Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field to Compete at Akron Quad Friday
1/14/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 14, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell track and field will head to Ohio to compete in the Akron Quad on Friday, Jan. 15. The Bison men will take on the host Akron Zips and South Florida, while the women will face those teams plus Cincinnati at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House with competition slated to begin at 7 p.m.
"We are going against three bigger public schools from major conferences with scholarships, and the competition will be fierce," said head coach Kevin Donner, who said his teams are eager to compete in Akron. "This will be a great meet for our athletes to rise to another level, and handling the pressure of this meet will be tremendous preparation for the upcoming Patriot League Championships. All these teams are well-balanced across all the events, and there are a few NCAA qualifiers spread throughout. I was honored that Akron asked us to be a part of this meet and we look to rise to the occasion."
The meet will be a rare trip away from Gerhard Fieldhouse for the Bison. Bucknell opened the indoor season with back-to-back home meets and will return to its own track for the Bucknell Heptagonal later this month following the quadrangular in Ohio.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Marlon Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) and Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School) each earned league honors on Tuesday. Woods was named the Patriot League/M-F Athletic Track Athlete of the Week after placing second in the 60-meter dash and leading off for the winning 4x200 relay at the Gulden Relays last Saturday. Hicks, who finished third in the 60 and anchored the 4x200, was selected as the Patriot League/M-F Athletic Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive voting period.
- Woods and Hicks led a very successful Bison contingent at the Gulden Relays. Bucknell claimed victories in the 4x400, 4x800 and sprint and distance medley relays. The Bison also took second in the 4x55 shuttle hurdles.
- The field events fared very well in the Bison's last meet. Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central) was named the Field Performer of the Meet after winning the triple and long jumps, and Timothy Medlock (Evan Mills, N.Y./Indian River) and Tom Barr (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College HS) took 1-2 in the shot put.
- The last time the Bison competed at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House came in February 2008 at the Akron Open. Five current student-athletes posted marks in the Bucknell top-10 ledger at the meet, including Guy Castranova (Trenton, N.J./Notre Dame) in the 400 (49.18), Medlock in the shot put (52-1 3/4), Anthony in the triple jump (47-3 1/2), Andrew Yehl (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) in the 60-meter hurdles (8.38) and Drew Fitzgerald (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) in the high jump (6-6 3/4). Four of those five marks have since improved with Yehl and Medlock eventually taking over the school records.
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Chelsey Musante (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) kicked off the awards with the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday. Musante earned the honor after winning the shot put at the Gulden Relays with a school-record mark of 46-8 3/4 and being named the Field Performer of the Meet.
- Musante was not the only thrower to see success at the Gulden Relays last Saturday, as Sarah Bella (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) placed second behind her teammate in the shot put. Bella's throw of 45-5 1/4 moved her up the top-10 list as well, placing her third all-time at Bucknell. Abigail Monaghan (La Plata, Md./La Plata) took second in the weight throw (49-0 1/4). Other field event titles came from Amy Mantush (Drums, Pa./Hazelton) in the high jump (5-5) and Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) in the pole vault (11-3 3/4).
- On the track, the Bison earned five first-place finishes last weekend. The 4x400, 4x800, sprint and distance medley, and 4x55 shuttle hurdle relays each led in their respective races.
- When the Bison competed at the Akron Open in 2008, three athletes earned top-five finishes, including Kati Dempsey (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) who won the high jump (5-5) with the sixth-best height in school history. Current Bison Laura Cundey (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) placed fourth in the mile (5:17.05), and Alaina Chodoff (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) took fifth in the 3,000 meters (10:44.60).
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bison will return to the track next week with the Bucknell Heptagonal on Saturday, Jan. 23. Competition at Gerhard Fieldhouse begins at 10 a.m.
