Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Winter Classic to Serve as Final Track & Field Lead-up to PL Championships
2/9/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Feb. 9, 2012
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bison track and field has one last shot to make sure everything is in order for the Patriot League Championships, and it will complete its final tune-up this Saturday when it hosts the Bucknell Winter Classic. The first events at Gerhard Fieldhouse get underway 9:30 a.m., starting with the long jump and triple jump. The 60-meter hurdles will open the running events at 11 a.m. Live results will be available at BucknellBison.com for the first time this season.
"We have a lot that we are trying to accomplish this weekend," said head coach Kevin Donner. "Most of our athletes will use this met as a tune-up. Others are trying to claim our last couple of spots for the Patriot League Championships roster. We will be resting a few people, and a lot of other athletes will be competing in their last indoor meet and are gunning for some personal bests."
THROWS
- Tom Barr (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College HS) could hardly have asked for a better week. The senior set the school record in the shot put at 54 feet, 11 ¼ inches and won the weight throw in 63-5 at the Youngstown State Invitational. The performance earned him his fifth Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week honor, which also set a record for the most single-season field athlete awards in league history. To top it all off, Barr was named the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday as well.
- Stephen Koullias (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) has flown under the radar for Bucknell for much of the season thanks to the success of teammates Barr and Quinten Marcott (Wayland, Mich./Wayland). The junior broke into the limelight last weekend, however, placing fourth in the shot put with a career-best throw of 51-4 ¼. Already in the shot put this winter, Koullias has finished third at the Bucknell Mini Meet and Bison Open & Multi, fourth at the Gulden Invitational and fifth at the Bison Opener. His mark at Youngstown State placed him on the program's top-10 list for the first time in his career as he broke in at No. 6.
- The personal records continued on the women's side with Abby Monaghan's (La Plata, Md./La Plata) 53-0 in the weight throw. Monaghan now ranks seventh all-time at Bucknell with her throw that topped her previous season best by more than 2 ½ feet. The junior took second in the event at Youngstown State.
MID-DISTANCE
- Barr was not the only Bison to be recognized by the Patriot League on Monday. Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain) was named the Track Athlete of the Week and Alex Jagelsky (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett) was the Rookie of the Week as well. It was the first career honor for both Bison but the second time this season that Bucknell had swept the men's awards.
- Donaldson won the 500 meters and was second the 800 at Youngstown State. The senior recorded season bests in both races, but his 800-meter time of 1 minute, 53.21 seconds moved him into 10th on the program record list. At 1:04.22 in the 500, he was just .08 seconds off his personal best, which ranks sixth all-time at Bucknell.
- Jagelsky also set a pair of season-best times, winning the 1,000 meters in 2:27.68 and taking sixth in the 800 at 1:54.09. He was less than one second shy of breaking into Bucknell's top 10 in both races.
- Hana Casalnova (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) did not let Beth Braunegg (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) hold on to her 1,000 meter record for long. Just one week after Braunegg set the school record at 2:53.73, Casalnova took over the No. 1 spot with a time of 2:52.96 last Friday. Leading into this winter, Christa Sawko's 2:53.90 had stood as the program record since 2006.
- Bucknell swept the mile at Youngstown State thanks to wins from Tyler Erhard (Millerstown, Pa./East Juniata) and Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport). Erhard's time of 4:15.11 was a career best by almost seven seconds, but the women's squad was the dominant unit in the event. Just behind Tolli was Emily Liggett (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Lawrenceville School (N.J.)) in second place. Each member of the duo set a program top-10 mark with Tolli moved in to fifth (4:58.69) and Liggett in sixth (4:59.15) in program annals.
- Three Bison have broken the five-minute mile barrier for the first time in their careers in the last two weeks including Tolli and Liggett at last week's Youngstown State Invite and Braunegg two weeks ago at the Penn State National Invitational. Prior to this season, only three Bison had clocked in at under five minutes since 2007 - Erin Cranmer-Hart and Christa Sawko in 2007 and Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) in 2009.
DISTANCE
- Bucknell's sweeps at Youngstown State continued at 5,000 meters. D.J. Krystek (Pitcairn, Pa./Gateway Senior) and Melissa Smith (Mercer, Pa./Mercer Area) both claimed victories with the fastest times in their careers. Krystek's 14:56.48 was a slim .5 seconds faster than his previous best. Smith, who clocked in at 17:48.13 last weekend, was a full 15 seconds faster than her career best race entering the season.
