Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Cross Country Runs Saturday in Detroit Titan Invitational
9/4/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 4, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's men's and women's cross country teams will participate in the 22nd Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Northville, Mich. Bison head coach and University of Detroit Mercy alumnus Kevin Donner founded the event in 1987, during his nine-year stint as head coach of the Titans' women's cross country team from 1984 to 1993. Upon his graduation from Detroit Mercy in 1984, Donner established the Titans' varsity women's cross country team. He led that team to back-to-back Midwestern Collegiate Conference titles in 1986 and 1987. Donner guided Bucknell's women's cross country team to victory in this event three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005.
The Orange and Blue last competed in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in 2005. That year the women's squad won its third consecutive meet title, while the men's team came in first among Division I teams, second overall (behind Wayne State).
A number of current Bison runners participated at the 2005 meet. Current senior co-captain Gillian Nordquist (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) finished ninth overall in the event, while Nicole Falcaro (14th) (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley), Nichole Smith (20th) (Mercer, Pa./Mercer Area), co-captain Jessica Hibbert (31st) (Woodbine, Md./Glenelg) and Ashley Behre (35th) (Flanders, N.J./Mout Olive) also competed. On the men's side, current senior co-captain Clinton Orloski (Butler, Pa./Slippery Rock) finished 26th, while classmate Joe Foley (Howell, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic) placed 36th.
The women's team will be competing in a 5,000-meter (approximately 3.1 miles) event. The field includes two-time defending champion Wayne State, which is paced by two-time defending individual champion Rachelle Malette. Malette placed fifth last year at the NCAA Division II Championships, while her team finished 14th overall.
Eastern Michigan and Michigan are also expected to be very competitive at the meet. The Eagles have won the women's team event seven times, the last coming in 1999, while the Wolverines won in 2002 and finished 21st at the NCAA Division I Championships last year. The host of the event, the Titans, finished sixth in last year's Horizon League Championships.
The Bison men's team will run a four-mile race, featuring a very deep field. Wayne State and the Wayne State Alumni team have combined to win the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational each of the last three years, and Nick Allen, a member of the Wayne State Alumni team has been the individual champion each of the last two years. As a student-athlete at Wayne State, Allen won the individual title in 2003.
Eastern Michigan has won the meet 11 times, including six in a row from 1994 through 1999. The last time the Eagles won the event was 2003, but they are the defending Mid-American Conference Champions. The Oakland Grizzlies placed first in 2002 and finished second in the Summit League in 2007.
Notes from the Bison Open
Both the Bison men's and women's cross country teams finished first in four-team fields at the Bison Open held on Aug. 29.
The women's team was led by freshman Caitlin Cavanaugh (Danville, Pa./Danville Area), who placed second overall in the three-mile event. Sophomore Sarah Moniz (3rd) (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) and freshman Stephanie Fulmer (5th) (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) also placed in the top-five for the Orange and Blue. Nine of the top 11 finishers for the Bison were members of either the freshman or sophomore classes.
Junior co-captain Andrew Huebner (Hampton Falls, N.H./Governor Dummer Academy) won the men's Bison Open, finishing the four-mile event in an impressive 19 minutes, 52.53 seconds. Orloski (3rd) and Donald Sanner (5th) (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) were the next top-two finishers for Bucknell.
The Orange and Blue last competed in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in 2005. That year the women's squad won its third consecutive meet title, while the men's team came in first among Division I teams, second overall (behind Wayne State).
Up Next
Bucknell next returns to competition on Saturday, Sept. 20, competing at both the Buffalo Stampede in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Dickinson Long-Short Course Invitational in Carlisle, Pa. Both the men's and the women's teams will be split, so there will be members from both squads at both events.
The Bison then will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., for the Paul Short Memorial Invitational on Friday, Oct. 3. This meet will serve as preparation for the Patriot League Championships, to be held in Bethlehem on Saturday, Nov. 1.
