Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Cross Country Looks to Defend Patriot League Championship
9/1/2006 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 1, 2006
Lewisburg - The Bucknell women's cross country team begins its quest towards defending its 2005 Patriot League crown when it kicks off 2006 with the Bison Open at the Bucknell Golf Course beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Bison are the favorites to win the league once again as the team was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll with 13 first-place votes.
The Orange and Blue return six of the team's top seven runners from last year's squad that finished fifth at the Mid-Atlantic Regional in addition to winning the program's fifth league championship.
Senior Jenny Stevens (Laceyville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) will serve as one of the team's captains this fall. She was Bucknell's top runner in six of the seven meets she competed in last year, including the Patriot League Championships, where she finished fourth, and an 11th place showing at the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
"Jenny had a fantastic year in 2005 and ran very solid this past track season," said Bison head coach Kevin Donner, the 2005 Patriot League Coach of the Year. "We're looking for her to move up in the league as well as the NCAA regional meet and hopefully make a run for the NCAA Championships."
Another captain for Bucknell, senior Leanna Nastase (Beaverdale, Pa./Forrest Hills) took sixth at last year's league championships and was 33rd at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Earlier in the season, she also posted a win at the Running-Fit Detroit Titan Invitational.
"Leanna has been a very consistent runner for us during her career said Donner." "She's been healthy and she's ready to step up and place high in the region this season."
Rounding out the top three for the Bison is junior Erin Cranmer-Hart (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock), who finished ninth at the Patriot League meet in 2005.
"Erin's shown great consistency and she's ready to establish herself as one of our all-time greats here at Bucknell," commented Donner. "I think those three-Jenny, Leanna and Erin-are as good as any top three in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region. It's going to really help us if we want to be in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships."
Coming off a track season in which she won individual Patriot League titles for the indoor 800-meter run and outdoors in the steeplechase, senior Lauren Bricker (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) should be a factor for the Bison this fall despite an injury in the spring. "She has been nursing a hip injury most of the summer so we're going to take our time getting her back in gear, but hopefully by the major meets in October and November she'll be at full strength."
Another individual who enjoyed success this past track season and should prove to be a contributor for the Bison in her second season of cross country is senior Christa Sawko (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville Area).
"Christa had a fantastic track season in 2006," said Donner. "She was the indoor PL champion in the 1,000 and the outdoor PL champion in the 800, while also finishing fourth in the ECAC in the 800 outdoors. Last year was her first full year of cross country and now that she has the experience and the strength we feel she is ready to really establish herself as one of the best overall runners in the league."
Also providing the Bison with depth will be sophomore Gillian Nordquist (Clarkson, Mich./Clarkson), junior Christy Totten (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and sophomore Nicole Falcaro (Dingsmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley).
"Gillian showed great consistency her freshman year," said Donner. "She dipped under 18 minutes for the 5,000 outdoors and scored outdoors in the 10,000 at the league meet. Christy has gradually taken her running to a much higher level in the last two years and she's very close to breaking 18 minutes in the 5,000. Now that she's a junior I really see her contributing to the team. Nicole showed great improvement throughout the course of her freshman year and I envision her making an impact this fall."
Donner says his team's goals for the 2006 season not only include the defense of its Patriot League title, but to battle with some challenging competition for a possible trip to the NCAA Championships.
"The Mid-Atlantic Region is a very tough region this year with a lot of teams capable of qualifying for the NCAA Championships said Donner." "Georgetown, Villanova, La Salle and Princeton were the four teams that beat us last year and they return a bulk of their squads. Penn State and Maryland, are also capable of making a run for the NCAAs along with us. If we keep our team healthy I think we can be in position to possibly qualify for the NCAA Championships."
