Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Track And Field Set For Bucknell Heptagonal This Saturday
1/16/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 16, 2008
Bucknell Heptagonal Schedule of Events
Bucknell Heptagonal Meet Program
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams will host the Bucknell Heptagonal as the second of three consecutive home meets, this Saturday, Jan. 19. Field events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and running events are set to start at 12 p.m. in Gerhard Fieldhouse.
The Bison will welcome six visiting teams on the women's side (Saint Francis (Pa.), Lehigh, Shippensburg, Duquesne, East Stroudsburg and Towson) and five visiting teams on the men's side (Saint Francis (Pa.), Lehigh, Shippensburg, Duquesne and East Stroudsburg).
"The Heptagonal is our only scored meet of the indoor season besides the Patriot League Championships," said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner, "Of course our goal will be to win both meets, however we expect the competition to be fierce and everyone will have to earn every point."
Bison Women's Track and Field Notebook
At the Gulden Relays on Jan. 12
- Freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) won the pole vault, posting an ECAC-qualifying mark of 11 feet 9 ¾ inches for the second time this season. With that height, Frey ranks fourth on Bucknell's all-time top-10 list for the event.
- Senior Nicole Ayala (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) took first in the triple jump, posting a distance of 36-9 ¾.
- The Bucknell 4x800 meter relay team comprised of senior Victoria Gilbert (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom), sophomore Allison Janda (Plymouth, Mich./Salem), senior Mariel Fink (Pennington, N.J./Hun School of Princeton) and senior Erin Cranmer-Hart (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area) won the event in 9:29.64.
- The Bison distance medley relay team of Cranmer-Hart, junior Jenny Dalzell (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional), Gilbert and junior Nicole Falcaro (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley) also took first, clocking a time of 12:38.61.
- In the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay, the Bucknell team of junior Megan Hathaway (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield), sophomore Stephanie Evans (York, Pa./Central York), sophomore Jennifer Pierce (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands) and Janda took second in 4:11.46 for the fourth-fastest finish on Bucknell's all-time top-10 list for the event.
ECAC-Qualifying Times/Marks This Season
- Frey - pole vault (11-9 ¾; Bison Opener/Gulden Relays)
Top-10 All-Time This Season
- 60-meter dash - Evans (8.08; No. 6 all-time; Bison Opener)
- Shot Put - Senior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) (42-11 ½; No. 7 all-time; Bison Opener)
- Pole Vault - Frey (11-9 ¾; No. 4 all-time; Bison Opener/Gulden Relays)
- 1,600 Sprint Medley Relay - Hathaway, Pierce, Evans, Janda (4:11.46; No. 4 all-time; Gulden Relays)
In the Rankings
- The Bucknell women's track and field team was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll, announced Dec. 6. The Bison 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).
- Bucknell will look to defend their Patriot League indoor title, to give the program its 12th in school history. The Bison return 2007 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.
2007-08 Honors
- On Dec. 11, Frey was one of three Bison track and field athletes (also junior Kevin Macleod (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) and sophomore Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central) on the men's side) to be honored with a Patriot League weekly award. Frey was named the league's Rookie of the Week after placing second overall and posting the highest mark of collegiate competitors at the Bison Opener 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.
- On Jan. 15, Frey received her second league honor as Rookie of the Week after winning the pole vault at the Gulden Relays to tie her ECAC-qualifying mark of 11-9 ¾, set at the Bison Opener. Hathaway was tabbed as the league's Track Athlete of the Week on the women's side, after running the lead-off position for the second-place 1,600 sprint medley relay team, running the fourth-fastest time in program history (4:11.46) and going on to lead the Bison women in the 500-meter dash with a second-place finish (1:17.32).
Looking Ahead
- Following this weekend's meet, Bucknell will host the Bison Open and Multi, Jan. 25 - 26. Bucknell will also send athletes to the Penn State National Invitational the weekend of Jan. 25 -26. The Bison will then travel to Akron, Ohio, on Feb. 2, for the Akron Open before returning home for the Bucknell Winter Classic on Feb. 9.
- Bucknell will host the 2008 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships, Feb. 22 - 24. The ECAC Championships are set for March 1 - 2 in Boston, Mass., and the NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 14 - 15 in Fayetteville, Ark.
