Bucknell University Athletics
Track and Field Hosts Bucknell Tune-Up on Friday Night
2/12/2015 6:49:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell track and field will host its fourth event of the season with the Bucknell Tune-Up on Friday as it prepares for the Patriot League Championships. The Bison will be joined by Lehigh, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, California (Pa.), and Seton Hill for the one-day event.
“This meet is exactly what the name implies,” said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. “There are a lot of different missions that we are trying to accomplish. We will rest a few of our top athletes while others will compete in one event just to tune up for the league meet. A few others will be trying to improve on their mark to make sure they are in a better heat or flight, and a few others are trying to prove themselves to make our league team. We also have a lot of athletes competing in their last indoor meet of the season and want to end on a high note.”
Both the men's and women's teams have athletes that seem to be peaking at the right time. Numerous team members came through with impressive performances in invitationals at Notre Dame and Youngstown State last weekend.
For the men, senior Andrew Garcia-Garrison was named the Patriot League Male Track Athlete of the Week after running a 4:02.56 in the Meyo Mile. He owns the conference's fastest time in the event this season, as well as the second-best time in the 1,000m (2:23.32).
Freshman Nicholas Lombardo had a great weekend in a pair of events at the Youngstown State National Invite. He won the long jump with a leap of 23-2 ¾ and was second in the high jump after clearing 6-4 ¾.
The women earned two weekly awards, both by freshmen. Christine Bendzinski was named the Patriot League Female Track Athlete of the Week, while Efe Agege won her second straight Rookie of the Week award after competing at Notre Dame. Bendzinski qualified for the ECAC Championships with the second-fastest mile run in school history (4:52.38). Agege turned in the best triple jump in the conference this year with an ECAC-qualifying distance of 40-9 ¾.
Sophia Nnadi represented the Bison well at Youngstown State. The junior won the shot put with an ECAC-qualifying throw of 54-10.
The Bison will travel to Annapolis, Maryland for the Patriot League Championships next weekend. Navy will host the event, which will take place from Feb. 20-22.
Players Mentioned
