Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bison Opener
Men's Track & Field Claims Five First-Place Finishes in 2021-22 Bison Opener
12/4/2021 10:11:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
Final Results
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's track & field earned five first-place finishes in the first indoor meet of the 2021-22 season, and a pair of Bison moved into top ten all-time spots in the Bucknell record books on Saturday at the Bison Opener.
"It was great to compete indoors once again after no indoor season at all last year, and to have nine other schools along with spectators just felt like a sense of normalcy," said head coach Kevin Donner. "I thought both teams competed very well, and I was especially pleased with the spirit and support that I saw among our entire program. We saw some great things from some people and will also identify some areas that we need to improve upon if we want our traditional balanced team. I'm going to dissect the results tonight and come up with a plan for our next meet in January. I like balanced teams in all the different event groups, and I saw that today."
Bucknell's Miguel Negrete completed his heptathlon performance on Saturday with a third-place finish and 4,597 points to land on Bucknell's all-time top ten list. In the heptathlon's events, the sophomore placed first in pole vault, second in shot put, third in long jump, and third in the 60m dash en route to a ninth all-time placement in school history.
Also grabbing a top ten spot in the record books was rookie Brian Scotto, who ran an 8.31 in the 60m hurdles, which was good enough for sixth all-time in school history. Scotto wound up third in the finals with a time of 8.86.
Bucknell's first top finisher of the day was sophomore Ethan Wolford-Tuffy in the 400m (49.55). He was followed by rookie teammate Sam Coughlin, who placed third (52.42).
Another first-year Bison making a splash in his collegiate debut was Colby Belczyk, who finished first in the 800 (1:56.55).
Senior Owen Chase placed first for Bucknell in the 3,000 (8:36.35), and junior Anthony Zamarra took first in shot put with a 53-02.25, entering the all-time top ten at ninth. Meanwhile, sophomore Alex Simpson led a host of Bison in the 500m with a time of 1:07.65.
Bucknell captured three of the top four spots in the 3,000, led by senior Owen Chase (8:36.35). Following Chase in second place was fellow senior Matt Cervon with a personal best 8:59.61.
Senior Ian Lawrence took second overall in the triple jump, clearing 44-06.75, and sophomore Robert Feeney placed third in the weight throw (53-01.50). Also earning a top three finish at the meet and recording a new personal record was senior Thomas Matsumura in the mile (4:25.61).
Bucknell shined in the 4x400 relays to conclude the meet, claiming both first and second overall. Rayven Sample, Sam Coughlin, Brian Kennedy and Wolford-Tuffy led the pack with a 3:26.43 finish.
Bucknell won't compete again until the Nittany Lion Challenge in State College, Pa. on Jan. 15, 2022. The Penn State meet kicks off a series of seven competitions slated before the Patriot League Championships in late February.
Players Mentioned
