Bucknell University Athletics
Women Voted First, Men Second in PL Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
12/6/2013 5:16:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
Patriot League Preseason Poll Release
LEWISBURG, Pa. – As the Bucknell track and field team prepares to kick off its indoor season with the Bison Opener on Saturday, the Patriot League released its preseason poll, featuring the Bison women in the top spot and the men picked to finish second in the newly expanded conference.
The Bucknell women, the defending Patriot League champions in both indoor and outdoor track and field, took home 14 first-place votes and earned 155 points to take the top spot in this year's poll. Navy followed with 144 points and five first-place votes, while Boston University had 130 points and the remaining first-place vote. The Bison are looking forward to taking the first step in their journey towards a repeat performance in Saturday's competition.
“The first meet is always exciting,” said senior captain Jennifer Zymet, a three-time outdoor 400-meter champion who also claimed her first 500 league title last winter. “We have been training since we've been on campus, and we finally get the chance to compete and see where we are at. It's clear from the training that we have been doing that we are in a really good spot right now. Everyone has been working really hard and we are all excited that the season is finally here. I think that we will be very clear this weekend.”
On the men's side, defending indoor champion Navy captured 14 first-place votes and 126 points to take the top spot in the preseason poll. Bucknell, which claimed the outdoor championship title and finished second at the indoor meet, earned the second spot with 109 points, while Boston University rounded out the top three with 102 points and four first-place votes. A talented set of newcomers and a gifted group of returners look to push the Bison past the rest of the conference come championship season, and all will experience their first test this weekend.
“Our team has a very different dynamic then it did last year,” commented Ray Holmes, a senior captain and the defending triple jump champion at both the indoor and outdoor Patriot League championships. “We have a lot of new personnel, but the group is incredibly solid and excited to get the season started this weekend. I think this will be a really solid meet for everyone and a great opportunity for some of the younger athletes to gain experience before things really pick up in the second semester.”
Head coach Kevin Donner, who was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for both the men and women last spring, has nothing but positive things to say as his teams head into their first meet of the winter. “Our goal is to win all four championship titles this year and I firmly believe that both teams are ready to do that,” he commented. “This weekend will be a good indicator of where we are early on in the season and it will help illuminate areas for improvement. Most of our distance runners will not be competing on Saturday, but our sprinters, jumpers and throwers will have a great opportunity to see the results of three months of hard training.”
Bucknell, which will host five meets and the Patriot League Championships in Gerhard Fieldhouse during the indoor season, will be joined by athletes from Bloomsburg, Georgetown, Kutztown, Lock Haven, McDaniel College, the Penn State Track Club, Shippensburg, St. Francis (Pa.), Susquehanna and UMBC in Saturday's Bison Opener. The field events will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the track events scheduled to start one hour later at 10:30 a.m. Live results will be available throughout the competition on the Bucknell Athletics website.
Players Mentioned
