April 1, 2008
Each of the eight Patriot League outdoor track and field teams have officially started the 2008 season following competition this past weekend. Navy's Ronald Belany (male track), Bo Lawson (male field) and Devan Clark (male rookie) each brought home a weekly award for the Mids. Army junior Meghan Curran (female track), Lafayette senior Ashley Harbin (female field) and Bucknell freshman Laura Rycek (female rookie) also earned awards.
Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Release - 4.1.08 
M-F Athletic Male Track Performer of the Week
Ronald Belany, Navy Sr., Haiku, Hawai'i
Belany had a solid overall performance at the Navy Four-Team Meet this past weekend, racking up three individual victories in the process. The senior placed first in the 110m hurdles (14.63 seconds), the 200m (22.14 seconds) and the long jump (7.11m). The marks in the 110m hurdles and the long jump were both IC4A-qualifying marks.
M-F Athletic Female Track Performer of the Week
Meghan Curran, Army Jr., Chelmsford, Mass.
Curran placed first in the 10,000m race at the Dick Shea Invite this past weekend in West Point, N.Y. She ran the race in an ECAC-qualifying time of 37:06.90, which is even more impressive due to the fact that the runners had to deal with temperatures that dipped into the 30's and wind gusts that were over 25 mph at times.
M-F Athletic Male Field Performer of the Week
Bo Lawson, Navy Sr., Newton, N.J.
Lawson placed first in the javelin throw at the Navy Four-Team Meet this past weekend, helping the Mids to a first-place team finish as well. The senior reached a distance of 63.26m, which qualifies him for the NCAA East Regional Meet at the end of May. Lawson was one of two Mids to reach the NCAA Regional standard in the javelin throw during the meet.
M-F Athletic Female Field Performer of the Week
Ashley Harbin, Lafayette Sr., Clarksville, Tenn.
Harbin earns her second-consecutive female field weekly award following another outstanding performance this past weekend. Harbin finished first in both the hammer throw (59.36m) and the discus (41.48m) at the Lafayette 5-Way Meet. Her distance in the hammer throw once again qualified her for the NCAA East Regional Meet at the end of May.
M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week
Devan Clark, Navy Fr., Lorton, Va.
Clark was impressive at a four-team meet hosted by Navy this past weekend. The freshman finished second in the javelin throw, reaching a distance of 62.60m, which eclipsed the NCAA East Regional-qualifying distance. Clark's efforts helped the Mids finish first in the meet ahead of Colgate, Penn and Princeton.
M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week
Laura Rycek, Bucknell Fr., Northampton, Pa.
Rycek finished third in the javelin event at the non-team scoring Maryland Invitational this past weekend. She reached a distance of 41.70m, which is the second farthest in program history, as well as an ECAC-qualifying distance.
Honorable Mention
Kevin MacLeod, Bucknell
Jr., East Longmeadow, Mass.
MacLeod finished first in one individual event and one relay event at the Maryland Invitational this past weekend. He ran a time of 53.87 to win the 400m hurdles race, and anchored the winning 4x400m relay team to a victory in a time of 3:14.76.
Patriot League Notebook
Frequent Flyers
The Patriot League outdoor track and field teams will be all over the map this weekend to compete in events all over the country. Navy and American are slated to send runners to the Texas Relays, which will attract some of the top competition in the nation. Bucknell and Army will also travel south to compete in the Auburn Classic. For a more local flavor, Lehigh will travel to arch-rival Lafayette on Saturday for the annual dual meet between the two teams.
NCAA East Regional Qualifying Marks
It is just over two weeks into the 2008 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field season, and several student-athletes have already snagged a trip to Tallahassee, Fla. for the NCAA East Regional Meet on May 30-31. Check back here each week to see who will be making the trip:
- Ashley Harbin, Lafayette - Hammer Throw (59.36m - twice)
- Geryah White, Army - Shot Put (14.40m)
- Bo Lawson, Navy - Javelin (63.26m)
- Devan Clark, Navy - Javelin (62.60m)
USTFCCCA Rankings Unveiled
The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association unveiled the first set of national rankings for the 2008 outdoor season. Here's a look at where the Patriot League teams ended up:
Men
72. Navy - 25.61 points
147. Bucknell - 2.00 points
150. Army - 1.64 points
169. American - 0.83 points
170. Holy Cross - 0.80 points
Women
97. Lafayette - 7.72 points
153. Bucknell - 1.11 points
179. Navy - 0.40 points
For More Information
NCAA Outdoor Regional Qualifying standards can be found on the Track and Field page on the Patriot League website, along with the top times in the Patriot League this season. Both pieces of information can be found on the sidebar of the Track and Field page.
