Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Penn State National Invitational
Bucknell Men's Track & Field Roars Through Day One of Bison Open & Multi, Penn State National Invite
1/28/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Jan. 28, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Location did not seem to matter as Bucknell men's track and field put up some solid performances at three different meets - the Bison Open & Multi, Penn State National Invitational and Millrose Games - on Friday. Four program top-10 times fell, and several Bison finished among the first five in their respective events on the first day of a busy weekend.
At the Penn State National Invitational at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track, the distance medley relay team of Christopher Boyd (Gaithersburg, Md./Thomas Sprigg Wootton), Dennis Logan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), Clayton Smith (Sparta, N.J./Pole John XXIII) and Chris Sacks (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) put together one of the most impressive outings in program history. Not only did the quartet win the relay in 9 minutes 55.24 seconds, but it also ran the third-fastest time in program annals. The top two times on the record list were all run in 1979 by Bucknell Hall of Famer George Buckheit, John McAndrew, Jeff Lockett and Michael Debraggio.
Isaih Bell (Stone Mountain, Ga./Clarkston) placed ninth in the long jump at Penn State. His distance of 23 feet, 5 ½ inches was a personal record for the senior by more than an inch and moved him into sixth place all-time at Bucknell.
At a second location, the 4x400 relay competed at the prestigious Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. Jacob Eaton-Hall (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy), Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), John Picardo (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton Central) and Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) placed fourth in the college division race in a time of 3:25.35. It was the first time a Bison relay had competed at the Millrose Games since 1990.
Not to be outdone by the success on the road, the Orange and Blue put up a strong showing at their home Gerhard Fieldhouse for the Bison Open & Multi. Quinten Marcott (Wayland, Mich./Wayland) claimed the lone victory for the Bison on day one. The sophomore was the victor in the shot put with a personal-best mark of 51-6 ½. That distance keeps Marcott ranked third in program history, a place he took over at the Bison Opener earlier this season.
The field events continued to be kind to Bucknell as Nathaniel Witter (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) tied for the program's 10th-best height in the pole vault. The freshman cleared 15-3 to place second in the meet. He now joins teammate Drew Fitzgerald (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), Mark Campbell and Jeff Arek in the No. 10 spot on the record list.
Andrew Powell (Charlton, Mass./St. John's) put himself in prime position to claim his first win in his first multi-event of the year. The reigning Patriot League champion in the decathlon from last spring, Powell sits in second place after four events in the heptathlon. Helping him to his 2,691 points was a win in the long jump (21-8 ¼) and a second-place showing in the high jump (6-4).
Lock Haven's Chris Ammann leads in the heptathlon with 2,745 points. Competition concludes tomorrow with the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000 meters.
The Bison Open & Multi and the Penn State National Invitational resume tomorrow. Action at Gerhard Fieldhouse will get underway at 9:30 a.m. with the long jump. The Bucknell men's first event at the Nittany Lions' Ashenfelter Track is the 500 meters, set for 11 a.m.
BUCKNELL RESULTS
Millrose Games
Men's 4x400
4. Bucknell - 3:25.35
(Jacob Eaton-Hall, Jordan Donaldson, John Picardo, Robert Arent)
Penn State National Invitational
Men's 60m Prelims
25. Isaih Bell - 6.99
38. Marlon Woods - 7.10
Men's Distance Medley
1. Bucknell - 9:55.24
(Christopher Boyd, Dennis Logan, Clayton Smith, Chris Sacks)
Men's Long Jump
9. Isaih Bell - 23-5 ½
Men's Weight Throw
18. Leonard Joseph - 56-4 ½
22. Tom Barr - 54-2 ¾
23. Zachary Shapiro - 52-4
Bison Open & Multi
Heptathlon (Through four events)
1. Chris Amman (Lock Haven) - 2745
2. Andrew Powell (Bucknell) - 2691
3. Dylan McCoy (Kutztown) - 2423
4. Rich Bills (Monmouth) - 2401
5. Greg Barbier (Bucknell) - 2299
6. Jacob Murray (Kutztown) - 2259
7. Stephen Grib (Bloomsburg) - 2181
8. Andrew Fedder (Monmouth) - 1550
