Women?s Track and Field Preps for Gulden Invitational on Saturday

1/19/2017 6:04:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

By: TBD

Setting the Scene
What: Gulden Invitational
When: Saturday, January 21, 2017
Where: Gerhard Fieldhouse – Lewisburg, Pa.

About the Bison/Last Time Out
* Bucknell is set to host its third home meet of the season.
* The Bison last competed at the Nittany Lion Challenge, facing some top collegiate programs, including Connecticut, Cornell, Georgetown, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Villanova.
* Allison Sharkey led the Bison with a first-place finish in the 400-meter run, beating out 16 runners with a time of 58.29.
* Christine Bendzinski finished fourth in the 1,000m in her season debut, crossing the line with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 2:50.69, now the fastest time in the Patriot League. Sarah Chandler finished seventh in the race, but her time of 2:52.28 was good enough to meet the ECAC standard.
* Kaitlin Salisbury earned a top-10 finish in the 200m, improving upon her best of 25.64 with a time of 25.57.
* In the distance medley relay, a team of Bendzinski, Chandler, Seline Tan-Torres and Emma Harris finished fourth with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 11:51.34.

Quote from Head Coach Kevin Donner
"The Gulden Invitational has traditionally been our first scored meet of the season and with only one month from leagues, it is an opportunity to see how we respond with a bit more at stake," says coach Donner. "We have a couple of meets under our belt now and a few weeks of training since the holiday break, so we should start seeing some nice results and start jelling as a team. Our goals are to win both sides, but it will not be easy."

Last Year at Gulden Invitational
* The Bison won nine events at the Gulden Invitational last season en route to winning the team title.
* Kafilat Oladiran won the 60 hurdles, setting the school-record in the event with a time of 8.77.
* Chandler won the 800m with a time of 2:15.39, while Bendzinski won the 1,000m with a mark of 2:53.23.
* Kate Scott won the 3,000m in 10:02.02, while Lauren Hudson won the high jump with a leap of 5-4 ½.

ECAC Qualifiers
* Christine Bendzinski (1,000m)
* Sarah Chandler (1,000m, 3,000m)
* Kaitlin Salisbury (60m, long jump)
* Ella Schultz (shot put)
* Allison Sharkey (500m)
* Margaret Sliney (500m)
* DMR

Weekly Awards Won by the Bison
* Sarah Chandler (Dec. 3) – Patriot League Female Runner of the Week
* Kaitlin Salisbury (Dec. 3, Jan. 10) – Patriot League Female Rookie of the Week

Up Next
* A group of Bison will travel back to Penn State to compete in the Penn State National Invitational, while another group will remain in Lewisburg to host the Bison Open. Both meets are set for Jan. 27-28.