Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Bison Women's Track Takes Three More Titles, Moves into First at Patriot League Championships
2/20/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Feb. 20, 2010
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Bucknell women's track added three more individual titles and entered a tie for first place in the team standings at the Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships at Army's Gillis Fieldhouse on Saturday. Amy Mantush (Drums, Pa./Hazelton), who also won the pentathlon yesterday, claimed her second victory of the meet in the high jump, while Chelsey Musante (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) won the weight throw and the 4x800 relay earned gold on the track.
Mantush cleared 5 feet, 8 inches in the high jump for her second individual gold of the meet. The height ties her career best, which is also the Bucknell school record. Second in the event was Navy's Kristin Smith, who fell a full three inches behind Mantush.
Bucknell's field events continued to be strong as always as Musante defended her weight throw title. The senior recorded a distance of 59-7, bettering her previous personal best by two feet. Musante won the weight throw a year ago on her way to being named the Co-Field Athlete of the Meet.
The Bison earned their first win in the running events with a victory from the 4x800 relay in 9 minutes, 13.73 seconds. Bucknell did it with a mix of youth and experience as the team consisted of freshman, Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), sophomore Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) and seniors Allison Janda (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) and Jennifer Pierce (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands). The unit's time also qualifies them for the ECAC Championships in two weeks' time.
Although they did not collect a win, the Bucknell long jumpers had a strong showing. Pierce scored in a second contest, taking fifth in the field event with a distance of 17-4 1/4. Teammate Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover) showed that her strong freshman campaign has not been a fluke by becoming the second Bison to score in the long jump. She finished sixth with an identical mark to Pierce.
Hornock will have another opportunity to collect points for the Bison when she competes in the 60-meter finals tomorrow. She and Christina Muccio (Andover, Mass./Andover) both qualified for the ultimate race. Muccio was third (7.96) in the semifinals, followed by Hornock in eighth (8.00).
Also qualifying for final heats on Sunday were Jamie Leacock (Howell, N.J./Howell) and Taylor Funk (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant Area) in the 60-meter hurdles, and Kalle James-Wintjen (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) in the 200.
With all of its success in the first two days of the league championships, Bucknell sits atop the leader board in the team standings but is sharing the top spot with Navy. Both squads have accumulated 43 points with 14 events remaining. Lehigh is in third with 38 points.
The Bison will return to the track tomorrow in an attempt to claim its eighth league title in nine years. Competition on the women's side begins with the mile at 12:15 p.m.
