Track and Field Primed for Annual Gulden Invitational

1/24/2014 10:48:00 AM | Men's Track and Field

By: TBD

LEWISBURG, Pa. – After easing into the indoor season with the Bison Opener and the Bucknell Mini Meet, the Bucknell track and field team will begin to ramp up the competitive intensity on Saturday when it hosts the annual Gulden Invitational at Gerhard Fieldhouse. The Bison, who will also play host for the Patriot League track and field championships in February, will square off against student-athletes from Bloomsburg, Chicago State, East Stroudsburg, Howard, Mount St. Mary's, Shippensburg, St. Francis (Pa.) and Towson in the one-day competition that will crown both individual and team champions.

“I always consider the Gulden Invitational the true start to our season,” said head track and field coach Kevin Donner, the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year. “We began the season with a rust-buster in December and then another one after the holidays, and this weekend we will be testing all of our athletes in the first scored meet of the year to see how they respond to the pressure.”

The Bucknell women, the defending Patriot League champions in both indoor and outdoor track and field, have turned in solid performances in the first two meets of the year, alluding to the unlimited potential of a squad that mixes proven veterans with young talent. The Bison, who were picked to finish first in the conference's preseason poll, have claimed nine first-place finishes in the past two meets, with junior Kim Nagotko (200 meter dash), sophomore Alison Billas (mile), sophomore Deanna Godby (3000 meter run), sophomore Devon McDonald (high jump) and freshman Carly Reiner (triple jump) all claiming top honors in their events at the Bucknell Mini Meet. Additionally, freshman Allison Sharkey finished fourth in the 300 meter dash in her last outing, improving upon the program top-10 mark that she ran at the Bison Opener. The rookie currently stands as the eighth-fastest performer in the event in school history, with a time of 42.53.

On the men's side, the first two meets of the season have produced multiple school records, top-10 marks, IC4A cuts and first-place finishes, a testament to the ambitious nature of the squad. Bucknell, which was picked to finish second in the Patriot League preseason poll, has proven that it has what it takes to be a first-place squad. Junior Christian Lupica set school records in both the 300 meter dash (34.62) and the 60 meter hurdles (8.03) at the Bison Opener, earning Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week and Bison Athlete of the Week honors on Dec. 9 for his performances. His time in the hurdles was an IC4A cut, and freshman Malachi Bostic-Wattley (200 meter dash), senior Jacob Eaton Hall (200 meter dash), junior Jack Fellows (weight throw) and the 4x400 relay team of junior Kevin Tapper, Eaton Hall, senior Dennis Logan and sophomore Anthony Menza have also achieved qualifying marks for the end-of-season competition in March.

In spite of the impressive early season outings for both squads, Coach Donner and his teams remain focused on their objectives for each meet, all of which are designed to help them obtain their ultimate goal: two Patriot League championship titles in February.

“I am still not concerned about the times and distances yet,” allowed Donner. “I want to see the athletes fight for high places and points this weekend. The competition looks great, and both teams will be challenged.”

Saturday's action begins with the field events at 10 a.m., and the track events are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. Live results will be available throughout the competition on the Bucknell Athletics website.