Bucknell University Athletics
Nastase up front with Bucknell
11/29/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 29, 2005
by Hugh Conrad
Tribune-Democrat Writer
Teams enjoy winning conference championships, and a former Forest Hills High School runner accomplished that this fall.
Leanna Nastase, who finished second in the state in the PIAA State Cross Country Championships in both her junior and senior years for the Lady Rangers, was a key cog in the Bucknell University cross country team's Patriot League championship on Oct. 29 at Lehigh University.
"Our season went really well," Nastase said. "As a team, we had high expectations coming into the season, and I had high expectations myself. Things went really well. I worked hard, and it was nice to win."
Nastase finished sixth overall in the 6-kilometer race with a time of 21:37. She was second for the Lady Bison, finishing behind teammate Jennifer Stevens (21:14.6).
The Lady Bison defeated Army, the 2004 champions, and captured the women's conference title for the first time since 2001.
Bucknell coach Kevin Donner was pleased with Nastase's performance this year.
"Leanna showed great leadership and consistency all season," Donner said. "She has taken her running career to the next level. I believe that with another good track season and a healthy summer, she will be able to help lead our team to the NCAA national championships next fall."
Reaching the national competition is something that the team believes that it can accomplish.
"That is our goal now," Nastase said about the national hopes.
"Our team was fifth in the region (in the NCAA competition). The third team in the region this year, Georgetown, went to nationals. We are definitely in that range. It is going to take another year of hard work, but I think that we are definitely capable of competing on the national level next year. It is exciting."
Donner, who is a former track and cross country coach at St. Francis, was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for the women's team.
Nastase attributes some of her improvement this year to a different type of training.
"I did so much more training," she said. "We did more strength training. I used to just do it on my own, but our jumping coach put us on a program that did not use heavy weights, just enough weight to help you get more speed. We did that, and I think it really helped."
Nastase said that she runs between 55 and 65 miles per week in her training. During her freshman season at Bucknell, Nastase battled injuries. She recovered and had a good sophomore season. She believes that she is progressing, which has made her more confident. "My times are better, and I haven't had to deal with any injuries," she said. "I think that running higher mileage and the strength training has added something to my program. I have been injury-free all year." Nastase is also a member of the Lady Bison indoor and outdoor track teams. "I am becoming a 10K (6.2 mile) runner and will probably focus on that in the outdoors," she said. "I am doing the 5K (3.1 mile) indoors." A biology major at Bucknell, Nastase has settled into her collegiate experience. "I definitely feel much more comfortable," she said. "I am not intimidated any more. I was intimidated in my freshman year by school in general. Now, I am feeling more comfortable." She is the daughter of Gary Nastase and Frances Brubaker.
