Bison Women Vying for Patriot League Title This Weekend

Bendzinski Named Bison Athlete of the Week

Bison Women Vying for Patriot League Title This Weekend

2/13/2018 12:51:00 AM | Women's Track and Field

By: TBD

Setting the Scene

What: Patriot League Indoor Championships

When: Feb. 17-18

Where: Gerhard Fieldhouse- Lewisburg, Pa.

Watch: (SUNDAY ONLY): Patriot League Network

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

About The Bison/Last Time Out

The Bison return to action after competing last Friday at the Bucknell Tune-Up at Gerhard Fieldhouse. Bucknell won eight events at the final meet before the league championships.
Kafilat Oladiran set a new school record in a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.69).
Carli Luke had a strong showing in the 60-meter dash finishing with a personal best 7.70 and moved up to second on Bucknell's all-time-top-10 list.
Lauren Hudson (high jump), Kaitlin Salisbury (200m), Alexis Auman (triple jump), Ella Schultz (shot put), Madeleine Hunt (1,000m) and Lauren Gronbeck (3,000m) each won their respective event.
Bucknell claimed team honors by scoring 213.9 points, outdistancing runner-up Lehigh, which compiled 172.2.
Bucknell owns top-five marks in the Patriot League in 13 events, including the top times in the mile, 3,000m and the 4X800 relay.

Patriot League Indoor Championships History

Bucknell is looking to capture its second consecutive indoor title and third over the past four years.
The Bison have claimed the Patriot League indoor championship 17 times in program history (1992-93, 98-00, 2002-2008, 2010, 2012-13, 2015, 2017).
Christine Bendzinski, who is one of the best distance runners in Bucknell and PL history has enjoyed plenty of success at the Patriot League Indoor Championships throughout her collegiate career. Bendzinski has won the mile event for three-straight seasons. She has also finished in the top-five in each of her last three years in the 3,000-meter run. She broke the school record in the mile in two straight meets, one of which was the Scarlet and White Invite on Feb 3, and the other at the Penn State National Open back on Jan. 26.
Kafilat Oladiran's highest finish at PL Championships was her sophomore season back in 2015 when she placed fourth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.94 seconds. Flash forward to present day, and she should have a great chance to medal in the event, having just broken the school record at last weekend's Bucknell Tune-Up by running an 8.69. She currently has the second fastest time in the Patriot League.
Kaitlin Salisbury (7.67) and Carli Lucke (7.76) took the top two spots in the 60-meter dash at last season's PL Championships.
Jenna Farmer finished second in the 1,000m at the 2017 PL Championships with a time of 2:53.48. She will have a chance to compete for the top spot this year.
Tardy has had quite the first year for the Bison and has the opportunity to make a big impact at the meet this year. She has the second-fastest times in the Patriot League in both the 800-meter (2:10.27) and 1,000-meter runs (2:51.31). Tardy earned PL Rookie of the Week honors back on January 30, and the first-year athlete has a chance to win some events at the first championship meet of her collegiate career.
Colleen Buckley, Kaitlin Salisbury, Ella Schultz, and Lauren Hudson each rank in the top-five in the PL in their respective events. Buckley has the top time in the 3,000m (9:39.05), and trails only Holy Cross Jenna Gasparrini (17:09.43) and American's Adriana Hooks (17:17.24) in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:25.67. Salisbury has the fourth-best long jump in the PL with a leap of 18-9 ¼ that she earned at the Gulden Invitational back on Jan. 20. Schultz currently has the third-best shot put in the PL after last weekend's performance at the Bucknell Tune-Up in which she tossed 46-1 ¼. Hudson is ranked fourth in the high jump in the Patriot League after clearing 5-5 ¾ at the Gulden Invitational last month.
The Bison will be looking to win consecutive PL Titles for the eighth time in program history. (1992-93, 1998-99, 2002-2003, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2012-13). Over the past 15 years, Bucknell women's track and field has accumulated 12 PL championship victories.
A team comprised of Christine Bendzinski, Sarah Chandler, Emma Harris, and Seline Tan-Torres set the program and Patriot League Record in the 4X800 relay with a time of 8:53.53 in 2017.
Bendzinski (mile, 1,000m, 4X800 relay) and Kafilat Oladiran (60 hurdles) are the two returning first team honor winners from last year's Patriot League Championships.
The All-Patriot League team is determined by the results from the championship meet, with the winners in each event, including the relays, earning First Team honors and the second-place finishers taking home Second Team accolades.
Bucknell is hosting the PL Indoor Championships for the eighth time. The Bison won the meet on their home track in 2000 and 2004, and they have never finished lower than third place at Gerhard Fieldhouse.