Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Men's Cross Country Hosts Bucknell Open Saturday to Begin 2010 Campaign
9/3/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 3, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's cross country will look to gain some momentum after a third-place finish at last year's Patriot League Championships as it begins its season by hosting the Bucknell Open at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the West Fields. Completing the field at the Bison's lone home meet of the season will be local opponents Bloomsburg, Juniata and Susquehanna. The women's race will follow at 10:15 a.m.
When the Patriot League Preseason Poll was released earlier this week, the Bucknell men's squad found itself ranked fourth with 63 points. The Bison trailed third-place Army by a single point, while Navy (97 points, 13 first-place votes) and American (86 points, three first-place votes) held the top two spots, respectively. The league's preseason poll is determined by a vote of head coaches and sports information directors who cannot vote for their own team.
Below is a more in-depth look at Bucknell men's cross country's 2010 season:
Bucknell men's cross country faces a tall order in 2010 following the loss of several of its key runners, but the Bison have a wealth of talent waiting in the wings and looking to make their move. Bucknell finished third at the Patriot League Championships a year ago and, despite the new-look squad, another finish toward the top of the standings is the goal.
"Navy and American seem to be the clear-cut favorite teams for the Patriot League championship. Both teams return almost everybody from last year, so on paper, those two look to be way up there," said Kevin Donner, who is heading into his 10th season as the Bison's head coach. "Realistically, we would like to finish in the top three again. We also would like to finish in the top 10 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships."
Leading up to those championship meets, Bucknell will be looking to develop its team identity and improve consistency among those expected to move up the ranks this season. Bucknell returns just two of its top seven finishers from last fall's Patriot League Championships. Gone are First Team All-League honorees Andrew Huebner and Kevin McGoldrick, leaving room for a number of other Bison to step into new roles.
"We do return quite a few guys who have been in and out of our varsity top seven the last couple years. They just haven't been consistent," said Donner. "If we can develop some consistency with their training and their racing, I think we might surprise a few people. This is a great opportunity for many of our guys to really step up and put us in a position where we can be competitive within the Patriot League as well as the Mid-Atlantic Championships."
Among those Donner expects to step up are Bucknell's captains - Chris Boyd, Joshua Clark and Justin O'Brien - as well as the Bison's top returning finisher, Charles Murphy. While Boyd has seen most of his success in the Orange and Blue come at the middle distances during track season, the senior also has scored his share of points in the fall. Boyd has shifted in and out of Bucknell's varsity finishers throughout his career, but the Bison will rely heavily on the veteran in 2010.
O'Brien is looking to make the most of his final season in the Orange and Blue and has impressed Donner with his effort to earn a spot at the front of Bucknell's pack. Also a senior, Clark will be shooting to return to his old form after a difficult junior campaign.
"Josh Clark had a tremendous sophomore year for us in cross country where he was consistently in our top seven," said Donner. "Then last year he battled a lot of injuries, but he seems to be in top form now."
Murphy placed 24th at the Patriot League Championships, making him the top returning Bison finisher from last year's meet. Now a senior, he also scored for Bucknell at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championships after claiming a handful of top-15 finishes earlier in the season.
Also expected to make an impact are veterans David Brown and Ian Shore. Brown scored in each of his first three meets and earned his second consecutive top-40 finish at the Patriot League Championships as a sophomore. As two of the most experienced Bison, Brown and Shore find themselves on the verge of helping Bucknell to some more team victories.
The Bison also hope to get some solid production out of their younger runners, including sophomores Robert Yamnicky, who was the Patriot League Rookie of the Week after his first career win at the2009 Bloomsburg Invitational, and Nicholas Blodis.
"He (Yamnicky) had a real good freshman year, and the experience that he gained should put him in a nice position to contribute to the team along with Nicholas Blodis, who finished sixth in the Patriot League steeplechase last year," predicted Donner.
Bucknell's season kicks off with its lone home meet of the year, the Bucknell Open, on Sept. 4. The season continues with a tri-meet at Duquesne (Sept. 18), the Paul Short Memorial Invitational at Lehigh (Oct. 1) and Pre-Nationals at Indiana State (Oct. 16). The Lock Haven Invitational (Oct. 23) serves as the Bison's final tune-up prior to the Patriot League Championships (Oct. 30).
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