Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bison Opener
Bucknell Track & Field Makes Strong Debut at Bison Opener
12/4/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Dec. 4, 2010
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell track and field earned four wins and put nine new marks on the program record lists as it began its 2010-11 campaign with the Bison Opener at Gerhard Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Bison's youth played out well in the unscored meet as seven of those performances that cracked the top-10 came from freshmen and sophomores, including Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School), Kamal Riley (Hyde Park, Mass./Charlestown), Quinten Marcott (Wayland, Mich./Wayland), Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton), Olivia Massey (Westport, Conn./Staples) and Emily Ando (Weston, Conn./Weston).
Before winning the 400 meters, Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) recorded the second-best mark in program history in the 60 meter hurdles. The junior ran two of the fastest times in his career in the hurdles, first crossing the line in 8.29 seconds in the prelims, then bettering that to 8.21 in the finals. That mark placed his second overall in the race. Arent's time of 49.53 earned him the victory in the 400.
Hicks made quite the impact in the record books as well. The sophomore ran the second-fastest 300 meter time in program annals, crossing the line in 35.43 seconds and taking second in the race. His 6.89 seconds in the 60 meter dash ranks third all-time at Bucknell.
Hicks was not the only sprinter to make inroads on Saturday. Freshman Riley ran 7.17 seconds in the prelims of the 60 meters. Although he did not qualify for the finals, his time ties him for 10th in Bison history.
Not to be outdone, Bucknell's field athletes did their part in the season opener. Marcott and Zachary Shapiro (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) took first and second, respectively, in the shot put. Marcott's mark of 51 feet, 3 inches ranks third at Bucknell. Prior to the meet, the sophomore's name did not appear at any position on the record list. Shapiro's mark of 50-10 ¼ moved him up the list to sixth all-time. Also in the throws, Joseph was fourth overall in the weight throw, while his distance of 53-3 ½ is 10th in program history.
"It was a very solid opener for our men," said head coach Kevin Donner. "We have a very well-balanced team and considering it is our first meet, I was very pleased with the results."
Also earning wins for the men's team was Drew Fitzgerald (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) in the high jump with a clearance of 6-7 and the 4x400 relay. Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), Hicks, John Picardo (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton Central) and Arent teamed up for the victory with a time of 3:20.81.
On the women's side, Massey moved onto the top-10 list in the 60 meters. The sophomore ran 8.04 seconds in the finals, giving her eighth place in the race and ninth in Bison history.
Ando kicked off her Bucknell career with a high mark. The freshman's pole vault performance of 10-10 tied her for second in the meet and tied her for seventh on the program's top-10 list.
In other field events, Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover) led a strong unit in the long jump. Her distance of 18-1 earned her the victory. Massey, Alyssa Cardillo (Bath, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) and Alexandra Romanelli (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) finished second through fourth in the event as well. Romanelli also finished third in the triple jump (36-0).
Bucknell's other win came from Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's), who won the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:50.41.
"The 2011 team needs to develop its own identity. We found out a lot about some of our women today," said Donner. "Some are ready for a great year and others need to step up their game in order for us to win a championship. Training over the holiday break will be critical to our success. We have the talent to be successful and now we need to develop it."
After that training during holiday break, Bucknell will return to action for the Gulden Relays at Gerhard Fieldhouse on Jan. 8, 2011.
