Feb. 5, 2008
It was rivalry weekend in indoor track and field, as Army-Navy and Lafayette-Lehigh renewed their annual rivalry's. Army took home three weekly awards, Navy earned two and Lafayette garnered one as a result.
Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Release - 2.5.08 
M-F Athletic Male Track Performer of the Week
John Mickowski, Army Sr., Muckwonago, Wis.
Mickowski was impressive in the Black Knights' dual-meet loss to arch-rival Navy this past weekend. The senior distance runner placed first in both the 1000m (2:27.98) and mile (4:09.39) races. Both times were IC4A-qualifying marks, as well as season bests.
M-F Athletic Female Track Performer of the Week
Ebony Thomas, Army So., Philadelphia, Pa.
Thomas led the Army runners this past weekend as they almost pulled off the victory against Navy, falling 93.5-87.5. Thomas finished first in the 55m (7.13 seconds) and the 200m (25.46 seconds). her time in the 55m was an ECAC-qualifying time.
M-F Athletic Male Field Performer of the Week
Steve Zhang, Army Sr., Richmond, Va.
Zhang finished first in the triple jump at last weekend's dual meet against Navy to win his second career weekly award. He reached an IC4A-qualifying distance of 15.14m, which also is tops in the Patriot League this season.
M-F Athletic Female Field Performer of the Week
Ashley Harbin, Lafayette Sr., Medina, Ohio
Harbin wins her third weekly award of the season after yet another record-setting performance in the annual Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet last week. The senior shattered the school record in the weight throw for the second time this season, reaching an NCAA Provisional distance of 20.17m. It is the second time that she has reached the NCAA Provisional mark this season.
M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week
Andrew Hanko, Navy Fr., Montville, N.J.
Hanko earns his second-consecutive rookie of the week award after a strong showing in his first Star Meet against Army. The newcomer finished second in the mile (4:12:21) and also placed third in the 3000m (8:26.75), both of which were IC4A-qualifying marks.
M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week
Janet von Eiff, Navy Fr., San Diego, Calif.
Von Eiff earns her first career weekly award following a second-place finish in the shot put at last week's Army-Navy Star Meet. She reached a distance of 13.48m in the event, which was a personal best, as well as the seventh-best distance in school history.
Honorable Mention
Dante Marshall, Navy
Sr., Hermitage, Pa.
Marshall turned in a second-place finish in the triple jump and a third-place finish in the long jump against Army. Both distances were IC4A-qualifying marks.
Jacqui Charnigo, Navy
Sr., Medina, Ohio
Charnigo continued her dominance in the pole vault, as she reached a height of 3.80 to once again qualify for the ECAC standard in the event.
Lesley Bautista, Holy Cross
Jr., St. John's, Newfoundland
Bautista set a new school record and posted an ECAC-qualifying mark when she reached a height of 3.66m to win the pole vault last weekend.
Wallace Campbell, Bucknell
Sr., Montgomery, Ala.
Campbell finished fourth in the 3000m race at the Akron Open last weekend. The time of 8:14.27 was an IC4A-qualifying mark, as well as a career-best for the senior.
Patriot League Notebook
NCAA Provisional Marks
Three Patriot League student-athletes have reached NCAA Provisional-qualifying marks so far during the 2007-08 indoor track and field season. They are:
- Paul Harris, Navy - 800m (1:49.29)
- Ashley Harbin, Lafayette - Weight Throw (20.17m)
- Jacqui Charnigo, Navy - Pole Vault (3.95m)
Navy's Harris Still Among NCAA Leaders
Navy senior Paul Harris currently holds the nation's second fastest 800m time so far this season. His time of 1:49.29 this past weekend places him at No. 2 on the list, trailing only Alex McClary of Arkansas. McClary ran the 800m in a time of 1:49.28.
Quotable
"There was a point during the 200-meter race where we didn't let down, but Army really caught fire. However, as soon as Bill Stillman jumped in the high jump, that turned the meet in our favor. Getting 17 IC4A marks was absolutely big for us. We were able to get a point here and a point there, which when added up, proved to be the difference today."
