Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Track And Field Sends Athletes To PSU National Invitational And Bison Open And Multi This Weekend
1/23/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 23, 2008
Bison Open and Multi - Meet Program
Bison Open and Multi - Schedule of Events
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams will have athletes competing at both the Bison Open and Multi in Lewisburg, Pa., and at the Penn State National Invitational in University Park, Pa. this weekend, Jan. 25 - 26.
Bucknell will welcome 19 visiting teams to Gerhard Fieldhouse for the Bison Open and Multi. On Friday, field events will begin at 3:30 p.m., the pentathlon/heptathlon will start at 4 p.m. and running events are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, field events will begin at 10 a.m. and running events are set to start at 10:15 a.m.
"We will split our squads between a high caliber meet at Penn State and the Bison Open," said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. "We will be focusing on improving our performances to set up our athletes for the Patriot League Championship as well as try to qualify more people for IC4A's and ECAC's."
Bison Women's Track and Field Notebook
At the Bucknell Heptagonal on Jan. 19 -
- The Bison took first place ahead of six visiting teams and won four events. Bucknell compiled 171 points in front of second-place Duquesne (85 points), third-place Saint Francis (Pa.) (84), fourth-place Shippensburg (77), fifth-place Towson (64), sixth-place Lehigh (49) and seventh-place East Stroudsburg (27).
- Bucknell's 4x800 relay team comprised of sophomore Jennifer Pierce (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands), senior Victoria Gilbert (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom), senior Offeibea Hanson-Hall (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) and senior Erin Cranmer-Hart (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area), won the event in nine minutes, 36.84 seconds.
- Four Bison scored in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Jennifer Grant (Erie, Pa./Erie Villa Maria) won the event in 18:51.05. She was followed by junior Kim Hassett (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) in second (19:08.88), sophomore Erin Heidecker (Waterford, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) in fourth (19:22.10) and sophomore Gabrielle Skovira (Park Ridge, N.J./Park Ridge) in fifth (19:32.83).
- In the 800-meter run, Gilbert took first with a time of 2:16.64.
- Freshman Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) won the pole vault for the second consecutive meet this season. She posted a height of 11-3 ½.
- Senior Amanda Mockbee (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) threw a distance of 43-2 ½ in the shot put to tie the fourth-best mark in program history. She finished second and went on to record a 50-6 in the weight throw for fourth place.
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 - Sophomore Stephanie Evans (York, Pa./Central York) (8.08; No. 6 all-time; Bison Opener)
- Shot Put - Mockbee (43-2 ½; No. 4 all-time; Bucknell Heptagonal)
- Pole Vault - Frey (11-9 ¾; No. 4 all-time; Bison Opener/Gulden Relays)
- 1,600 Sprint Medley Relay - junior Megan Hathaway (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield), Pierce, Evans, sophomore Allison Janda (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) (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 Jan. 22, Gilbert was named Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week for her finishes at the Bucknell Heptagonal. She won the 800-meter run, clocking a time of 2:16.64 and ran the second leg for Bucknell's 4x800 relay team that won the event in 9:36.84 to help the Bison to a first-place team finish.
- 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 -
- The Bison will 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.
