Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Bucknell's Powell, 4x800 Win on Day Two of Patriot League Track & Field Championships
2/19/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Feb. 19, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Bucknell's Andrew Powell (Charlton, Mass./St. John's) collected the first gold medal of the Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships at Navy's Wesley A. Brown Field House on Saturday, winning the heptathlon with 4,967 points. He was not the only Bison to claim a victory, however, as the 4x800 relay was the first to cross the line with one of the best times in program history. With one day remaining in competition, Bucknell finds itself in second place in the team standings.
Powell put together one of the most complete performances in Bucknell history. The junior picked up his third individual win in the heptathlon with a time of 8.63 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. He was also the top finisher in the high jump and long jump yesterday. By the final event, Powell had tallied 4,967 points, the second-most in school history.
After never claiming heptathlon gold at the indoor championships, Bucknell has now taken the title in back-to-back years. Recent graduate Ryan White was the winner in 2010. Powell also made it his personal second consecutive victory after winning the decathlon at the outdoor league championships last spring.
Powell did not limit his points to just the heptathlon. He was also third in high jump, clearing 6 feet, 8 ¼ inches. The mark was just one-half inch off his career best, which he set in the heptathlon on Friday and which is tied for seventh all-time at Bucknell.
Not to be outdone, the 4x800 relay of Christopher Boyd (Gaithersburg, Md./Thomas Sprigg Whootton), Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), Chris Sacks (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) and Clayton Smith (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII) added another 10 points to the Bison's team score with a win. The quartet edged out second-place Colgate with a time of 7:34.15, breaking the Navy facility's record and recording the fifth-fastest time in program history.
Also claiming one of the top finishes of the day was Isaih Bell (Stone Mountain, Ga./Clarkston) in the long jump. Bell was second with a mark of 23-3 ¼. His day also included qualifying for the finals in the 60- and 200-meter dashes. His 60-meter time in the semifinals of 6.95 seconds was his fastest of the day, while his 200-meter time of 22.00 seconds is fourth all-time at Bucknell.
Advancing to the finals in the two sprints are Marlon Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) in the 60 and Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) in the 200. Arent ran a 22.18 in the 200 prelims, the fastest time of his career that also ranks fifth in program annals, but his performance in the 60-meter hurdles was even more impressive. The junior was second in the prelims with a time of 8.13, putting him one-hundredth of a second off the school record.
Some of Bucknell's other top finishers included Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton), Tom Barr (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College HS) and Zachary Shapiro (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) in the weight throw. All three Bison scored, led by Joseph who was third (56-0 ½). Barr took fourth (55-2 ¾), followed by Shapiro in sixth (57-7 ¾). Drew Fitzgerald (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) was fourth in the long jump (22-8).
With one day left in the meet, Bucknell is second in the team standings with 53 points. The Bison trail Navy by just seven and have a 14-point lead on Army. Action on Sunday gets underway at 10 a.m.
Men's Heptathlon Results
1. Andrew Powell (Bucknell) – 4,967 points
2. Michael Bliss (Army) – 4,868
3. Rand Montermini (Navy) – 4,725
4. Ryan Paquin (Lehigh) – 4,646
5. Kyle Forrest (Lehigh) – 4,560
9. Nick Carboni (Lafayette) – 3,958
10. Greg Barbier (Bucknell) – 3,569
11. Scott Samson (Lehigh) – 3,462
Revised Men's Team Standings (after 6 events)
1. Navy - 60
2. Bucknell - 53
3. Army - 39
4. American - 13.5
5. Lehigh - 11.5
6. Colgate - 8
7. Holy Cross - 1
8. Lafayette - 0
