Bucknell University Athletics
Track and Field Alumni Return to Compete at Bison Outdoor Classic
4/21/2016 3:12:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell track and field teams put together a fantastic performance at last weekend's Bison Outdoor Classic, setting four new school records, and while the team performed well, several alumni returned to compete in the meet and turned in impressive results.
Former Bison athletes that competed at the meet included Ted Heitzman '12, Kevin Tapper '15, Stephanie Bryan '14, Carly Graytock '00 and Becky Snelson '15.
Heitzman, a 2011 USTFCCCA All-American in the javelin, finished fourth this weekend with a toss of 206-3, which would qualify him for the IC4A Championships. Heitzman was a two-time NCAA Regional qualifier and one of three field athletes to qualify for the national championships in program history. A two-time All-Patriot League selection during his career at Bucknell, he helped the Bison men to an outdoor league title in 2011 with his first-place finish in the javelin. Heitzman's toss of 237-8 in the javelin still ranks as the program record.
Tapper, a three-time All-Patriot League selection, took fifth out of 28 in the triple jump this weekend with a leap of 47-1 ½. Tapper also competed in the long jump, finishing in the top-10 with a jump of 22-2 ½. A track and field standout, Tapper owns school records as a member of the indoor and outdoor 4x400-meter relays along with the indoor distance medley relay. He also owns top-five program marks in the indoor and outdoor triple jumps. Tapper helped the Bison men to conference titles in 2012 and 2013.
Bryan, an ECAC-qualifier in the 10,000, finished first out of 33 runners in the 5,000, with a time of 16:32.04. Her time is good enough to qualify for the ECAC Championships and would set the school record.
Graytock (36:12.67) and Snelson (36:28.69) both competed in the 10,000, finishing third and seventh, respectively.
Snelson was ECAC-qualifier during her time at Bucknell, while Graytock is a member of the Patriot League Cross Country 25th Anniversary Team. Graytock was a three-time All-Patriot League runner and helped the cross-country team win back-to-back conference titles in 1998-99. The 1999 team is the only team in Patriot League history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Following her career at Bucknell, Graytock went on to excel in the marathon. She competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials.
“I think it is fantastic that we have many alumni who still love the sport of track and field and train hard enough to still be competitive against college level athletes,” said head coach Kevin Donner. “These five former student-athletes held their own and all really added a nice dimension to the Bison Outdoor Classic. Some are as good as they were in college and others are even better.”
Players Mentioned
