Bucknell University Athletics
Four School Records Set for Bucknell Track and Field on Day One of Patriot League Meet
4/30/2004 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
April 30, 2004
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Bucknell track and field teams made a record-setting day out of Friday's opening-day competition at the Patriot League Track and Field Championships at Army's Shea Stadium, breaking or tying four school records as the women's team earned a 32-point cushion over runner-up Navy while the men ended the day in third behind Army and Navy.
The Bison women tallied 69 points on the first day. Katie Pfeifer finished second in the 10K in 37:02.79, earning eight points, while the 4x800 relay team added eight more with its second-place, ECAC-qualifying 9:07.34 finish, putting the foursome of Jennifer Marsh, Jennifer Stevens, Lauren Bricker and Christa Sawko in seventh on Bucknell's all-time list.
Bucknell's first school-record came when Angie Hall and Melanie Buczko both achieved the height of 12'3 ?" in the pole vault, a Patriot League Championship record. Hall earned the gold, clearing the height before Buczko did, while the duo took 18 points for the Bison. Buczko had already achieved the height at the Penn Relays last weekend, but Hall joins her atop the school's pole vault list.
Tolu Fayanjuola followed that up with another gold medal, school and Patriot League Championship record, and 10 more points for Bucknell in the long jump. She crushed the previous school record by eight inches, traveling 19'8 ?" while Robin Meling finished just outside the points in seventh but just inside the Bucknell top-10, with a 10th-best leap of 17'8".
The Bison dominated no other event on Friday like they did the hammer throw. Maria Garcia completed a sweep of four consecutive gold medals in league championship meets, winning the hammer throw with a Patriot League Championship record-toss of 202'8". It is also the fifth-straight week that Garcia has broken the Bucknell record, besting last week's 198'8" at the Penn Relays. Angela McFarland moved into second place on the Bucknell all-time list with a toss of 173', good for fourth at the league meet. She led a foursome of Bison in spots four through seven, with Erin Lee (163'6", fifth-best all-time) in fifth, Marjorie Grap (159'5", eighth-best all-time) in sixth, and Laura Schaffer (158'7", ninth-best all-time) in seventh. Bucknell earned 17 points in the event.
The final eight points for Bucknell's women came in the javelin, where Megan Frederick moved into the eighth spot on the school's top-10 list with a second-place toss of 129'9".
Bucknell led Navy in the day-one team totals 69-37, with Army's 28, Lehigh's and Lafayette's 14, Colgate's 12, and American's and Holy Cross' six points rounding out the standings. Bucknell's women have won four of the last five outdoor Patriot League titles after finishing third last season and winning the indoor league title this year.
Bucknell's men earned 28 points on day one, behind Army (84) and Navy (39), but ahead of American (20), Lehigh (six), Lafayette (four), Holy Cross (four) and Colgate (one).
Noel Powell turned in the best Bison performance, earning eight team points a silver medal in the long jump and breaking his own school record in the process. Besting his previous top leap by 2 ?", Powell flew 24'10 ?", medaling in the event for the fourth-straight year, completing his college career with two outdoor long jump golds and two silvers. He finished second to Army's Jeff Weaver, whose 25'10 ?" jump set a Patriot League Championship meet record.
Emory Strother added another point in the long jump for Bucknell, finishing sixth with a leap of 22'3 ?".
The largest Bison share of points came from the 10K, where Greg Costello (30:50.60) and Dan Lounsbury (31:18.40) finished second and third, respectively, for 14 points. Bucknell's 4x800 relay team qualified for IC4A competition with a fourth-place, four-point finish in 7:39.86.
Chris Thomson put his name in the Bucknell record books for the first time, finishing just out of the points in seventh, but doing so with the ninth-best pole vault in school history of 14'7 ?". Josh Kaehler stayed in ninth place on the Bucknell all-time list but bettered his top distance with a javelin throw of 189'4", good for one point and sixth place at the league meet.
The Patriot League Championships will conclude Saturday afternoon.
