter dash, clocking a time of 1:17.32 for second place overall.
- On Jan. 22, Gilbert was named Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week for her finishes at the Bucknell Heptagonal. She won the 800-meter run, clocking a time of 2:16.64 and ran the second leg for Bucknell's 4x800 relay team that won the event in 9:36.84 to help the Bison to a first-place team finish.

Looking Ahead -
- Following the league championship, Bucknell will prepare for the ECAC Championships, which are set for March 8 - 9 in Boston, Mass., and the NCAA Championships, March 14 - 15 in Fayetteville, Ark.