2008 Patriot League Championship
The 2008 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3 at Navy's Ingram Field. To find out more information about this year's championship, please visit the Championship Page on the Patriot League website.
Team Notebooks
American
The Eagles competed at the Maryland Invitational and the Raleigh Relays last weekend. At the Maryland Invitational, freshman Jeremiah Headen placed in the top 10 in both the 110m hurdles (fourth) and the 400m hurdles (tenth). The Eagles also had two other individuals finish in the top 10 at the non-scoring meet. At the Raleigh Relays, senior Steve Hallinan placed 11th in the 800m race, while fellow senior Kate Lilley ran to an eighth-place finish in the 1,500m run. The Eagles will split their squad for events at Bucknell and Virginia this weekend.
Army
The Black Knights hosted the Dick Shea Invite this past weekend, and were met with cold and blustery conditions in West Point. First-place finishers for Army in the non-scoring meet were Jon Anderson (1,500m), Meghan Curran (10,000m), Archie Smith (triple jump), Nicole Brechue (discus & shot put), Domonick Sylve (110m high hurdles) and Carissa Hauck (400m hurdles). Army will travel south this weekend to compete in the Auburn Classic.
Bucknell
The Bison opened their 2008 season at the Maryland Invitational and the Susquehanna Invitational. Impressive individual performances were turned in by several of the Bison, including junior Kevin MacLeod, who finished first in the 4x400m relay and the 400m hurdles at the Maryland Invitational. Senior Amanda Mockbee competed in three events in Maryland, finishing first in the discus throw, fifth in the hammer throw and seventh in the shot put. Bucknell will compete at the Auburn Classic and the Princeton Inv. this weekend.
Colgate
The Raiders opened the 2008 outdoor season at the Navy-Four Team Meet last weekend on the men's side, and the Ithaca Invitational on the women's side. Senior Thomas Dilworth had a productive meet at Navy, finishing second in the 100m dash in a time of 11.13 seconds. Dilworth was also a member of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams that finished second and first, respectively. Freshman Stacey Marion finished second in the 10,000m run at the Dick Shea Invite for the women.
Holy Cross
The Crusaders did not compete last week, as their five-team meet at UMass was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Lafayette
The Leopards competed at the Lafayette Five-Way Meet this past weekend. Sophomore Adam Ballester ran a personal best to earn a first-place finish in the 400m race, and also was a part of the winning 4x100m relay team as well. Senior Ashley Harbin reached the NCAA East Regional qualifying distance in the hammer throw for the second-straight week, while freshman Asia Hollis won the 200m race. The `Pards will host Lehigh this weekend.
Lehigh
The Mountain Hawks competed at the Winthrop Invitational last weekend in a non-team scoring meet. Junior E.J. Schuck finished first in the decathlon, reaching a career-high point total of 6,368. The total qualified Schuck for the IC4A meet, and also was the fifth best score in school history. Lehigh will travel the few miles to Easton on Saturday for their annual dual meet with Lafayette.
Navy
The Navy men finished first of four teams at the Navy Four-Team Meet, while the women competed at the non-scoring Maryland Invitational this past weekend. The Mids dominated the javelin competition on the men's side, as both Bo Lawson (63.26m) and Devan Clark (62.60m) eclipsed the NCAA East Regional-qualifying standard of 61.60m. Senior Ron Belany also won three events during the meet for the Mids. Senior Vicki Moore was the top finisher for the women, as she placed eighth in the 800m and seventh in the 1,500m. The men will travel to the Texas Relays and the women will compete at the Colonial Relays this weekend.
