Bucknell Women's Cross Country to Compete at Patriot League Championships on Sunday

Sunday, October 31

Bethlehem, Pa.

11 a.m.

Bucknell University

Patriot League Championships

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bucknell Women's Cross Country to Compete at Patriot League Championships on Sunday

10/27/2021 9:32:00 AM | Women's Cross Country

LEWISBURG, Pa .— The Bucknell University women's cross country team is set to travel to Lehigh on Sunday for the Patriot League Championships set for an 11 a.m. start.

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Bucknell will be making its third of four trips to Bethlehem in the calendar year, after competing in the Patriot League Championships there in the spring and also taking part in the Paul Short Run on October 1.
The Bison had a strong showing in the spring, and will bring back valuable championship experience to this season's edition of the Patriot League Championship.
Bucknell finished third overall as a team with 61 points, just behind Boston University and Army, which finished tied for first with 47 points as the Terriers took a narrow victory.
Ashlyn Ramos returns for her senior season as the defending champion at the meet, and has picked up where she left off in the spring in a solid fall campaign. Ramos earned the win at the Father Bede Invite in her first meet of the season on September 11, and has earned top-20 finishes in her last two meets against elite competition at the Lehigh Paul Short Run and the FSU Invite.
The talented field of competitors at the Paul Short Run included top Patriot League opposition in Georgia Jones and Helen Shearer from Army, who both earned top-20 finishes at the Paul Short Run amongst Patriot League competitors along with Ramos. Jones, who was third in the spring as a first-year, figures to be in the mix, while Shearer will be making her Patriot League Championship debut for the Black Knights.
The top six from last spring's meet all return for this year's edition of the Patriot League Championships in Ramos, Andrea Claeson from Boston University, Jones, Sophia Jacobs-Townsley from Boston University, Sophia Sandy from Army, and Ana Keene from American.
All but one of Bucknell's lineup from the spring returns, with three-time First-Team selection Ashley Blair the lone loss to graduation.
Emily Deschler has also had a strong start to the year and will look to improve upon her 14^th-place finish in the spring. Deschler won the Bison Open to begin the year in being named Patriot League Runner of the Week, and improved by 21 spots in the spring from a 35^th-place finish at the Patriot League Championships in 2019.
Abby Paczewski, Nora Bennett, Olivia Dyer, Kate Amaddio, and Mia Bellucci also return to the fold with another year of championship experience. Bennett and Dyer have both earned All-conference accolades in the past, while Paczewski had a strong outing in her collegiate debut at the PLC in the spring in placing 19^th. Amaddio and Bellucci both improved considerably from year one to year two at the Patriot League Championships as well, improving by 35 and eight spots, respectively.
Dyer will look to get back to her top form after finishing in third as Bucknell's top finisher in 2019 to lead four all-conference picks for the Bison in Hamilton, N.Y. Bennett is no stranger to success at the Patriot League Championships as well, earning two top-ten finishes as a first-year and as a sophomore.
Several newcomers will look to fight for a spot in the Patriot League lineup, with Lauren Trapani and Sarah Policano both impressing in making Bucknell's lineup for Florida State earlier this month. Trapani has been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice this season.
The two first-years both earned impressive top-100 finishes at Florida State, while Karly Forker (111^th) was close behind. Forker, who holds the school record in the mile (4:58.41), last competed at the PLC in 2019, where she finished 85th overall.
Bucknell has claimed four out of the past five individual champions in Ramos, Colleen Buckley (2018), and Christine Bendzinski (2016, 2017). Bucknell has also claimed the most First Team (59) Second Team (32) and Academic All-Patriot League selections (13) to date in the Patriot League.
After the conclusion of the Patriot League Championships, the Bison will look ahead to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships also hosted by Lehigh on Friday, November 12.