Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Penn State Octagonal
Bucknell Indoor Track Competes at Penn State Octagonal
1/17/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 17, 2004
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Freshman pole vaulter Melanie Buczko defeated all comers on Saturday afternoon at the Penn State Octagonal, garnering 10 of Bucknell's 20 points and breaking the Bucknell record she already broke in her first collegiate meet last month. Buczko flew 12'5 ?", clearing her own record by two inches. The 20 points the Bison women earned were good enough for a three-way seventh-place tie, while the men's team finished 16th with seven points.
On the men's side, Noel Powell posted Bucknell's first of 10 top-10 finishes, running the 60 meter dash in 7.07 seconds. That time was good enough for 10th place, though Powell did not earn a spot in the dash's final as only the top eight runners advanced. Powell picked up the first of Bucknell's seven points by finishing eighth in the 200 meter dash in 22.15 seconds.
Bucknell's next top-10 finish came in the 3000 meter run. Greg Costello, the reigning Patriot League Runner of the Week, finished fourth and took home five points by finishing in 8:18.97, less than a second off his personal best. Dan Lounsbury also finished 10th in that race in 8:36.29.
The Bison men had two relay teams finish in the top-10, as the 4x800 squad, comprised of Kevin Walsh, Tom Prochilo, Adam Syty, and Koran Evans finished in 10th place in 8:00.10. The distance medley relay squad, made up of Doug Creveling, John Trotta, Justin Crane, and Sean McCarthy finished in 10th in 10:38.23.
Four of Bucknell's top-10 finishes came in field events. Jeff Arek finished 10th in the pole vault by launching himself 14'3 ?", while Mike Mellas claimed Bucknell's seventh and final point by leaping 43'8" in the triple jump, good for an eighth-place finish. Drew Folk was right behind with a jump of 43'3 ?". Dan Frake finished in 10th in the shot put with a throw of 45'5".
The women had nine top-10 finishes. The first came when Amy Calvo picked up two points for the Bison by finishing the 500 meter dash in a seventh-place 1:16.53. Christa Sawko picked up two more points by finishing the 800 meters in a seventh-place 2:15.77. That time was also good for seventh-best in Bucknell history. The 4x800 relay team, comprised of Mariel Fink, Christina Stamoolis, Lauren Kinsey, and Melissa Carman finished in 10:03.06, good enough for 10th place.
Bucknell's next two points came in the distance medley relay, as Jen Marsh, Sarah VandenBroek, Laura Nagy, and Jennifer Stevens finished in a seventh-place 12:32.02. Sarah Groman finished tenth in the high jump with a height of 5'1".
Next came the vault from Buczko, who had already qualified for ECAC competition with her first vault at the Bison Opener on Dec. 6. Bucknell's last four points also came from promising freshmen, as Ann Doty won one point by finishing eighth in the long jump with a leap of 37'4 ?". Marjorie Grap won three points by finishing sixth in the shot put with a throw of 43' 7 ?".
Maria Garcia finished just an inch out of the points when she earned Bucknell's last top-10 finish. The senior threw the weight 50'8 ?", good for ninth place.
The Bison will be home the next two weeks, first on Saturday, January 24 in the Bucknell Octagonal, and then on Jan. 31 in the Bison Open and Pentathlon.
