Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Cross Country Eyes Success at Saturday's Patriot League Championships
10/28/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - As cooler weather moves in, the postseason is heating up for Bucknell cross country. The Bison will travel to Easton, Pa., on Saturday, Oct. 30 for the Patriot League Championships with the women racing at 11 a.m. followed by the men at noon. The Bison women's squad will be aiming for a repeat of last year when it won its eighth league title in program history. The men will be looking to overcome key losses to graduation and maintain their position among the league's top three.
The last time Bucknell raced at Lafayette for a Patriot League title, the women tied Navy for first with 58 points. The men's squad ultimately placed fourth with 95 points, trailing American (47 point), Navy (48) and Army (78).
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell spent its last weekend before the championship season competing at the Lock Haven River Run last Saturday. With the usual top runners resting prior to the Patriot League meet, the Bison finished fifth as a team. Allison Donaghy (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) led the squad with a ninth-place finish, completing the six-kilometer course in 22 minutes, 40 seconds.
- Donaghy's performance earned the junior her first career honor from the Patriot League on Monday, claiming the title of Runner of the Week. Stephanie Bryan (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) was also recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week after finishing third on the team and 18th overall in Lock Haven. The awards were the first of the season for the Bucknell women.
- Bucknell has been consistent at the top this season. Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) was the first Bison finisher in three of her four meets. Joining the junior among the team's top three in each of their races this fall are Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) and Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's). Fulmer, Moniz and Hooper are the only Bison to score in all four of their 2010 meets.
- By scoring at the Lock Haven River Run, Bryan and Kady Weisner (St. Mary's, Pa./Elk County Catholic) are the only Bucknell freshmen to claim points in 2010. Bryan and Weisner also scored in their collegiate debut at the Bucknell Open.
- The Bison have a tall order to fill if they are going to equal their performance at the 2009 Patriot League Championships. Three runners - Fulmer, Moniz and Alexa Griffiths (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) earned All-Patriot League honors, and Kevin Donner was named the Women's Coach of the Year as the Bison claimed their eighth league title in program history.
- Donner's Coach of the Year honors were the fourth of his career. He was also recognized as the Patriot League's top coach on the women's side in 2001, 2005 and 2006.
- Fulmer will be running for her third career all-league selection on Saturday. Now a junior, Fulmer is a two-time first-team honoree having finished second overall and taking Rookie of the Meet honors as a freshman followed by a sixth-place performance a year ago.
- Although she has scored in all three of her Patriot League Championships, Moniz experienced quite the breakthrough last season. The senior co-captain earned her first career All-Patriot League selection in 2009, finishing eighth at the championship meet. She then went on to collect her first-ever all-league accolades in indoor and outdoor track and field later in the year.
- Bucknell was picked first in the 2010 Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Bison were followed immediately by No. 2 Navy, No. 3 Army and No. 4 Colgate. Two months later, several Patriot League squads find themselves among their region's best. Bucknell is eighth in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region Poll. Navy is just ahead in seventh, while Lehigh and Lafayette trail in 14th and 15th, respectively. Colgate is 10th in the USTFCCCA's Northeast poll.
- Colgate's Elise DeRoo, who will be defending her individual title, has three Patriot League Runner of the Week awards on her resume for this fall. Navy's Jess Palacio added two Runner of the Week honors making them the only athletes with multiple selections in 2010.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- When the Bison men traveled to the Lock Haven River Run last Saturday, they took third in the team standings, just two points behind second-place Indiana University of Pennsylvania. With the usual top finishers on the sidelines, Charles Murphy (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) led Bucknell, finishing 10th overall with a 10K time of 25:31.
- The Monday following the race in Lock Haven, Murphy was named the Patriot League Runner of the Week for the first time in his career. Freshman Tyler Erhard (Millerstown, Pa./East Juniata) was also awarded the league's Rookie of the Week with a 32nd-place finish in just his second collegiate meet. The accolades were the third and fourth of the season for the Bison men. Chris Sacks (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) was named the Rookie of the Week twice early in the season.
- Bucknell leads the Patriot League with three male Rookie of the Week honors this year. Lehigh and Holy Cross are the only two foes to earn multiple awards for their top freshmen.
- Bucknell has received contributions from a variety of runners this year. The Bison have had four different athletes lead the team in five meets. Sacks was the top Bucknell finisher at the Bucknell Open, and Keith Sansone (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) led at the Duquesne Tri-Meet. Joshua Clark (Vincentown, N.J./Seneca) was the Bison's lead runner each of the next two races before Murphy filled the role at Lock Haven.
- No Bison has scored in more than three meets this fall. Christopher Boyd (Gaithersburg, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton), Clark, Robert Yamnicky (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) and Sacks each have tallied points on three occasions. Five other Bison have scored once during the season. Sacks is also the only freshman to score in 2010.
- Bucknell finished third as team at the 2009 Patriot League Championships. Four of the Bison's scorers graduated, however, leaving Murphy as the most experienced runner on the squad. Murphy was 24th overall and fourth on the team at last year's meet.
- The last time the Bucknell men won a Patriot League Championship was in 1999.
- The Bison were picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, being edged out of the top three by a single point. First place went to Navy, the two-time defending champions. The Midshipmen were followed by American and Army. Navy is currently ranked fifth in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll, while American is seventh and Lehigh is 14th.
- Navy's Andrew Hanko has dominated in the Patriot League's weekly awards. The senior has five Runner of the Week citations this fall and 10 in his career. Four of those came in consecutive weeks from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 13 when they travel to University Park, Pa., for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. Races at Penn State's Blue & White Golf Course are set for a 10 a.m. start.
