Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field Opens Home Slate with Bison Outdoor Classic This Weekend
4/14/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
April 14, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - After a week off to recover and train, Bucknell track and field returns to action with its first home meet of the season, hosting the Bison Outdoor Classic at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium April 15-16. The event looks to be the biggest of the year with more than 60 teams scheduled to appear at the two-day meet. Despite it being an unscored meet, the Orange and Blue are hoping to maintain their history of success on their home track as the last time they competed in Lewisburg, they swept earned the both the men's and women's team titles at the 2010 Patriot League Championships.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- The last time the Bison men were on the track, they walked away with a first-place trophy at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) won the 110-meter hurdles (14.58), placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (53.19) and helped the sprint medley relay (3:28.15) to another victory, eventually earning the title of Patriot League Runner of the Week on April 4. Arent's times in the two hurdle races were season bests.
- Bucknell claimed the individual title at the Colonial Relays, besting 35 other teams. The Bison finished with 129.9 points, while second-place Temple had 74.2.
- Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton) was the runner-up in the hammer throw two weeks ago. His distance of 188 feet, 5 inches ranks sixth all-time at Bucknell and was his second personal best in as many meets this spring. Joseph also set a season best in the discus (142-4) at the Colonial Relays, which was good for seventh.
- Four different Bison have improved their place in the all-time rankings this season, and three of them are field athletes. In addition to Joseph in the hammer throw, Tom Barr (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College HS) also moved into 10th in the hammer (169-9) earlier this year. Ted Heitzman (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia) maintained his position of fourth in the javelin, but improved his mark to 221-10. The only runner to break into the top-10 so far is Clayton Smith (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII), whose 11th-place finish in the 800 at the Colonial Relays came in 1 minute, 52.11 seconds. That is good for sixth in program annals.
- For a second consecutive year, Heitzman placed second in the javelin at the Colonial Relays. The junior threw 211-9 on April 2.
- After competing in six events across two meets, Barr has yet to finish lower than fifth place in any of them. The junior opened his season with a trio of second-place finishes - shot put, hammer throw and discus - at the Towson Invitational. A week later at the Colonial Relays, he won the shot put (50-0 ½), and took fourth in the hammer (154-3) and fifth in the discus (150-9).
- Although often overshadowed by his teammates, Ted Mottola (Valhalla, N.Y./Iona Prep) has started to show some signs of consistency. The sophomore has two top-five finishes in the hammer throw this spring, and recently recorded a career-best 161-5 in the event at the Colonial Relays.
- In the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Index, the men's squad was seventh in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Bison were down three spots from the previous week after being inactive. Princeton, Penn State, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Navy comprise the top four in the region.
- At the 2010 Bison Outdoor Classic, Bucknell collected five individual victories. Among them were Arent, who won the 400 hurdles, and Isaih Bell (Clarkston, Ga./Stone Mountain) in the 100 meters. Bell's time of 10.61 seconds still stands as the second-fastest in program history.
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Laura Rycek (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) made it 2-for-2 by winning the javelin at the Colonial Relays two weeks ago. She also won the event at the Towson Invitational earlier in March. With her two victories and impressive marks, the senior was twice named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, the latest coming on April 4.
- Bucknell placed third in a field of 40 squads at the Colonial Relays. It was their best team finish since they started making the trip regularly to Williamsburg three years ago. Previously, their best placing had been fifth in 2009.
- The Orange and Blue's 10,000-meter runners stepped up in a big way at the Colonial Relays. Alaina Chodoff (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East), Melissa Smith (Mercer Pa./Mercer Area) and Eileen Foley (Herndon, Va./Chantilly) took third through fifth in the event, all three earned ECAC Championship-qualifying marks. Chodoff's 37:07.21 was a personal best that ranks 10th all-time at Bucknell and made her one of three runners to break the meet record.
- Despite having competed in just three meets so far this spring, Bucknell has already seen six individuals and two relays set program top-10 marks. In addition to Chodoff in the 10K, Leah Goeke (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) added her name to the 3,000-meter steeplechase list (7th, 11:26.54), while freshmen Emily Ando (Weston, Conn./Weston) and Autumn Schellenberger (Bethel, Ohio/Bethel Tate) are now tied for ninth in the pole vault (10-8). Rycek and Kat Folger (Groton, Mass./Bishop Guertin) have improved their standings in the javelin to second (154-10) and third (143-0), respectively. The 4x200 relay with Jennifer Zymet (Paramus, N.J./Paramus), Christina Muccio (Andover, Mass./Andover), Kristin Bretscher (Farmingville, N.Y./Centereach) and Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover), as well as the distance medley relay with Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), Jamie Leacock (Howell, N.J./Howell), Hana Casalnova (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) and Emily Liggett (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Lawrenceville School (N.J.)) also broke into the top 10.
- The last time Bucknell was on its home track, they were claiming the Patriot League Outdoor Championship trophy for the 11th time in program history. Among the individual winners at the meet was the 4x800 relay - Allison Janda, Tolli, Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) and Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) - that also set the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium record in 8:59.33.
- At the 2010 Bison Outdoor Classic, Rycek won gold in the javelin. Her throw of 143-0 was a season-best. Other highlights included second-place finishes from Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) in the pole vault and Rebecca Misko (Morristown, N.J./Madison) in the discus. Frey's clearance of 11-7 ¾ was a season-best, while Misko's throw of 147-1 still ranks sixth in program history. On the track, Moniz placed sixth in the 5,000 meters. Her mark of 17:16.54 was a career-best at the time and ranked in the Bucknell top-10. She later improved that to 17:03.74, ranking second all-time among Bison.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bison will continue with their home stretch, hosting the Bucknell Team Challenge on April 23. The meet is set for a 9:30 a.m. start at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
