Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Track and Field Set to Open Outdoor Slate This Weekend
3/25/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
March 25, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Despite the weather outside, the Bison track and field teams are set to begin the 2005 outdoor season this weekend. The Bison will see their first competition of the season on Saturday at the Jim Taylor Invitational, at Susquehanna University, beginning at 10 a.m. The Bison women are ready to capture their second Patriot League title of the year while the men will attempt to move upwards in the PL standings.
Women's Preview
The Bison women are favored to take Patriot League title for the second year in-a-row. In the throws, sophomore Marjorie Grap will cover the discus, shot put and the hammer throw along with senior Angie McFarland. Freshman Beverly Rogers will get her first chance to compete for the orange and blue as she is expected to be Bucknell's top javelin thrower.
Senior Tolu Fayanjuola, the defending PL champ in the long jump, and sophomores Ann Doty and Lauren Bricker, who finished one-two in last year's PL triple jump, will look to lead the Bison in the horizontal jumps. Fayanjuola is also expected to be Bucknell's top high jumper after taking runner-up honors at last season's PL Championships.
Sophomores Melanie Buczko and Angie Hall along with freshman Ashley Curry will likely handle the pole vault, typically one of Bucknell's strongest events. Hall and Buczko, both NCAA East Regional qualifers last spring, provided a one-two finish in the PL in 2004. The trio tore through the Bison record books during the indoor season setting the first, second, and fourth-best marks in school history. Buczko represented the Bison at last season's NCAA Outdoor Championships, notching an 11th place finish.
Amy Calvo, Monique Boley, Rehana Lanewala, Sarah VandenBroek, and Fayanjuola will attempt to sprint to the top of the pack this season. Fayanjuola is the defending champion at 100-meters while Calvo and Boley provided a two-three finish in the 400-meters. Lanewala and VandenBroek were both scorers in the 200-meters. Senior Catherine Trentacoste returns as Bucknell's top hurdler after last season's sixth place showing at PLs.
Senior Katie Pfeifer, last year's PL runner-up at 10,000-meters, and Leanna Nastase, Bucknell's top cross country runner, will look to represent the Bison in the long distance races. Sophomore Christa Sawko, senior Jennifer Marsh, and Bricker will take on the mid-distance races outdoors. All three had solid indoor seasons with Sawko taking the PL title in the 1,000-meters, Bricker besting the pack in the PL 800-meters, and Marsh setting a new school record in the 1,000.
Men's Preview
The Bison men, who are ranked fifth in the PL, will look to their returning scorers to provide big performances throughout the season. Dan Lounsbury will likely lead the Bison in the distance events coming off a third place finish in last season's PL 10,000-meter race.
In the jumps, Drew Folk one of the highest returning finishers coming off a sixth place finish at last season's league meet. Thomas Bennett also notched a sixth place showing in the triple jump. The Bison will also look for production from freshman Mike Contino and sophomore Tyler Palumbo as both jumpers scored at the indoor PL Championships.
Josh Kaehler was the only Bison thrower to score at PLs and will look to improve on his sixth place finish this season. Nick DeGregorio and James Myer will also look to throw some big marks outdoors after solid indoor seasons.
Freshman Matt Johnson and sophomores Matt Bonelli and Matt Corbetta will cover the sprints for the Bison. Bonelli and Corbetta both scored fifth place finishes indoors, while Johnson was one of the top sprinters during the indoor season. Sophomore Kyle McLaughlin also scored for the Bison last season, taking sixth in the decathlon.
The Bison have a full schedule ahead of them this season, with trips to the Duke Invitational on Apr. 8-9, and to the prestigious Penn Relays on Apr. 28-30, leading up the Patriot League Championships on May 6-7, hosted by Lafayette. Bucknell is scheduled to host two meets at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium over the course of the season with the Bison Outdoor Classic on Apr. 15-16, and the Bucknell Five-Way on Apr. 23.
