Men's Track and Field Looks for Seventh Straight Bucknell Team Challenge Title

4/17/2015 7:56:00 PM | Men's Track and Field

By: TBD

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's track and field looks for its seventh straight title at the Bucknell Team Challenge, which will be held at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Bison will be joined at the eight-team event by Binghamton, Duquesne, Lock Haven, Mount St. Mary's, Penn State, Saint Francis and Towson.

“The Team Challenge gets us back to the basics of scored meets and going for a good place to help the team,” said Bucknell head coach Kevin Donner. “Although winning the meet is a priority, it is more important that we set ourselves up for the league championship in two weeks and do what is best for our athletes. For some, it is doing their primary events and for others it is doing secondary events to set up for two weeks from now.”

The Bison will compete on their home track for the second straight week after hosting over 70 teams for the Bison Outdoor Classic last weekend. Joseph Breen was the standout performer for Bucknell at that event, setting a school record in the shot put. His throw of 55-5 ½ was well over a foot better than the previous record of 54-2 ½ set by Tom Barr in 2012.

Bucknell finished first among six teams at the Team Challenge last season, scoring 239 points. Penn State was second with 153, while Lock Haven took third with 73 ½.

Andrew Garcia-Garrison is the lone returning individual winner from last season. He crossed the line first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.23. The senior is the reigning Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week after running the fastest 1,500m in the conference this season at the Bison Outdoor Classic.

Jack Fellows had an outstanding day at the meet last season, placing second in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The Bison took second in every throwing event, as Laddie Trees was the runner-up in the javelin.

Other returning runner-up finishers for Bucknell were Christian Lupica (400m hurdles) and Ross Pirnie (3,000m steeplechase). Grant Reynolds took third in the 400m hurdles and fourth in the 110m hurdles, Peter Murray was third in the 3,000m, and Kevin Tapper placed fourth in both the 400m and the triple jump.

In addition to the action on the track, Bucknell will be honoring multiple individuals for Senior Day, as well as the 1989-90 men's cross country and track and field teams, the 1989 women's cross country team, the 2010 women's cross country and track and field teams and the 2010 men's track and field teams.