Bucknell University Athletics
Women’s Track and Field Captures 17th Patriot League Indoor Title
2/19/2017 8:21:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
BOSTON, Mass. – After falling short of the Patriot League indoor title last season, the Bucknell women's track and field team returned to the top of the mountain to reclaim the league championship at Boston University. Bucknell won six events, while 13 athletes earned All-Patriot League honors.
The Bison accumulated 180 points to capture its first indoor title since 2015. Bucknell's run of dominance in the Patriot League continues, as the team has now claimed the indoor championship 17 times since the league's inception in 1990.
After helping a 4x800-meter relay team set the school and Patriot League record with a time of 8:50.58, Christine Bendzinski was crowned Patriot League champion in the mile. She completed the race in 4:57.05, winning the event for the third consecutive season.
Bendzinski wasn't finished, winning in dramatic fashion in the 3,000m with a time of 9:27.37, beating out Lehigh's Maura Henderson by .06. Bendzinski's time breaks her own school record of 9:39.92 and shatters the previous league-best of 9:38.22 set in 2014.
Kaitlin Salisbury became the first Bison since 2011 to become indoor champion in the 60m. She completed the race in 7.67 to earn All-Patriot League honors. She also competed in the triple jump on Sunday, taking fourth with a leap of 39-1 ¼, which is a personal-best and top-10 program mark.
Salisbury was named Patriot League Female Rookie of the Meet, becoming the fourth Bison and the first since Bendzinski in 2015 to earn the citation.
The Bison women weren't done proving to be the Patriot League's best, as a distance medley relay team comprised of Kathleen Fitzgerald, Emily Ryan, Margaret Sliney and Sarah Chandler broke the league mark with a time of 11:42.17, smashing the previous time of 11:52.67 en route to winning the gold medal.
Chandler won the 1,000m for the second straight season, completing the race in 2:53.15. Chandler also reached the podium in the mile with a third-place finish in 4:57.71.
Carli Lucke also received all-league status in the 60m, taking second with a mark of 7.76, a new personal-record and the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Jenna Farmer earned All-Patriot League status in the 1,000m, finishing second in 2:53.28, a new personal-record and top-10 program performance. Margaret Thomson scored for Bucknell in the mile, taking sixth with a time of 5:00.13.
After scoring on Saturday in the weight throw, Ella Schultz earned All-Patriot League honors in the shot put, placing second with a toss of 46-3 ¼, which is a new personal-record and the fifth-best mark in school history. Jenna Phillips added to the Bison score in the event, taking eighth with a toss of 40-4 ¼.
Carly Reiner reached the podium in the triple jump, taking third with a distance of 39-7, a new personal-record and the third-best mark in program history. Alexis Auman scored for the Bison in the event, placing seventh with a jump 38-0 ¾, etching her name onto Bucknell's top-10 list.
In the 4x4 relay, a quartet of Lucke, Allison Sharkey, Laura Papili and Elyse Pettaway finished fourth with a time of 3:51.26.
In the 500m, Sliney posted the second-fastest time in program history, clocking in at 1:13.78 for a fifth-place finish. Pettaway and Sharkey each scored in the 400m with top-10 program marks. Pettaway took fourth with a time of 57.01, while Sharkey finished fifth in 57.16.
Fitzgerald added to the Bison point total in the 800m, finishing sixth in 2:14.38. Jenna Calandro scored in the pole vault with a seventh-place finish, clearing 10-11 ¾.
“Winning this meet in Boston over a fantastic Boston University program ranks as one of our all-time greatest wins,” said head coach Kevin Donner, the Patriot League Women's Track Coach of the Year. “We scored in all 20 events and were able to counter punch every time Boston hit us hard in one of their strongest events. The spirit and atmosphere made it seem like a home meet which helped as well.”
The Bison wrap up the indoor season Mar. 4-5, when the team returns to Boston to compete in the ECAC Indoor Championships.
Team Score
1. Bucknell, 180
2. Boston Univ., 163.33
3. Navy, 112.33
4. Lehigh, 110.33
5. Army, 109
6. Holy Cross, 48
7. Lafayette, 24
8. Loyola (Md.), 14
9. American, 12
10. Colgate, 7
All-Patriot League
Christine Bendzinski – 1st Team (4x8, mile, 3,000m)
Sarah Chandler – 1st Team (4x8, 1,000m, DMR)
Kaitlin Salisbury – 1st Team (60m)
Emma Harris – 1st (4x8)
Margaret Sliney – 1st Team (4x8, DMR)
Kathleen Fitzgerald – 1st Team (DMR)
Emily Ryan – 1st Team (DMR)
Colleen Buckley – 2nd Team (5,000m)
Molly Montalvo – 2nd Team (Weight Throw)
Lauren Hudson – 2nd Team (High Jump)
Carli Lucke – 2nd Team (60m)
Ella Schultz – 2nd Team (Shot Put)
Jenna Farmer – 2nd Team (1,000m)
2017 Patriot League Indoor Major Awards
Patriot League Women's Coach of the Year: Kevin Donner, Bucknell
Patriot League Female Track Athlete of the Meet: Toria Levy, Boston University
Patriot League Female Field Athlete of the Meet: Lovie Burleson, Boston University
Patriot League Female Rookie of the Meet: Kaitlin Salisbury, Bucknell
Players Mentioned
