Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field Aims to Make Splash at Navy in Patriot League Championships This Weekend
2/19/2009 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Feb. 19, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's and women's track and field teams begin their postseason schedule with the Patriot League Championships at Navy this weekend. Action leads off with the heptathlon and pentathlon on Friday, Feb. 20 and continues through Sunday, Feb. 20 at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis, Md.
After winning the title in 2008, the Orange and Blue women will go for their eighth consecutive championship and 13th overall. With the first-place team finish last season, Bucknell tied the Patriot League record for most consecutive titles by a women's program and became the leader in total championships by a women's program.
Navy won the men's title last year at Gerhard Fieldhouse, setting the stage for Bucknell to return the favor by beating the Midshipmen on their home turf in 2009. Although the Bison earned their best team finish since 2002, the Mids finished ahead of second-place Bucknell 188.5 points to 138.
The Bison are coming off a solid performance at the Bucknell Winter Classic last weekend in which four men and three women earned first-place finishes. The tally included Sarah Bella's (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) toss of 43 feet, 4.25 inches in the shot put that led her to her first Patriot League Rookie of the Week accolade.
Bella's next appearance will not come until Sunday's shot put competition, but the rest of the Bison will be in action starting at noon on Friday with the first day of the heptathlon, followed by the pentathlon at 12:15 p.m.
Saturday kicks off with the final three heptathlon events at 8:45 a.m. The women's weight throw, featuring Bucknell's three-time league field athlete of the week Chelsey Musante (Shelton, Conn./Shelton), and the men's high jump lead things off in the field events. Running begins at 1 p.m. with the Bison's Andrew Yehl (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) in the 60-meter hurdles.
Competition on Sunday is set for a 10 a.m. start with the women's pole vault, featuring Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), twice a Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week this winter. The men's mile is slated for a noon start to lead off the final day's running events.
Tickets for the Championships are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and students. Championship passes for all three days can also be purchased at the Wesley A. Brown Field House for $7 for adults and $5 for youth and students.
