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.

As the Bison women will be going for their fifth consecutive outdoor league title, Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner notes that, "This has the potential to be one of the closest and most exciting league meets ever. Lafayette seems to be the favorite on paper and Army has really improved since the indoor season."

Coach Donner adds that, "We have been battling the injury bug a bit, however everyone else in the league has their own little issues as well. League Championships never go as planned and the team that has the fewest errors as well as the team that has a few surprise people step up will probably win the meet."

The Bison are coming off a win at this year's Patriot League Indoor Championships, which were hosted by Bucknell. The Orange and Blue won its seventh consecutive indoor title and 12th indoor title overall. Additionally, following the indoor championships, Bucknell was picked first 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 Women's Track and Field Notebook

Last Time Out ... At The Penn Relays:
- At the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, senior Beverly Rogers (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) posted an NCAA East Regional standard of 148-1 for eighth place in the championship division of the javelin throw.
- Junior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) competed in three events on Day One. In the discus throw (college division) she placed eighth with an ECAC-qualifying distance of 141-0. Mockbee went on to place 12th in the championship division of the hammer throw (155-4) and 13th in the championship division of the shot put (41-10).
- Freshman Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) represented Bucknell in the 3,000-meter run (championship division). She ran a career-best time of 10:03.62, which is also the fifth-fastest in Bucknell history, for an 18th-place finish. Additionally, junior Nicole Falcaro (Dingman's Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley) ran in the event. She finished in 22nd, stopping the clock at 10:26.96.
- Freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) competed in the college division of the pole vault. She placed sixth, posting a height of 11-11 1/4.
- The Bucknell 4x800 relay team placed 10th with an ECAC-qualifying time of 9:12.52.

Last Time Out ... At The Red Flash Open:
- On the women's side, three Bison won events. Freshman Alaina Chodoff (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) took first in the 3,000-meter run, stopping the clock at 10:46.70, while sophomore Erin Heidecker (Waterford, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) finished first in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:12.00. Also winning an event was junior Jessica Hibbert (Woodbine, Md./Glenelg). She took first in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:50.33.
- Other top finishers for the women included senior Andrea Wright (Bowie, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) running the 10th-fastest time in Bucknell history in the 800-meter run. She took second with a time of 2:14.59. Freshman Casey Krause (Cebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) finished second in the long jump (17-8 ¼) and freshman Alyssa Maier (Oradell, N.J./River Dell Regional) finished second in the triple jump (35-8 ¾). Additionally, senior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) took second in her flight for the discus throw (142-4).

NCAA East Regional-Qualifying Marks (Outdoor 2008):
- Laura Rycek: Javelin Throw (143-3, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Beverly Rogers: Javelin Throw (150-10, Bucknell Team Challenge)

ECAC-Qualifying Marks (Outdoor 2008) -
- Amanda Mockbee: Discus Throw (152-9, Maryland Invitational); Hammer Throw (159-9, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Chelsey Musante: Hammer Throw (161-5, Maryland Invitational)
- Rebecca Frey: Pole Vault (11-11 ¾, Bison Outdoor Classic/Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Jenny Dalzell, Offeibea Hanson-Hall, Erin Cranmer-Hart, Victoria Gilbert: 4x800 (9:12.52, Penn Relays)

New Bison Top-10 Marks (Outdoor 2008):
- Discus Throw: Amanda Mockbee (152-9, 2nd, Maryland Invitational)
- Shot Put: Amanda Mockbee (42-7 1/2, 7th, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Javelin Throw: Laura Rycek (143-3, 2nd, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- Hammer Throw: Chelsey Musante (161-5, 10th, Maryland Invitational)
- Long Jump: Amy Mantush (18-4 ¼, 8th, Bucknell Team Challenge); Casey Krause (18-1 ½, 10th, Bison Outdoor Classic); Nicole Ayala (18-1 ½, 10th, Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Pole Vault: Rebecca Frey (11-11 ¾, 3rd, Bison Outdoor Classic/Bucknell Team Challenge)
- Triple Jump: Amy Mantush (37-10 ¾, 7th, Auburn Classic)
- 200-Meter Dash: Stephanie Evans (25.63, 10th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- 800-Meter Run: Andrea Wright (2:14.59, 10th, Red Flash Open)
- 1,500-Meter Run: Erin Cranmer-Hart (4:34.56, 5th, Bison Outdoor Classic)
- 3,000-Meter Run: Sarah Moniz (10:03.62, 5th, Penn Relays)
- 5,000-Meter Run: Erin Cranmer-Hart (17:34.65, 10th, Sam Howell Invitational)

2008 Outdoor Honors:
- Patriot League Rookie of the Week: Laura Rycek (4/1/08, 4/9/08, 4/15/08); Rebecca Frey (4/22/08); Alaina Chodoff (4/29/08)
- Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week: Sarah Moniz (4/29/08)
- Patriot League Preseason Poll: Bucknell (1st, 96 points, 12 first-place votes)

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.