Bucknell University Athletics
NCAA Regional Championships on Tap for Bucknell Cross Country
11/8/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 8, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell cross country will compete one final time as a team this fall when it races at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Friday at University Park, Pa. Both Bison squads were ranked in the top 15 of the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional poll, and both are looking to move up the standings. The women will race at noon, followed by the men at 1:15 p.m.
Expected to be in the men's lineup for the Bison are John Dugan (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey), Robert Yamnicky (Shelton, Conn./Shelton), Andrew Garcia-Garrison (Detroit, Mich./Catholic Central), David Strauss (Orefield, Pa./Parkland), Charles Seigneur (Allison Park, Pa./Allison Park), Brian Charland (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) and Tyler Erhard (Millerstown, Pa./East Juniata). The women's field will include Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), Katie Jessee (Carlisle, Mass./Concord Carlisle), Alison Billas (Danville, Pa./Danville Area), Deanna Godby (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield), Meghan Carroll (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg), Hana Casalnova (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) and Betsy Edinger (Greenwich, N.Y./Greenwich Central).
"I believe our men are ready to step up after a tough finish at Patriot Leagues," said head coach Kevin Donner. "The 10K distance will benefit us. Although we are running a veteran team of three seniors, two juniors and two sophomores, only Dugan and Yamnicky have regional experience. Dugan ran super at leagues and should be in contention for an all regional spot.
"I am excited to see our ladies compete," Donner continued. "Casalnova and Edinger are starting to round into form after some early- to mid-season injuries and sickness, which will give us more depth at the 3-5 spots. Our freshmen in Godby, Billas and Carroll ran great at leagues and I am looking forward to seeing them in their first regional. Tolli and Jessee have been very consistent all season up front, and we think Tolli can be near the top 25 and give us a low score at the top. We definitely want to finish higher than our regional ranking."
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell placed second for the third consecutive season at the Patriot League Championships in late October. The Bison's top finisher was Tolli who, with a seventh-place performance, earned a second straight selection to the All-Patriot League First Team. She is now the sixth Bison to earn multiple first-team accolades since the meet took on its current format in 2002. She joins former teammates Stephanie Fulmer (2008-11) and Sarah Moniz (2009-10) as well as Erin Cranmer-Hart (2006-07), Jennifer Stevens (2005-06) and Leanna Nastase (2005-06).
- For the fourth consecutive season, Bucknell had three runners earn All-Patriot League honors. In addition to Tolli, Godby and Jessee each were named to the second team. It was the first career honor for both, and Godby became the first rookie on the women's side to earn all-league honors since Fulmer and Caitlin Cavanaugh in 2008.
- Tolli continued to rack up the awards on Wednesday when she was named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team for the second time in her career. The senior carries a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in education and Spanish and minoring in religion.
- Bucknell was selected ninth in the Oct. 29 edition of the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. Atop the rankings were Georgetown, Penn State, Villanova, West Virginia and Princeton. Villanova, which shared the team title with Georgetown at the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, has finished first at the regional meet in each of the last three years.
- At the 2011 regional meet in Princess Anne, Md., Bucknell placed 12 in a field of 29 teams. The only two non-seniors to compete for the Bison in that race were Edinger and Tolli, who were 78th and 86th, respectively.
- Penn State hosted the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in 2010 as well. Tolli competed that fall as well, placing 110th as the team was seventh.
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell placed a disappointing fifth in the team standings at the Patriot League Championships two weeks ago, but Dugan was anything but a letdown. The sophomore placed third and earned First Team All-League honors. It was the second time he had been recognized by the league after being named to the second team and the Rookie of the Year last fall.
- Dugan accomplished several things with his All-Patriot League accolades. The award made him the first Bison since Andrew Huebner and Kevin McGoldrick in 2009 to be named to the first team. He is also Bucknell's first sophomore to earn first team honors since recognition took on its current format in 2002. Dugan is the 18th Bison to be named All-Patriot League in back-to-back seasons and the first since Wallace Campbell from 2006-07.
- Bucknell was 13th in the Oct. 29 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. Princeton was ranked first, followed by Georgetown, Villanova, Penn State and Saint Joseph's. Georgetown has won the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in seven of the last eight years.
- The Hoyas won the team title in 2011 while the Bison were 10th when the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships were held in Princess Anne, Md. D.J. Krystek (Pitcairn, Pa./Gateway Senior), who will miss this year's meet while recovering from injury, was Bucknell's top finisher. Dugan, Eric Balaban (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Andrew Kirna (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) were also among the Bison's top six.
- The last time Bucknell competed at a Penn State-hosted Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in 2010, the Bison were 17th in the team standings and Princeton took the overall title. Yamnicky was the only current Bison in that field. Then a sophomore, Yanicky placed 89th on the 10-kilometer course.
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