Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field Returns to Action with the 10th Annual Gulden Relays
1/7/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Jan. 7, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell track and field will host its first of four indoor meets during the 2011 calendar year when it holds the 10th annual Gulden Relays at Gerhard Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Bison will welcome UMBC, Mount St. Mary's, McDaniel, Cheyney and the City College of New York to campus after a month-long hiatus.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- When Bucknell was last on the track more than a month ago, the team gave us just enough to be eager for the season to continue. Following his performance at the Bison Opener on Dec. 4, Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) was named the Patriot League Track Athlete and the Susquehanna Valley Bison Athlete of the Week. The junior won the 400 meters with the field's only sub-50 time of 49.53 seconds and anchored the winning 4x400 relay with Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School) and John Picardo (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton Central) in 3:20.81. He also finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with the second-fastest time in program history (8.21).
- Not to be outdone by his elder teammate, Hicks recorded program top-three times in the 300 and 60 meter dashes. The sophomore finished second overall and claimed Bucknell's second-fastest mark ever in the 300, crossing the line in 35.43. His time of 6.89 in the 60 meters bettered his personal-best effort but kept him solidly in third all-time at the university.
- Making their debuts on Bucknell's all-time top-10 list at the Bison Opener were Kamal Riley (Hyde Park, Mass./Charlestown) and Quinten Marcott (Wayland, Mich./Wayland). The freshman Riley is now ranked 10th all-time in the 60 meters after running 7.17 in the prelims. Marcott, who was not ranked previous to the meet, is now third all-time in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 3 inches.
- Bucknell benefitted from its youth at the Bison Opener, as 12 freshmen and sophomores earned 13 top-five finishes. Among them were sophomores Marcott (first, shot put), Hicks (second, 300m; third, 60m), Jason Brown (third, high jump), Christian Brandstetter (fourth, 800m), Leopard Joseph (fourth, weight throw) and Cameron McConnell (fifth, 1000m), and freshmen Ray Holmes (second, triple jump), Jacob Eaton-Hall (third, 500m), Chris Osterlin (fourth, 1000m), Riley (fourth, 200m), Alex Prieto (fourth, triple jump) and Nathaniel Witter (fourth, pole vault).
- Twenty-one current Bison have inked their names on the Bucknell program top-10 list at some point in their careers. Arent leads the pack, appearing on various lists seven times. Only five other names currently appear more on the indoor track and field record lists, including Arent's former teammates Kerry Boyle and Kevin MacLeod who are tops with 11 each. Doug Butler is a part of 10 different top-10 lists, while Andrew Yehl is on nine. Thomas MacLean, who set the school records in the indoor 800 and 1000 meters in 1977 and is a member of the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame, appears on eight lists.
- At last year's Gulden Relays, former Bison Kyle Anthony was named the Field Performer of the Meet after winning the long jump and the triple jump. It was Anthony's third straight year with a victory in the triple jump. Also earning wins at the meet were the 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, distance medley and sprint medley relays. The only relay not to claim gold was the 4x55 shuttle hurdles team, which placed second but ran the fourth-fastest time in program history (30.64).
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell got off to a bit of a slow start as a team at the Bison Opener a month ago, but several individuals still put up some noteworthy performances. Olivia Massey (Westport, Conn./Staples) was eighth in the 60 meters, but the sophomore's time of 8.04 ranked her ninth all-time in program annals. Emily Ando (Weston, Conn./Weston) also broke into the top 10, tying for seventh in program history with a 10-10 clearance in the pole vault. The outing gave the freshman second in the meet.
- Several Bison did earn victories as well at the Bison Opener. As individuals, Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's) won the 5000 meters and Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover) won the long jump.
- Had the Bison Opener been a scored meet, Bucknell would have made some major headway with its long jump results. In addition to Hornock's win with a distance of 18-1, Massey took second, Alyssa Cardillo (Bath, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) was third and Alexandra Romanelli (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) was fourth.
- Heading into the 2011 portion of the schedule, 12 current Bison hold 16 indoor track and field program top10-marks. Only Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) and Christina Muccio (Andover, Mass./Andover) have more than one. Fulmer leads with four (1000m, mile, 4x800, sprint medley), while Muccio has two (55m, 60m).
- At last year's Gulden Relays, former Bison Chelsey Musante was named the Field Performer of the Meet. Musante won the shot put with a then-school-record 46-8 ¾. She eventually improved that mark to 47-10 ¾. All the field events proved friendly at the meet a year ago. Sarah Bella (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) was second in the shot put, while Rebecca Misko (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) was fourth and Laura Rycek (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) was fifth in the event. Amy Mantush and Emily Moles (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) went 1-2 in the high jump, and Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) won the pole vault.
- In two years, Bella has never finished worse than second in the shot put at the Gulden Relays. Now a junior, she also won the event as a freshman with a throw of 40-4 ¾.
- Bucknell has won five straight distance medley and 4x800 relay titles at the Gulden Relays. The last time the Bison did not come away with the win in those events was when they were second in both in 2005. Bucknell fell to James Madison in the 4x800 and to Georgetown in the distance medley that year.
ABOUT ART GULDEN
- Art Gulden, for whom the meet is named, was a legendary Bucknell cross country and track and field coach who passed away in May of 2001 after serving at the Bison's helm for 31 years. He was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Gulden led Bucknell to 68 conference titles and was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year 20 times in 11 years. His men's cross country teams won 18 straight conference titles from 1975-92, and at one point, posted 167 straight dual meet wins over a 16-year span.
- Gulden served in many positions in the world of cross country and track and field including stints as the president of the IC4A Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association and the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association. Gulden was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2009.
- The late head coach sent men's cross country teams to the NCAA Championships nine times in the last 21 years of his career and also saw the women receive an at-large selection to the NCAA meet in 1999 for the first time in school history.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will stray from Gerhard Fieldhouse for its next meet, competing at Saturday Night at the Armory on Jan. 15 in New York.
