April 16, 2008

Schedule of Events
Meet Program

LEWISBURG, Pa. - After hosting the Bison Outdoor Classic this past weekend, the Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams will return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium this Saturday, April 19, welcoming six visiting schools for the Bucknell Team Challenge. Penn State, UMBC, Saint Francis (Pa.), Duquesne, Binghamton, Lock Haven and Bucknell will compete at this weekend's Team Challenge. Field events will begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the men's triple jump and running events are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The day is set to conclude with the final event (women's 4x400 relay) starting at 4:10 p.m.

"The Bucknell Team Challenge is our only scored meet of the outdoor season besides the championship meets," explained Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. "We will be trying to simulate a league championship without overworking our athletes."

In terms of the competition, Coach Donner previewed that "Penn State has an outstanding team and should be the favorite on both the men's and women's sides. Bucknell and Saint Francis (Pa.) will be the dark horses on the men's side; Lock Haven won the PSAC indoors on the men's side, so they should be tough as well. Saint Francis (Pa.), UMBC and Bucknell will be dark horses on the women's side. It will be good for our program to get back into a scored meet."

Complete results for this weekend's meet will be posted on BucknellBison.com after the conclusion of all events on Saturday afternoon.

Bucknell Women's Track and Field Notebook

Last Time Out ... At The Bison Outdoor Classic, April 11-12 -
- Freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) highlighted Day One for the Bison, taking first in the pole vault with an ECAC provisional height of 11-11 3/4. Her height was a career best and is tied for the third-best mark in Bucknell history.
- Picking up a first-place finish on the first day, in the non-invitational section of the 5,000-meter run, was freshman Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional); she ran a time of 17:46.54. In the invitational division of the 1,500-meter run, senior Erin Cranmer-Hart (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) took third with a career-best time of 4:34.56. Her time was the fifth-fastest time in Bucknell history.
- Freshman Laura Rycek (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) led the way on Day Two, taking first in the javelin with an NCAA Regional qualifying distance of 143-3. Her distance was also a career best and the second-best throw in Bucknell history. She was followed by senior Beverly Rogers (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) in second with an ECAC provisional distance of 142-4.
- Senior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) placed second in the discus throw with an ECAC-qualifying distance of 147-11. She went on to take sixth in the shot put with a distance of 42-3/4, the 10th-best distance in Bucknell history.
- In the long jump, freshman Casey Krause (Cebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) posted the ninth-best distance in Bucknell history, 18-1 1/2, for third place. Krause went on to place ninth in the triple jump (35-4).
- In the 200-meter dash, sophomore Stephanie Evans (York, Pa./York) ran the 10th-fastest time in Bucknell history (25.63) for sixth place. She went on to finish fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.59.
- Bucknell's squad of senior Andrea Wright (Bowie, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), junior Megan Hathaway (North Tonowanda, N.Y ./Niagara Wheatfield), senior Offeibea Hanson-Hall (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) and sophomore Caroline Strunk (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) won the 4x800 relay with a time of 9:30.44.
- In her first heptathlon of the 2008 outdoor season, sophomore Amy Mantush (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley) finished second with a total of 4,417 points. She finished first in the heptathlon high jump with a mark of 5-05.75.

NCAA East Regional-Qualifying Marks (Outdoor 2008)
- Laura Rycek: Javelin Throw (143-3, Bison Outdoor Classic)

ECAC-Qualifying Marks (Outdoor 2008) -
- Amanda Mockbee: Discus Throw (152-9, Maryland Invitational)
- Chelsey Musante: Hammer Throw (161-5, Maryland Invitational)
- Beverly Rogers: Javelin Throw (142-4, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Rebecca Frey: Pole Vault (11-11 ¾, Bison Outdoor Classic)

New Bison Top-10 Marks (Outdoor 2008) -
- Discus Throw: Amanda Mockbee (152-9, 2nd, Maryland Invitational)
- Shot Put: Amanda Mockbee (42-3/4, 10th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Javelin Throw: Laura Rycek (143-3, 2nd, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Hammer Throw: Chelsey Musante (161-5, 10th, Maryland Invitational)
- Long Jump: Casey Krause (18-1 ½, 9th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Pole Vault: Rebecca Frey (11-11 ¾, 3rd, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Triple Jump: Amy Mantush (37-10 ¾, 7th, Auburn Classic)
- 200-Meter Dash: Stephanie Evans (25.63, 10th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- 1,500-Meter Run: Erin Cranmer-Hart (4:34.56, 5th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- 3,000-Meter Run: Sarah Moniz (10:08.21, 6th, Sam Howell Invitational)
- 5,000-Meter Run: Erin Cranmer-Hart (17:34.65, 10th, Sam Howell Invitational)

2008 Outdoor Honors -
- Laura Rycek (Patriot League Rookie of the Week, 4/1/08, 4/9/08, 4/15/08)
- Patriot League Preseason Poll: Bucknell (1st, 96 points, 12 first-place votes)

Looking Ahead -
- Up next, Bucknell will send athletes to the Penn Relays, April 24-26, and to the Red Flash Open, April 26, before heading to the Patriot League Outdoor Championships, hosted by Navy in Annapolis, Md., May 2-3.
- 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.