- Another of Bucknell's 10 wins last weekend came courtesy of Dave Brown (Westborough, Mass./Westborough). The senior was the victor in the seeded 3,000 meters with a time of 8:30.67. It was Brown's first win since the 5,000 meters at the Bison Opener in December.
SPRINTS
- Recent success in the throws and middle distance have overshadowed the good things Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) has been doing this year. The senior was the team's only two-time winner at Youngstown State as he claimed gold in the 400 meters and as the second leg of the 4x400. The relay, which also included Kevin Tapper (Elkridge, Md./Calvert Hall), Dan Mularz (Englishtown, N.J./Freehold Township) and Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School) ran the seventh-fastest time in Bucknell history (3:18.54). Arent's name can now be found on the program's top-10 lists 13 times, more than any other Bison. Kerry Boyle, Kevin MacLeod and Doug Butler are next on that list with 10 top-10 marks apiece. Andrew Yehl and Donaldson are tied for fifth with eight each.
- Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover) and Jennifer Zymet (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) were also double winners last weekend. Hornock was the top finisher in the 60 meters with a time of 7.78 that put her .01 seconds off her personal best and .03 seconds shy of the school record. Zymet won the 500 meters in 1:15.69, which now ranks her seventh in program history. She also led off the winning 4x400 relay while Hornock ran the anchor leg.
- Even without school record-holder Arent competing in the final of the 60-meter hurdles, Bucknell had plenty to smile about in the event. In one of the Bison's deepest events this year, Christian Lupica (Newtown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep), Jason Brown (Plainville, Mass./Bishop Feehan) and Andrew Powell (Charlton, Mass./St. John's) also qualified for the finals and set three of the fastest times in program history in that final. Lupica remained third (8.18 seconds) at Bucknell, while Brown improved to ninth (8.50) and Powell made the list for the first time in 10th (8.53).
JUMPS
- Jason Brown's success last weekend began in the high jump. The junior, whose time in the 60-meter hurdle prelims would also have been a program top-10 mark had he not run a faster final, also won the field event with a career-best 6-6 ¼.
- Bucknell's women's pole vaulters were also flying high last weekend. Emily Ando (Weston, Conn./Weston) led the Bison at the Youngstown State Invite with a third-place finish, but Autumn Schellenberger (Bethel, Ohio/Bethel Tate), Yanelis Mestre (Westborough, Mass./Noble and Grennough) and Rebekka Vuojolainen (Cranberry, N.J./Princeton HS) set top-10 marks. Schellenberger moved up to tie for sixth all-time at Bucknell with her career best 11-3 ¾. Mestre and Vuojolainen are now tied for ninth at 10-10.
- The triple jump was also a high point for both the Bison men's and women's squads as both of Bucknell's top finishers set career-best marks. Alex Prieto (Princeton Junction, N.J./West Windsor Plainsboro South) took first place in 47-0 ¾, and Alexandra Romanelli (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) was second in 37-8 ½. Both rank among the program's top 10, while Prieto's mark secured an IC4A Championship berth.
IC4A/ECAC UPDATE
- Five Bison women added their name to the list of ECAC qualifiers and nine men added to the list for IC4As last weekend.
- ECAC Qualifiers: Sarah Bella (shot put), Beth Braunegg (1,000), Hana Casalnova (800; 1,000), Madeline Dulac (3,000), Emily Liggett (3,000), Abby Monaghan (weight throw), Caroline Tolli (1,000; mile), Jennifer Zymet (500), distance medley relay
- IC4A Qualifiers: Robert Arent (400; 60m hurdles), Tom Barr (shot put, weight throw), Dave Brown (5,000), Jordan Donaldson (500; 800), Justin Hicks (60; 200), Ray Holmes (triple jump), Dustin Horning (1,000; mile), Alex Jagelsky (800; 1,000), Leonard Joseph (weight throw), Stephen Koullias (shot put), Christian Lupica (200; 60m hurdles), Quinten Marcott (shot put), Andrew Powell (heptathlon), Alex Prieto (triple jump), 4x400, 4x800
LOOKING AHEAD
The championship season will finally be here when Bucknell hosts the 2012 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 17-19 at Gerhard Fieldhouse. Action begins with the multi events at 12 p.m. that Friday and will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. The men will be looking for their first title since 1993. The women's squad, which has won 11 of the last 14 championship trophies, will be attempting a return to the winner's circle for the first time since 2010.