Navy Head Coach Stephen Cooksey following the win over Army
"This may be one of my proudest moments in coaching. All of our team really stepped up today. We kept the fighting spirit throughout the entire meet and this was the best team support I have seen this season. Jacqui Charnigo overcame adversity in a big way today. Vicki Moore was awesome in both the 1,000-meter run and 4x800-meter relay. The seniors truly led the way for us and set a great example for the rest of the team to follow."
Navy Women's Head Coach Carla Criste
For More Information
IC4A/ECAC and NCAA Indoor Qualifying standards can be found on the Track and Field page on the Patriot League website.
The Finish Line is Approaching...
The 2008 Patriot League Championship Meet will be held Fri., Feb. 22 through Sun., Feb. 24 at Bucknell's Gerhard Fieldhouse.
Team Notebooks
American
The Eagles participated in the Thomson Invite at Delaware last weekend. The men finished 9th of 11 teams, while the women were 12th of 12. The top finisher on the day for the Eagles was junior Brandon Laks, who finished the 5000m race in a time of 15:16.61, which was good enough for a first-place finish. American will send runners to the New Balance Invitational this weekend.
Army
The Black Knights were swept in the annual Star Meet against Navy, as the men were defeated 95-86 and the women were defeated 93.5-87.5. Several IC4A/ECAC-qualifying performances were turned in by John Mickowski (1000m and mile), Ebony Thomas (55m), Steve Zhang (triple jump), Nicole Brechue (shot put) and Alfred McDaniel (long jump). The Black Knights travel to Boston for the St. Valentine's Invite this weekend.
Bucknell
The Bison traveled west to the Akron Open this past weekend, as several men and women fared well in the non-scoring event. The Bucknell men turned in several IC4A-qualifying marks, as Wallace Campbell (3000m), Timothy Medlock (shot put) and Guy Castronova (400m) each reached the benchmark in their respective events. The Bison will host the Bucknell Winter Classic this weekend.
Colgate
The Raiders traveled down the road to the Syracuse Invitational last weekend for a non-scoring meet. The men were led by senior Thomas Dilworth, who turned in a solid performance for the Raiders. Dilworth ran a personal-best time of 1:04.97 to place first in the 500m dash, and also reached the finals of the 55m dash, eventually finishing fifth. His time in the 500m was an IC4A-qualifying mark, and fourth fastest in the League in 2008. The Raiders will travel to Boston this weekend for the St. Valentine's Invite.
Holy Cross
The Crusaders traveled North to Maine this weekend, as the men placed first of three teams and the women first of two. Sophomore Olivia Pruszko led the women with a victory in the 500m race in an ECAC-qualifying time of 1:15.56. Also helping the winning cause for Holy Cross was junior Lesley Bautista, who reached a school-record breaking and ECAC-qualifying height of 3.66 meters to win the pole vault. Holy Cross will also travel to Boston for the St. Valentine's Invite.
Lafayette
The Leopards were victorious in the annual Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet, as the men won 92-86 and the women won 97-82. Senior Alex Wechsler led the men with first-place finished in the mile and 4x800m relay, and a second-place finish in the 1000m run. The women were led by the school-record breaking performance of Ashley Harbin in the weight throw (20.17m) and two individual victories by freshman Janica Austin (60m and 200m). The Leopards will travel to the New Balance Invitational this weekend.
Lehigh
The Mountain Hawks were swept by Lafayette last weekend. The men were led by Kyle Manning, who finished first in the 1000m. The women were paced by the first-place finishes of senior Sarah Serwo (400m and 1000m) and Ashley Atwell (pole vault). Lehigh will send runners to the New Balance Invitational this weekend.
Navy
The Midshipmen earned a sweep over Army in the annual Star Meet last weekend. IC4A/ECAC-qualifying marks were turned in by Andrew Hanko (mile, 3000m), Vicki Moore (1000m), Dante Marshall (long jump, triple jump) and Jacqui Charnigo (pole vault), just to name a few. The women had to rally from a seven-point deficit with just six events remaining to gain the victory. The victory for the men was the seventh consecutive in the series.
