March 21, 2008

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Navy women's track & field team has been tabbed to finish third at this year's Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Annapolis this spring, it was announced in the league's preseason poll on Thursday. The poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information contacts.

Four-time defending Patriot League champion Bucknell was picked as the league favorite again this spring, claiming 12 first-place ballots and 96 points. Lafayette grabbed the four other first-place votes to land second with 86 points.

Navy came in third with 74 points, while service academy rival Army placed fourth with 64 points. Lehigh was selected fifth with its 49 points, followed by Holy Cross's 34 points, Colgate's 28 points and American's 17 points.

At last year's outdoor league championship, Navy nearly knocked off Bucknell for the Patriot League title with its second-place score of 187 points. The Midshipmen have placed second at each of the last-two league outdoor championships and last won the conference crown in 2003.

Navy will open its outdoor campaign this Saturday at 12:15 p.m., when it plays host to Patriot League members American and Lehigh, as well as regional foes Maryland and VCU. One week later, the Midshipmen will make the short drive over to College Park, Md., to compete at the Maryland Invitational on Saturday, March 29.

2008 Patriot League Women's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll Pl.  School Points (1st) Last Yr. (Pts.) 1.   Bucknell 96 (12) 1st (207) 2.   Lafayette 86 (4) 4th (65.5) 3.   Navy 74 2nd (187) 4.   Army 64 3rd (108) 5.   Lehigh 49 5th (48.5) 6.   Holy Cross 34 7th (22) 7.   Colgate 28 6th (42) 8.   American 17 8th (2)

Schedule of Events Time  Event 12:15 p.m. Hammer Throw (Hospital Point) 1:30 p.m. Shot Put High Jump Pole Vault 2:00 p.m. Long Jump Triple Jump (follows Long Jump) Javelin Throw (follows Men's Discus Throw) Discus Throw (follows Javelin Throw) 3,000-meter Steeplechase 2:20 p.m. 4x100-meter Relay 2:25 p.m. 1,500-meter Run 2:40 p.m. 100-meter Hurdles 2:50 p.m. 400-meter Dash 3:05 p.m. 100-meter Dash 3:15 p.m. 800-meter Run 3:30 p.m. 400-meter Hurdles 3:40 p.m. 200-meter Dash 3:50 p.m. 5,000-meter Run 10,000-meter Run (concurrent) 4:35 p.m. 4x400-meter Relay Scoring: Individual Events: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Relay Events: 10-8-6-4-2 Only two individual entries per school shall score Only one relay per school shall score