Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field Opens Home Schedule with Two-Day Outdoor Classic
4/12/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
April 12, 2012
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - For the first time this spring, Bucknell will host an outdoor track and field meet. The two-day Bison Outdoor Classic is scheduled to run April 14 through April 15 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium with Saturday featuring field events and distance races beginning at 1 p.m. The remaining events are set for a 10:30 a.m. start on Sunday. Live results for the Outdoor Classic will be available at BucknellBison.com.
Although the Bison Outdoor Classic is an unscored meet, Bucknell traditionally collects a handful of individual wins in the large field of competitors. Last spring, the men's squad earned seven total wins - six individuals and one relay - and only one of those victors graduated. The women's team has similar numbers with three wins and only one loss to graduation.
SPRINTS
- Bucknell earned two awards from the Patriot League on Monday and one of them came from success in the sprints. Kim Nagotko (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) was named the league's Rookie of the Week after she helped the 4x200 relay to a school record at the Colonial Relays at William & Mary. She also ran the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay, which claimed the second-fastest time in school history. Both relays finished third at the meet.
- Also on the school-record setting 4x200 relay were Jennifer Zymet (Paramus, N.J./Paramus), Emma Rice (West Roxbury, Mass./Boston Latin School) and Sasha Hornock (Dover, Pa./Dover). Nagotko anchored the unit that finished in 1:41.40, and was the only Bison to compete on both the 4x200 and distance medley relay.
- After setting the school record in the 4x200, Zymet and Hornock now have their name at the top of two record lists. The duo also makes up half of the Bucknell record-holding 4x100 relay. Five former Bison also have at least a share in multiple outdoor school records - Yetunde Daniels (200, 400, sprint medley relay), Christa Sawko (800, 1500, DMR), Stephanie Bango (4x400, 4x800, SMR), LaTonya McSwain (4x400, 4x800, SMR) and Catherine Trentacoste (100 hurdles, DMR).
- More top-10 times fell on the men's side as well. Christian Lupica (Newtown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) was ninth overall in the 200 meters, and his 21.69-second finish made him an IC4A qualifier with the ninth-fastest time in program annals.
- Kamal Riley (Charlestown, Mass./Hyde Park) worked his way into second place in the 100 meters at the Colonial Relays. The sophomore was one of several underclassmen to dominate the event. Riley trailed only a freshman from Hampton, while two of the remaining three finalists were also sophomores or younger.
HURDLES
- The men's hurdles continued to be a high point for Bucknell. Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) broke his own school record in the 110-meter hurdles, and Lupica ran back-to-back personal bests in the same event. At 14.31 seconds, Arent was one-hundredth of a second faster than his previous best set at last year's Patriot League Championships. Lupica ran 14.51 in the semis, then improved to 14.47 in the finals, giving him the fourth-best time in program history.
- Four Bison in program history currently hold more than one outdoor school record, and Arent (110 hurdles, 400 hurdles) is one of them. He joins Thomas McLean (400, 800, 4x400), Noel Powell (100, long jump) and Mark Hulme (1500, 4x800). McLean and Hulme are both in the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame.
- Arent has now qualified for the IC4A Championships in both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles. Last weekend, the senior ran 52.82 in the longer race. It was the second time in two meets that he had recorded an IC4A-qualifying mark at that distance.
- Taylor Funk (Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Mt. Pleasant) continues to lead the Bison in the 100-meter hurdles. The senior ran a season-best time with a 14.66 in the prelims at the Colonial Relays. She ultimately finished eighth in 14.94.
MID-DISTANCE/DISTANCE
- The 800 and 10,000 meters turned out to be notable distances for the Bison at the Colonial Relays. Michael McGowan (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) was second in the 10K with a time of 30:22.55. The finish earned him his first Patriot League Rookie of the Week nod in outdoor track. On the women's side, Stefanie Spanfeller (New York, N.Y./Nightingale-Bamford) and Stephanie Bryan (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) placed third and fourth, respectively.
- Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain) was eighth overall and sixth among collegiate finishers in the men's 800. With a time of 1:53.04, the Bison senior trailed only runners run Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Villanova and Virginia, putting him in good company with some of the leading teams in the East.
