Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Cross Country Faces Country's Top Squads at Pre-National Invite on Saturday
10/15/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 15, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - For the second meet in a row, Bucknell cross country will compete against some of the top teams in the country when travels to Terre Haute, Ind., for the Brooks Pre-National Invitational on Saturday. Returning to the site of the national championship meet for the first time since 2006, the Bison women will compete in the White Race at 11:35 a.m., followed by the men's squad in the Open Race at 2:05 p.m. Fans can follow the action live at Flotrack.org. Streaming coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- In a field of 40 teams, Bucknell's women will be joined in the White Race by 34 other regionally ranked squads from the U.S. Track & Field Coaches Association polls. Eight of those are among the national leaders as well, including No. 5 Georgetown, No. 9 Colorado, No. 12 Stony Brook, No. 17 Stanford and No. 19 Michigan from the top 20.
- The Bison have seen a handful of this week's opponents already this season. Georgetown, James Madison, La Salle and New Mexico State also joined the Bison at the Paul Short Memorial Invitational two weeks ago. Bucknell was bested at the previous meet by Georgetown, which finished first as a team, as well as James Madison and La Salle.
- Bucknell's top five runners are starting to show themselves. Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional), Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) and Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's) have been the Bison's lead runners in each of the team's first three races. Kelly Grosskurth (Huntington Station, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East) and Alaina Chodoff (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) have also started to establish themselves among the scorers, finishing fourth and fifth on the team in the last two meets.
- Eileen Foley (Herndon, Va./Chantilly) is doing her best to make the most of her senior season as well. After spending much of last year in the middle of the pack, Foley has been among Bucknell's top seven finishers in every meet this fall.
- Four of Bucknell's top five runners at the Paul Short Memorial Invitational on Oct. 1 saw time improvements from a year ago. Most impressive was Grosskurth's finish, which at 22:31 was 44 seconds faster than her time at the 2009 meet at Lehigh. Chodoff, who crossed the line in 22:22, was a full 36 seconds faster this year.
- Bucknell last competed at the Pre-National Invitational in 2006, placing 26th in a field of 37 teams. Leanna Nastase was the Bison's top finisher with a time of 21:25, placing 66th overall. Then a senior, Nastase finished 94th at the NCAA Championships a month later.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell's men will compete in the Open Race on Saturday. The Bison will go head-to-head with Vanderbilt, Wichita State, Eastern Washington and Weber State.
- When the Bison competed at the Paul Short Memorial Invitational two weeks ago, Joshua Clark (Vincentown, N.J./Seneca) returned to the squad's top five. The senior posted Bucknell's best finish with an eight-kilometer time of 25:44.
- Clark's finish in Bethlehem, Pa., was a huge improvement over the time he posted as a junior. Competing in the Paul Short Invite's open race in 2009, Clark was nearly three minutes slower. Among those also enjoying faster times in 2010 were Charles Murphy (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn), Robert Yamnicky (Shelton, Conn./Shelton), Christopher Boyd (Gaithersburg, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton) and D.J. Krystek (Pitcairn, Pa./Gateway Senior).
- Yamnicky has been slowly making his way up the list of Bison finishers this fall. After finishing eighth on the squad to begin the season at the Bucknell Open, the sophomore improved to fourth at the Duquesne Tri-Meet and third at the Paul Short Memorial Invitational.
- Chris Sacks (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) and Boyd are the only two Bison to score in all three meets this season.
- At the 2006 Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., Bucknell's men finished 35th as a team. Leading the way was Matt Forys, who placed 73rd overall as an individual with an 8K time of 24:23. Forys eventually went on to place 75th at the NCAA Championships in November.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will have one more tune-up before heading to Lafayette for the Patriot League Championships. The Bison will next race at the Lock Haven Invitational on Oct. 23. The league meet is set for Oct. 30 in Easton, Pa.
