Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Bella, Hornock Earn First Team Honors as Bucknell Women's Track & Field Places Second at Patriot League Championships
2/20/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Feb. 20, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Bucknell's Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover) and Sarah Bella (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) both brought home gold medals on the final day of the Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships, helping the Bison to a second-place finish with 117 points at Navy's Wesley A. Brown Field House. Bucknell has placed in the top two at the championship meet in each of the last 13 years.
Bucknell was attempting to defend its team title, but Navy upset the Bison's plans by winning with 157 points. Navy is the only team other than Bucknell to claim a championship since 1997. Rounding out the top half of the standings at the 2011 championships was Lehigh in third (95 points) and Army in fourth (67).
Four Bison earned all-league honors by the end of the day, including first-team selections Bella and Hornock for their victories. Jennifer Zymet (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) and Rebecca Misko (Morristown, N.J./Madison) were both second-team honorees.
A year after finishing second to teammate Chelsey Musante in the shot put, Bell got her individual title on Sunday. The junior threw a season-best by nearly three feet and ended up with the win at 44 feet, 3 ¼ inches. Bella was joined at the top of the podium by Misko, who placed second. Misko put up the best mark of her career, throwing 43-3 ¼. The junior now ranks sixth all-time at Bucknell.
Bella is Bucknell's fourth Patriot League shot put champion. She has placed in the top four of the event in each of her three championship meets.
Bucknell was hoping for lots of points in the sprints after much success in the preliminary rounds. The Bison were not disappointed as Hornock claimed the first individual gold medal of her career, winning the 60-meter dash. The sophomore crossed the line in 7.86 seconds, a mere three-hundredths of a second in front on second-place Kelly Clyde of Lafayette.
Zymet added to Bucknell's points total in the 200 and 400 meters. The freshman was the runner-up in the 400 and took third in the 200. Her 400-meter time of 57.49 seconds was nearly a second faster than her personal best and moved her into fifth all-time on the program record lists.
Taylor Funk (Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant Area) and Jamie Leacock (Howell, N.J./Howell) continued their fast weekend in the 60-meter hurdles. Both set career-best marks in Saturday's prelims, but they topped themselves again in the finals. Funk was fourth with a time of 8.96 seconds, while Leacock was fifth in 9.02. Those times rank third and fourth, respectively, in Bucknell's record books. It was the first race of Funk's career that she broke the nine-second mark.
Bucknell finished in packs in several other events as well. Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and Emily Ando (Weston, Conn./Weston) were third and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault. Casey Krause (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) was third in the triple jump, while Alexandra Romanelli (Galloway, N.J./ Absegami) was fourth. Romanelli's 37-4 was a career best, while Krause's 37-5 ¾ was a season high. Krause also recorded her best mark of the season in the long jump yesterday, clearing 17-4 ¼ for ninth place.
On the track, Erin Holbrook (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) and Emily Waksmunski (Carrolltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) were fourth and fifth in the 800 meters. Holbrook was also a member of the distance medley relay that placed third with a time of 12:19.52. She was joined by Erin Horleman (Beach Haven, N.J./Southern Regional), Beth Braunegg (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) and Kady Weisner (Saint Mary's, Pa./Elk County Catholic).
Bucknell will have a bit of time off before its next championship meet. The Bison will head to Boston for the ECAC Championships March 5-6.
Final Women's Team Standings
1. Navy - 157
2. Bucknell - 117
3. Lehigh - 95
4. Army - 67
5. Colgate - 58
6. Lafayette - 50
7. Holy Cross - 48
8. American - 28
