Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field Trio Earns Patriot League Accolades
4/15/2013 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
April 15, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell track and field racked up the awards on Monday after a successful home opener last weekend. Justin Hicks (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill School) and Beth Braunegg (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) were named Patriot League Track Athletes of the Week, while Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton) added two honors to his resume. The senior was selected as both the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week and the Bison Athlete of the Week with his record-setting performance at the Bison Outdoor Classic.
Joseph broke the school record in the hammer throw, winning the event at the home meet with a mark of 209-11. The senior took the No. 1 spot that had been held by Jim Heizman since 1996. In his career, Heizman earned All-America status in the hammer before graduating.
Joseph's win in the hammer on Sunday was the second in as many meets this season. At the Bison Outdoor Classic, he was the only competitor to finish with a throw of better than 200 feet. He also won the Colonial Relays a week earlier, setting qualifying marks for the IC4A Championships in both meets.
Joseph did more than just win the hammer in record-breaking fashion at the Bison Outdoor Classic. He also placed fifth in the discus with a season-best 154-7.
The Field Athlete of the Week honor is the first of the season for Joseph and the fifth of his career. It is the first time in his career that he has been named the Bison Athlete of the Week.
Hicks and Braunegg both collected their first career Track Athlete of the Week citations. Hicks' came with a trio of top-three finishes and some of the best times in program history. The senior won the 100 meters in his first race this season at that distance, clocking in at 10.74 seconds. He then took fourth in the 200 with a time of 21.42 seconds. That ranks fourth on the Bucknell record list as well.
Hicks' weekend also included a second-place showing in the 4x100 relay. Running the second leg with Jacob Eaton Hall, Kamal Riley and Christian Lupica, Hicks and the Bison clocked in at 41.61, which was an IC4A-qualifying time. It would have also made the program top-10 list had the same quartet not already set the fifth-fastest time earlier this year.
Braunegg's Bison Outdoor Classic was slightly less busy but equally successful compared to her male teammates. The junior finished eighth in the 1,500 meters with the best time of her career. Crossing the finish line in 4:30.38 gave her the No. 4 spot on the program's top-10 list and guaranteed her an appearance at the ECAC Championships.
Braunegg has a run a career best that moved her up the record lists in the 1,500 in each of her last two meets. Running at the Colonial Relays in early April, she was 15th in 4:33.60, which ranked eighth-best in program history at the time.
With Braunegg's latest race, current Bison now hold the schools' fourth-, fifth- and sixth-fastest 1,500 times. Hana Casalnova (4:31.13) and Caroline Tolli (4:31.18) rank just behind their teammate.
The Bison will host the Bucknell Team Challenge on Saturday to conclude their home schedule. Competition at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium is set to get underway at 9:30 a.m.
