Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
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Bison Cross Country Teams Dominate at Season Opener
9/4/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 4, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's cross country teams opened their 2010 seasons on a cool, breezy morning at the West Fields, and both Bison squads dominated the non-scored meet. Freshman Chris Sacks (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) won the men's race, while junior Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) took first for the women. The women's team swept the top eight places, while the men took seven of the top eight and 10 of the top 12 spots.
The men went out first against fellow Pennsylvania teams Bloomsburg, Juniata and Susquehanna. Sacks completed the three-mile layout in 14:56, just a stride ahead of runner-up Evan Novakowski (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury). Bloomsburg's Bobby Furman took third, then Bucknell runners took the next five spots.
D.J. Krystek (Pitcairn, Pa./Gateway Senior) finished fourth, followed in succession by Christopher Boyd (Gaithersburg, Md./Thomas S. Whooton), Joshua Clark (Shamong, N.J./Seneca), Keith Sansone (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) and Charles Muprhy (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn).
"We treated this like a dress rehearsal," said Bison head coach Kevin Donner. "We trained hard throughout the week. We wanted the guys to run in a pack for the first mile, then see what we had the last two miles. I was very pleased with the pack, and it was great to see a freshman win the race. At some upcoming meets we are going to need the pack to go a little faster and adjust to the longer distance."
For the women, returning All-Patriot Leaguers Fulmer and Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) appeared to be in top form. Fulmer (17:13) and Moniz (17:14) pulled away from the field, finishing 1-2 by 30 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's).
Freshmen Stephanie Bryan (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) and Kady Weisner (Saint Mary's, Pa./Elk County Catholic) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Alaina Chodoff (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East), Eileen Foley (Herndon, Va./Chantilly) and Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) finished off the top-eight sweep.
Susquehanna's Alycia Woodruff was the top non-Bucknell finisher, placing ninth in 18:13.
"Stephanie and Sarah are really running at a very high level right now," said Donner. "Their times are faster than any women we've had on this course. They are both national-caliber runners. For us to be where we ultimately want to be as a team, we need a few women to get a bit closer to them. All told it was a very solid performance for the first meet."
Both Bison teams will be back in action on Sept. 18 in Pittsburgh, taking on Pitt and Duquesne in a tri-meet.
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