Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Bucknell Women Place Third at Patriot League Track & Field Championships
5/3/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 3, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Despite day-two gold medals from Nicki Piper in the 800 meters and Charity Brady in the 200, the Bucknell women's track and field team saw its four-year reign as conference champions come to an end, as the Bison finished in third place at the 2003 Patriot League Outdoor Championships.
Navy won its first outdoor title on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Mids scored 139 points, 11 better than runner-up Army. Bucknell, the 2003 indoor champion, scored 126 points, just two back of Army. Upstart Lehigh, which led after 11 events, finished fourth with 118 points, followed by Lafayette (70), American (38), Colgate (19) and Holy Cross (13).
Bucknell and Lehigh were tied for third heading into the meet's final event, the 4x400-meter relay, but the Bison finished second to Navy in that event to pass the Mountain Hawks for sole possession of third place.
Brady anchored the closing relay, capping an outstanding afternoon. She ran the fourth-fastest time in school history in her victory in the 200 meters (24.93), when she just nosed out Army's Tiffany Martin (25.01). Brady also finished second in the 400 meters, running the sixth-fastest time in BU history (57.13).
The 400 meters was a big scoring event for the Bison, who also received a fourth-place finish from Amy Calvo (57.46) and a fifth-place effort from Monique Boley (57.60).
Piper used an impressive finishing kick over the final 100 meters to nip Navy's Lisa Procaccini and Army's Ann Cole for the gold medal in the 800. Piper's personal-best time of 2:15.12 was the sixth-fastest in school history and just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Procaccini. Piper also ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay.
In Saturday's first running event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Jamie Gow (11:35.28) and Katie Fantauzzo (11:39.43) finished 4-5. Gow's time was a personal best by four seconds and the second-fastest in Bucknell history.
Bucknell also scored well in the hurdles. In the 100-meter high hurdles, Kiley MacDonald (14.48), Edwina Bourn (14.56) and Jamie Lilien (14.69) captured the third through fifth places. MacDonald set a personal best and just missed Bourn's school record by .04 seconds.
In the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, Bourn placed fourth in 1:03.14.
After finishing second in the 10,000 meters on Friday evening, Theresa Dennis earned bronze in the 5K on Saturday. Dennis ran 17:41.83. Jennifer Marsh took fourth in the 1,500 meters in 4:44.55.
Rehana Lanewala took sixth in the 100-meter dash in 12.93, and she also helped Bucknell to a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay (48.06).
Bucknell's best finish in the field events on Saturday Dionne Bonds' second-place effort in the triple jump. Bonds leapt 38 feet, ? inch, a personal best and the third-longest jump in school history.
Laura Schaffer scored in both the shot put (5th, 38' 3 ?") and discus (6th, 127' 6"), while Angela McFarland placed third in the discus at 134' 5".
Other Saturday winners included Lehigh's Edann Brady in the steeplechase, Navy's Shannon Crites in the high jump, Navy's Tinesha Davis in the 400, Lehigh's Yasmin Deliz in the shot put, American's Keira Carlson in the 1,500, Lehigh's Justina Barone in both the 100 and 400 hurdles, Army's Martin in the in the 100 meters, Army's Sarah Fields in the discus, Navy's Joanne Uwujaren in the triple jump and American's Samia Akbar in the 5,000.
Bucknell returns to action next weekend at the James Madison Invitational, a final tuneup prior to the ECAC Championships May 16-18.
