Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Patriot League Championships
Record-Setting Win in 4x800 Relay Vaults Bison Women into 2nd Place at PL Meet
2/21/2015 7:32:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Bucknell women's track and field team capped off a successful Saturday at the Patriot League Indoor Championships by setting school and league records in the 4x800-meter relay, and the Bison sit in second place with a full day of events still to come on Sunday.
Bucknell's 4x800 relay was comprised of two freshmen (Emma Harris, Christine Bendzinski) and two sophomores (Reagan Cerney, Sarah Chandler), and that young quartet ran a blazing 8:55.51 for a two-second win over Holy Cross. That mark shattered the 14-year-old program record of 8:57.71, as well as Lehigh's Patriot League record of 8:59.55 set in 2009. Bendzinski anchored the relay with a 2:10.9 split.
This was the 13th time in the 25-year history of the Patriot League that Bucknell claimed the gold medal in the indoor 4x800 relay. The last came in 2010.
After collecting the 10 points for the relay win, Bucknell has 45.5 points. Lehigh has the lead with 57. Holy Cross is third with 34.5, followed by Boston University (27.5), Navy (27), Army (25.5), Lafayette (14), American (3) and Colgate (0).
The Bison also notched a silver medal and three bronze medals on Saturday. Katie Jessee, Kate Scott and Deanna Godby placed 2-3-6 in a productive 5,000-meter race. Jessee's runner-up time of 17:11.15 was a personal best and the fourth-fastest in school history. Jessee placed third at the Patriot League Cross Country Championship and was named the Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in the fall.
Sophia Nnadi finished third in the 20-pound weight throw with a mark of 49 feet, 2.25 inches. Tara Lee also scored in the weight with an eighth-place finish at 45-5.75.
Kim Lapszynski was the bronze-medalist in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 18-5.25. That is the eighth-best jump in school history. Also picking up points for the Bison was freshman high-jumper Lauren Hudson, who cleared 5-3.
Also on Saturday, preliminary heats were held in the 60-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles. Five Bison made it through qualifying to advance to Sunday's finals in those events, including three in the hurdles.
Kafilat Oladiran (8.97), Jenn Silvestri (9.01) and Chrissy Haney (9.05) are on to the finals in the hurdles after posting the fifth, sixth and seventh-fastest times in the semis, respectively. Carli Lucke posted the seventh-fastest qualifying time (7.94) in the 60-meter dash, and Kim Nagotko reached the final in the 200 with the seventh-fastest prelim time (25.20).
“It has been a very solid first two days,” said head coach Kevin Donner. “We got everyone in finals of the 60, 60 hurdles and 200 that we expected. High jump, long jump and weight went as expected for us with some nice marks, and the 5K and 4x800 were outstanding. We need to carry this momentum into tomorrow if we want the championship.”
Points will be awarded in 14 more events as the meet concludes on Sunday at Navy.
Players Mentioned
