Bucknell University Athletics
Melanie Buczko and Maria Garcia to Represent Bucknell at NCAA Track and Field Championships
6/7/2004 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
June 7, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Freshman pole vaulter Melanie Buczko and senior hammer thrower Maria Garcia earned berths in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to take place Wednesday, June 9 through Saturday, June 12 at the University of Texas in Austin. They are the first Bucknell women ever to compete in the NCAA outdoor championships.
Buczko qualified by finishing fourth at the NCAA East Regional meet in Gainesville, Fla., May 28-29. Her top height in Florida of 13'1 ?" was just a couple inches short of her personal best of 13'3 ?" set at the ECAC Championships last month. That vault ranks her tied for 15th in the nation entering the national meet.
Garcia earned an at-large bid to the national meet on the strength of her 202'8" throw at the Patriot League Championships five weeks ago. Her top throw at the regional meet was 195'6", placing her eighth in the meet, three spots short of an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
Start lists, determining the final entries for both competitions and where the Bucknell athletes fit in their respective draws, will be available Tuesday evening. The pole vault qualifying round is on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern time, with the hammer qualifying on Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Should the athletes advance to their events' final competitions, those will take place on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern for the pole vault and Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern for the hammer throw.
Garcia and her fellow hammer throwers can advance to the final round by reaching the 64-meter mark (approx. 209'11"), or by finishing in the top 12 if 12 competitors do not meet the standard. Buczko's preliminary pole vault competition will end when the field is cut to 16 participants, all of whom will advance to the final regardless of the height reached. The number of competitors will be released with the start lists on Tuesday.
