Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bucknell Octagonal
Bison Men's and Women's Track and Field Sweeps Bucknell Octagonal
1/24/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 24, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - While the Bucknell women's track and field team trounced the competition on Saturday at the Bucknell Octagonal, racking up 196 points to second-place Duquesne's 86, the men's team edged out St. Francis (Pa.) 133-131 as the Bison swept their first scoring home meet of the 2003-04 indoor track season. Duquesne, Lock Haven, Rider, Robert Morris, St. Francis, Temple, and Towson joined the Bison for the meet.
The Bucknell women routed their competition, totaling 196 points to Duquesne's and St. Francis' 86 points in a second-place tie. Bison women took six individual wins as well as both relay victories on Saturday.
Several Bison women moved up in the Bucknell record book, but none higher - literally as well - than freshman pole vaulter Melanie Buczko, who broke the school record by clearing 12'9 ?" and taking the event. She also broke the Gerhard Fieldhouse mark and flew well past the ECAC qualifying mark, both repeat occurrences. Angie Hall and Kearah Westerman, fellow freshman vaulters, improved their times in the school record book, Hall reaching her third-best mark and Westerman her eighth-best height.
Maria Garcia finished second in the weight throw, but closed the gap on all-time record holder Lisa Allen to 3 ?" by throwing 52'8 ?", improving on her already second-best distance. Monique Boley qualified for ECAC competition in the 500, joining Amy Calvo, by winning the race in 1:16.30 and moving herself up to fourth on Bucknell's all-time list. Freshman Lauren Bricker won the triple jump with a distance of 37'10 ?", good for fifth-best all-time. Bucknell's women finished the 4x400 relay in 4:00.20 and the 4x800 relay in 9:29.59.
Tolu Fayanjuola won the 60 meter dash in 7.97 seconds after running 7.94 in her preliminary race, coming within a hundredth of a second of meeting her personal high that she set last week at Penn State. Calvo took the 400 by finishing in 59.06 as well as the 200 by finishing in 26.58.
Rounding out the team scores, behind Bucknell, Duquesne, and St. Francis were Temple (81), Rider (47), Towson (30), Robert Morris (29), and Lock Haven (2).
Bucknell men's athletes took first place in five events. Noel Powell accounted for two of those as he won the 200 meter dash in 22.19 seconds and leapt 23'9", reaching the IC4A qualifying mark in both events. Jeff Arek reached his personal best and seventh-best all-time at Bucknell 15'3" in the pole vault again en route to 10 points for Bucknell, while Greg Costello claimed the 3000 meter race in 8:34.49 and Kevin Fortkiewicz won the 5000 meter race in 15:18.31, breaking his personal record by 20 seconds.
One men's Gerhard Fieldhouse record fell on Saturday, as Tom Carey of St. Francis threw the weight 67'7 ?", breaking his own facility record of 63'3 ?", set in 2002. Final men's team point totals were Bucknell with 133, St. Francis with 131, Rider with 86.5, Lock Haven with 57, Robert Morris with 52.5, Duquesne with 52, Towson with 35, and Temple with 11.
The Bison will split their teams next weekend, sending some athletes to Penn State for its National Invitational event, while Bucknell will host the Bison Open and Pentathlon, both Friday-Saturday events.
