Bucknell University Athletics
Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field All-Decade Team Announced by Patriot League Office
2/15/2001 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Feb. 15, 2001
Lewisburg, Pa. - This morning in celebration of the Patriot League's 10th anniversary, Executive Director Carolyn Femovich announced the League's Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field All-Decade Team. The team is composed of 20 male and 20 female student-athletes, which includes eight women and four men from Bucknell.
The youngest representative on the All-Decade Team for the women is junior Stephanie Bango (Smethport, Pa./Smethport). Bango is one of four student-athletes on the All-Decade Team that are still in school. She has become a very accomplished runner at Bucknell and currently holds the fastest time in the 800-meter run in both indoor and outdoor. Bango most recently reset her own standard in the 800-meter run when she became a provisional national qualifier at the Penn State National Open with a 2:09.43 clocking. She bested her previous record by a whole half second. Bango is also a member of the 4x400 and 4x800-meter relay teams that hold the Bucknell indoor track record in those events.
A graduate of the Class of 2000, Yetunde Daniels (Ocean, N.J./Ocean Township) left her mark on the Patriot League by setting several school and conference records. Daniels is the rightful owner of three Patriot League Championship meet records. She holds the 200-meter dash indoor record and the 200-meter and 400-meter outdoor records. In addition to her Patriot League Championship meet records, Daniels also has the fastest 200-meter and 400-meter times at Bucknell in both indoor and outdoor.
Two other sprinters from Bucknell that made the All-Decade Team are Tameka Hinton (Dorchester, Mass./Boston Latin Academy) and Tricia Plasko (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua). Plasko graduated in 1992 after having won nine conference titles in her career, including five individual and four relays. She still holds the Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.07, which is also a Bucknell women's outdoor standard. Plasko, along with '95 graduate Hinton, are two wheels of the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relay teams that hold the fastest times in BU outdoor history. Hinton holds the Patriot League Championship meet record with a time of 7.15, which she set in 1995.
Long distance specialist, Julie Sweitzer (Glen Rock, Pa./Dallastown), a 1999 graduate is elected to the All-Decade team after a highly successful career. Sweitzer still holds the Bucknell indoor record in the 1,500-meter run (4:39.63), the outdoor record in the 1,500-meter run (4:33.04) and the outdoor record in the 3,000-meter run (9:40.32). Sweitzer also was selected as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete six times and was a five time Regional Academic All-American. She graduated from Bucknell as one of the most highly decorated cross country/track & field runners in history.
The Bucknell women's track & field program also had three field athletes named to the All-Decade team. Primarily a hurdler and jumper, Norine Nadeau (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy), is elected to the All-Decade team after a very solid career for the Bison. A 1996 graduate, Nadeau finished her career in style by winning league titles in both the high jump and the long jump for Bucknell at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships. Nadeau, one of the most dynamic student-athletes to come through the track program, still has top-ten marks in the 55-meter hurdles, indoor long jump, indoor high jump, 100-meter high hurdles, outdoor long jump, outdoor high jump, javelin and the heptathlon.
Jen Rice (Manchester, N.H./Manchester West) graduated in 1998 as one of the best long and triple jumpers to set foot in Lewisburg, Pa. Currently, Rice still holds the Bucknell indoor record for the long jump with a leap of 19'1 ?" at the Bucknell Winter Classic. She also has the third best triple jump on the all-time top-ten for indoors along with the second best high jump in indoors. Her outdoor records are third best distance in long jump, fifth longest in the triple jump and the fourth best high jump. One year later, Tria Tyler (Blaine, Ohio/Bridgeport) left the campus of Bucknell as one of the best throwers in school history. Tyler holds the outdoor records for the hammer throw (170'3") and the discus (159'10"). She also has the second best indoor shot put distance at 44'4" and the third best throw in the 20 lb. weight throw with a distance of 50'6".
The men's track & field team is represented on the Patriot League All-Decade team by four individuals who ran, threw, and vaulted their way into greatness. Paul Austin (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) a 1991 graduate was the individual champion for four events during the inaugural season of the Patriot League. At the inaugural Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships, Austin won the 35 lb. weight a Lehigh field house record 57'2 ?" and also won the shot put. Only a couple of months later during the outdoor season, Austin won the shot put, discus, and came in second in the hammer throw. His name can still be found in the Bucknell all-time performer's list for several events.
A 1998 graduate of Bucknell, Brian Torres (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) was a leader on the 4x800-meter relay team all four years. His final two seasons at Bucknell he won the 800-meter run at the Patriot League Championships for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Torres concluded his outstanding Bucknell career ranked fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.03 in outdoors. His 800-meter time in indoors is fifth all-time at Bucknell. Also making a name for himself in the middle distance events was 2000 graduate Ron Hess (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora). Hess, the 2000 Patriot League outdoor champion in the 800-meter run, holds the meet record for the event with a time of 1:50.19. Hess is a five-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete Award winner and was named the Track Performer of the Meet at the Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships his senior year. Hess was named the 1999-2000 Patriot League Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Rounding out the Bucknell athlete's on the All-Decade team is 2000 graduate, Dave Pomfret (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville). During his senior year, Pomfret rewrote the Bucknell indoor pole vault record book, breaking his own record three times. His final mark of 17'3" set a Patriot League and Davis Field house records, in addition to earning him Field Athlete of the Meet honors at the 2000 Patriot League Indoor Championships. His height of 17'3" was also an NCAA provisional qualifier. His success continued into the outdoor season as he set a new school record when he cleared 16'3" during a final meet with Shippensburg. He also won the javelin throw at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships for the third consecutive year. Pomfret graduated from Bucknell with the pole vault record for both indoors and outdoors as well as the third best javelin toss in BU history.
Here is the complete list of all student-athletes named to the Patriot League Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field All-Decade team:
Name School Class
Stephanie Bango Bucknell 2002
Amy Baxter Navy 2001
Yetunde Daniels Bucknell 2000
Lauren Gubicza Fordham 1993
Joanna Helm Navy 2001
Tameka Hinton Bucknell 1995
Tanesha Hodge Army 1994
Heather Lawson Army 1999
Yolanda McCray Army 1998
Norine Nadeau Bucknell 1996
Chantelle Nagbre Navy 2000
Jennifer Opoku Army 1999
Tricia Plasko Bucknell 1991
Jen Rice Bucknell 1998
Tara Santoroski Lehigh 2000
Rhonda Snyder Lafayette 2001
Carrie Strong Lafayette 1999
Julie Sweitzer Bucknell 1999
Marybeth Townsend Lafayette 1991
Tria Tyler Bucknell 1999
Men's All-Decade Track & Field Team
Name School Class
Ray Appenheimer Colgate 1994
Paul Austin Bucknell 1991
Mike Bernstein Army 1995
Dan Browne Army 1997
Chris Curry Army 1999
Everald Facey Lafayette 1997
Ron Hess Bucknell 2000
Darrin Hinman Army 1997
Gerald Ingalls Army 1996
Cleveland McCray Lehigh 1991
Jim McPherson Army 1994
T.J. Petersen Army 1996
Dave Pomfret Bucknell 2000
Jon Pontius Army 1997
David Robinson Lafayette 1997
Matt Rutt Lafayette 1997
Warren Sayre Lafayette 1993
Jason Stewart Army 1994
Brian Torres Bucknell 1998
Hassen Young Lehigh 1992
