Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA East Regional Championships
Christa Sawko Caps Off Sophomore Campaign With School-Record Run
5/27/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 27, 2005
RANDALL'S ISLAND, N.Y. - Christa Sawko capped off a stellar sophomore year on Friday, shattering the school record in the 800-meter run, at the NCAA East Regional Track and Field Championships, in Randall's Island, N.Y. Sawko finished 15th in the 37-runner field, crossing the finish line in a blazing time of 2:09.19.
The sophomore missed making tomorrow's eight-competitor final by just over a second, as the final spot went to Penn State's Dominique Blake, who finished her two laps in 2:08.18. West Virginia's Jennifer Kemp recorded the top qualifying time on the day, running 2:06.30.
Sawko's record-run bettered former Bison Stephanie Bango's previous Bucknell-best of 2:09.33, set in 2002. The record is Sawko's second record-breaking performance of the outdoor season, as she set the Bison 1,500-meter mark at 4:32.96, earlier this spring.
 Melanie Buczko finished in a seventh-place tie on Friday.  |
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Fellow sophomore Melanie Buczko finished in the tie for seventh, out of 27 athletes in the pole vault competition. Buczko cleared the bar at 12-6 (3.81m) on her second attempt, after passing the opening height. She tied with Pennsylvania's Samantha Crook and North Carolina's Rhian Jenks, who also had one make and one miss to their credit. Georgia's Kierney Hiteshaw won the regional title, vaulting over a height of 13-3 ¾ (4.06m).
Both Bison conclude exceptional sophomore seasons highlighted with Patriot League and ECAC titles. Sawko earned three Patriot League gold medals in 2005, winning the indoor 1000-meter run as well as the outdoor 800 crown. Sawko also ran sizzling anchor legs to win the conference 4x800 title and the ECAC championship in the relay.
Buczko's sophomore year included a trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, where she finished in a tie for 14th-place. She vaulted to an ECAC crown as well as a new school record (13-5 ½) during the indoor season. Buczko also had a admirable outdoor season, securing Patriot League gold with a league-record leap of 12-5 ½.
Bucknell stands in a tie for 11th-place in the team competition with two events scored. Regional action continues tomorrow as Ann Doty, Beverly Rogers and Marjorie Grap compete for spots at the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
