Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track & Field's Lupica, Webster, Nagotko Take Three Weekly Awards
4/22/2013 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
April 22, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Three Bison track and field athletes set four school records at Saturday's Bucknell Team Challenge and all three earned weekly honors on Monday for their performances. Christian Lupica (Newtown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) was named the Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week, while Luke Webster (Pataskala, Ohio/Newark Catholic) was the league's Field Athlete of the Week. Kim Nagotko (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) led the way on the women's side, earning the title of Bison Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career.
Lupica swept the hurdles races, winning both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400 hurdles. His time in the shorter of the two events was the fastest in program history as he clocked in at 13.96 seconds. The sophomore is now the first Bison to finish in under 14 seconds in the event. His win at the 400-meter distance came in 55.11 seconds.
Lupica capped off his weekend by helping the 4x100 relay to a tie for second place. Anchoring the squad, the Bsion finished in 42.54 seconds.
The Track Athlete of the Week honor is the second of the season for Lupica, who also received the award on April 8 after setting the 110 hurdle record the first time. Bucknell has now claimed the league's top weekly track award in each of the last three voting periods. In between Lupica's two accolades was Justin Hicks on April 15.
Webster earned his first honor from the league with a nod as the Field Athlete of the Week. Like Lupica, Webster broke his own school record in the discus. His top throw of 172-3 was two inches farther than his previous standard set a week ago. The senior also scored in the shot put and the hammer throw, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. His 161-1 mark in the hammer was a season best, while his 51-1 ¼ in the shot was just shy of his best 2013 distance.
Nagotko broke records in the 100 and 200 meters on Saturday. The sophomore finished third in the 100 meters with a time of 12.05, rewriting the standard last set in 1990 by Tricia Plasko. Thanks to Nagotko, the 200-meter record is now 24.59, besting the previous record of 24.60 held by Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famer Yetunde Daniels. Daniels' mark came during the 2000 season.
As if Nagotko's individual accomplishments weren't enough, the sprinter also helped the 4x100 relay to a second-place finish. The quartet's time of 47.74 is good for third in program history.
The Bison earned a pair of top-two finishes in the overall standings at the Bucknell Team Challenge. The men's squad won its fifth consecutive team trophy, while the women were second, trailing only Penn State.
The championship season is quickly approaching for Bucknell, which will compete at the Penn Relays (April 25-27) in Philadelphia and the Maroon & Gold Invitational in Bloomsburg, Pa., (April 27) this weekend. The Bison will then turn their attention to the Patriot League Championships, set for May 3-4 in Bethlehem, Pa.