- Caroline Tolli (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) was not the first Bison finisher in the 800, nor was she among the top 15 overall. The junior did record one of the best times in program history, however. Tolli placed 17th overall in 2:13.05. She now ranks 10th all-time at Bucknell. It is the first time in her career that she has ranked among the top-10 in the outdoor 800.
THROWS
- Few opponents have been able to truly challenge Bucknell's throwers this spring. At the Colonial Relays, Bucknell claimed three gold medals, two silvers and three bronzes.
- The discus has been a high point in particular for the women's squad. In two meets, Bucknell has two wins in the event with Rebecca Misko (Morristown, N.J./Madison) taking top honors two weeks ago at the Towson Invitational and Abby Monaghan (La Plata, Md./La Plata) moving to the front at William & Mary. Monaghan started her season by placing second in the discus at Towson.
- Thanks to Laddie Trees (Washington, D.C./Deerfield Academy (Mass.)), the Bucknell men are undefeated in the javelin this spring. The freshman has won the event at both meets, including the Colonial Relays with a throw of 205 feet, 5 inches.
- The Bison men's throwers have won five out of eight possible gold medals in the last two meets. They just missed the sweep at Towson, winning the hammer throw, javelin and discus. The lone miss was the shot put where Tom Barr (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College HS) was second, but the senior still set a school record. Last weekend at the Colonial Relays, Quinten Marcott (Wayland, Mich./Wayland) joined Trees in the winner's circle with a victory in the shot put. Luke Webster (Pataskala, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton) were second in the discus and hammer throw, respectively.
- Adding their names to the list of IC4A and ECAC qualifiers last weekend were Joseph, Kat Folger (Groton, Mass./Bishop Guertin) and Monaghan. Joseph put up a 194-2 performance in the hammer, and Folger threw 143-10 in the javelin. It was the 2012 debut for both. Monaghan's 146-9 in the discus also gave her the seventh-best throw in Bucknell history.
JUMPS/POLE VAULT
- Since medaling in the pole vault at the Patriot League Indoor Championships, Daniel Markwalter (Vienna, Va./Thomas Jefferson S&T) has maintained that progress outdoors. The junior was third in the University division at the Colonial Relays, clearing a career-best 15-3. He is now part of a six-way tie for fifth in program history along with Mark Campbell, Tim Evans, J.C. Whittaker, Jeff Arek and Jason Inzana.
- Bucknell's horizontal jumpers made some big strides between their first two weeks of competition. Ray Holmes (Campbell, N.Y./Campbell-Savona Central) improved his triple jump distance by more than a foot since competing at Towson. He was fourth in the University division at the Colonial Relays with a career-best mark of 46-8 ¾. Alex Prieto (Princeton Junction, N.J./West Windsor Plainsboro South) had a similar result. His 46-3 ¼ in the triple jump was more than two feet better than his Towson mark and less than five inches off his personal best set late last April at Bloomsburg.
- Alexandra Romanelli (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) tied her career best in the long jump last weekend. The junior cleared 17-10 ¼, a mark she also recorded at the 2011 Patriot League Championships.
RELAYS
- Bucknell had to call on its depth with last weekend's meet putting so much emphasis on relays. Still, some Bison got extra time to shine with their teammates. Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School) competed on three relays - the 4x100, 4x400 and sprint medley. The junior helped the 4x100 and 4x400 to IC4A-qualifying marks.
- The women's relays were a bit more balanced with seven different Bison competing on two squads - Funk (4x100, 4x400), Zymet, Rice and Hornock (4x100, 4x200), Nagotko (4x200, DMR), Hana Casalnova (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) (4x400, DMR) and Chelsea Lodato (Matawan, N.J./Old Bridge) (4x400, 4x800). Nagotko was the only Bison in that group to record more than one program top-10 time.
- Four of the Bucknell men's seven relays finished in fifth place or better at William & Mary.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bison will remain at home for their next meet, hosting the Bucknell Team Challenge April 21 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell will also hold its Senior Day and the 30-year reunion for the 1981-82 cross country and track and field teams on that Saturday.
