Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA East Preliminaries
Bison Track & Field's Joseph Qualifies for Second Straight NCAA Championship
5/25/2013 8:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
May 25, 2013
GREENSBORO, N.C. - For the second consecutive year, Bucknell men's track and field's Leonard Joseph (Whitesboro, N.Y./Clinton) advanced to the NCAA Championship after placing eighth in the hammer throw at the East Preliminaries, hosted by North Carolina A&T on Saturday afternoon. Joseph finished the day with a throw of 206-8, punching his ticket to the national championships in Eugene, Ore., June 5-8.
Just as was the case a year ago, Joseph turned in his best throw of the day on his final attempt. On Saturday, the senior was never really in danger of falling out of the top 12, but his throw of 206-8 moved him back up to the No. 8 spot in the field. The top 12 finishers in each event qualify for the national final.
Joseph entered Saturday's final eighth having thrown as far as 205-7 in his first three attempts. He then hovered around the nine and 10 spots in the standings until his final throw. He ultimately finished higher than his seed entering the meet, which was 10th.
In 2012, Joseph placed 12th at the East Prelims and earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships, which were held in Des Moines, Iowa. At the national meet, he placed 17th and earned an Honorable Mention All-America citation.
Joseph is the first Bison field athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championship more than once. He is also just the sixth in program history in any event to advance in consecutive seasons. Thomas McLean (1975-77) in the 800 meters and George Buckheit (1977-79) in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters were three-time qualifiers, while Bob Bickel and Lee Edmonds both advanced in the 10K from 1978-79. Until Joseph on Saturday, the most recent multi-season qualifier was Rick Sayre in the steeplechase from 1980-81.
In stark contrast to Joseph's success, fellow Bison Christian Lupica struggled in his first career NCAA East Prelims appearance on Friday. The sophomore, who is recovering from an injury suffered at the Patriot League Championships earlier this month, did not finish his first-round race in the 110-meter hurdles.
Winning the hammer on Saturday was Florida's Jeremy Postin at 222-5. Earning the final qualifying spot was Sam Bombaugh of Louisville, throwing 201-0.
BUCKNELL RESULTS
Saturday, May 25
Hammer Throw: 8. Leonard Joseph - 206-8
Friday, May 24
110m Hurdles First Round - DNF. Christian Lupica
