Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Track and Field Picked Third In Patriot League Preseason Poll
12/6/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Dec. 6, 2007
Patriot\ League\ Preseason\ Poll\ Release
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's track and field team was voted to repeat as indoor Patriot League champions while the Bison men were picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll, announced on Wednesday.
On the women's side, Bucknell collected 92 points with 10 first-place votes. Navy followed in second with 88 points and six first-place votes, while Army was third with 76 points. Rounding out the list was Lafayette in fourth (61 points), Lehigh in fifth (51 points), Colgate and Holy Cross tied for sixth (32 points) and American in eighth (18 points).
The Bison women will look to defend their Patriot League championship title, to give the program its 12th in school history. Bucknell returns All-Patriot League performers, senior Erin Cranmer-Hart (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area) and sophomore Amy Mantush (Drums, Pa./Hazleton) from last year's championship squad. The team is also led by head coach Kevin Donner, who picked up his sixth-consecutive Patriot League Coach of the Year award in 2007.
On the men's side, Bucknell tallied 70 points to place third in the preseason poll. The Bison followed Army (10 first-place votes) and Navy (six first-place votes), who tied for first with 90 points. Rounding out the list was American in fourth (64 points), Lehigh in fifth (47 points), Lafayette in sixth (43 points), Colgate in seventh (28 points) and Holy Cross in eighth (16 points).
The Bison men will look capture their first indoor league title since 2003, returning sophomore Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central), the 2007 Patriot League Championship Rookie of the Meet and a First-Team All-Patriot League performer last season.
Bucknell opened its 2007-08 indoor schedule this past weekend at home with the Bison Opener. On the men's side, the Bison picked up six individual wins, posted five IC4A-qualifying marks and set a new school record.
In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Kevin Macleod (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) ran a time of 8.34 in the prelim, to record the No. 1 time for the event in Bucknell history. He broke his own record of 8.36, set last season. Anthony won the long jump with an IC4A-qualifying mark of 23-2 ¾, and the triple jump, posting an IC4A-qualifying distance of 48-3/4, while sophomore Ryan White (Elkins Park, Pa./Father Judge) won the heptathlon, posting an IC4A-qualifying point total of 4,828.
In the pole vault, senior David Mante (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) recorded an IC4A-qualifying height of 15-9 to win the event and place him second all-time in the Bucknell record books. Sophomore Timothy Medlock (Evan Mills, N.Y./Indian River) threw an IC4A-qualifying distance of 52-2 in the shot put to place fourth and to post the second-best mark in the Bucknell record books. In the 3,000-meter run, sophomore Conor McNamara (Baldwin, N.Y./Chaminade) took first in 8:50.98 and senior Wallace Campbell (Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Acad.) won the 5000-meter run, clocking a time of 14:54.66.
On the women's side, Bucknell picked up two individual wins and posted one ECAC-qualifying mark. Junior Gillian Nordquist (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) took first in the 5000-meter run with a time of 18:12.07 and senior Lisa Prybella (Southampton, Pa./Mt. St. Joseph Acad.) won the the 3,000-meter run in 10:49.75. Freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) posted the highest mark of collegiate competitors (second overall) in the pole vault. She notched an ECAC-qualifying mark of 11-9 ¾, to place herself fourth on Bucknell's top-10 list for the event.
The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams are now set to prepare for the Gulden Relays, scheduled for Jan. 12 in Lewisburg, Pa.
