Women's Track and Field Hosts UMBC, Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday

Sunday, March 28

Lewisburg, Pa.

All Day

Bucknell University

UMBC and Saint Francis (Pa.)

Photo by: Virginia Athletics

Women's Track and Field Hosts UMBC, Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday

3/26/2021 2:54:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

LEWISBURG, Pa.—The Bucknell University women's track and field team will host its first home meet at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium since April 20, 2019 when it hosts UMBC and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday, March 28.

Live Results Meet Info Heat Sheets

About the Bison

Bucknell opened its season last weekend at Virginia, taking on a tough Cavalier team who had competed for a full indoor season prior.
Bucknell had several strong performances on Saturday, with an event victory from Michaela Bracken in the 400m hurdles (1:05.37).
Alex Butz managed a strong day, cleared 12-5.5 in the pole vault to move up to second on the all-time list outdoors, and also placed third in the high jump. Joining Butz in a Bucknell top ten mark in the pole vault was sophomore Jennifer Scott (T-8^th, 11-5.75), who finished sixth.
Meghan Quinn earned a spot on Bucknell's all-time list in the 100 (12.20) in placing third on Saturday, and narrowly missed out on earning a spot in the 200 as well (25.13).
Bucknell will host its first home event since the 2019 Bucknell Team Challenge, which the Bison placed first out of eight teams.
Taylor O'Brien managed a school record for the Bison in the high jump (5-7.25), while Tia Tardy earned an event victory in the 800 (2:12.00). Gianna Macones and Michaela Bracken were also part of Bucknell's ECAC-qualifying 4x100 squad (47.89) that ranks ninth in Bucknell history.

Season Preview

With one meet under their belt already this season, Head Coach Kevin Donner expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the squad against a challenging Power Five opponent on Saturday.

"We competed," said Donner. "If we don't have meets we lose, and if we have meets, we win. It was a long drive, but it was worth every hour we were on the bus. I thought we competed very well. It's great seeing the joy and the smiles, and the sense of normalcy. We took more athletes than we would normally to allow them to get some experience, and I was overall pleased with the results. We are appreciating the moment, and we aren't taking anything for granted."

While Donner said the team usually doesn't host home meets this early, the new regulations in place in the COVID-19 era limits the amount of meets Bucknell can participate, as well as the amount of teams that can compete at Bucknell this weekend.

Bucknell will host UMBC and Saint Francis (Pa.), and Donner stated that there is usually a big improvement between meets one and two for the team.

"The nice thing about a home meet is that everybody can compete," said Donner. "The weather should cooperate, and we're excited to get back out there."

Sprints/Hurdles
Donner will look to improve from last seasons' fifth-place showing at the 2020 Patriot League Indoor Championships, and believes his team is capable of doing just that. While Donner noted that he has a young team, the Bison do return three sprinters who showed promise in their first season in the Orange and Blue in Valerie Fischer, Jessie Castellano, and Mackenzie Turner.

Turner is expected to be back after missing some time earlier this year with an injury, while Fischer and Castellano have proven to be more than capable of competing in the sprints. Fischer ranks ninth in the 500 at Bucknell (1:15.48), while Castellano makes an appearance in the Bucknell top ten in the 300 (42.15). Both will figure to be important players for the Bison in the sprints after the graduation of Christy Mathewson Award winner Kaitlin Salisbury, who will compete in the outdoor season for Rutgers.

Meghan Quinn is a first year who impressed at Virginia on Saturday, placing third in the 100 (12.20), while also taking fourth in the 200. Quinn earned a spot on Bucknell's top ten list in the former, while the native of Lititz, Pennsylvania was just .02 off the mark in the 200 for a top ten placing.

Donner added that in the hurdles, the squad has a lot more depth than in recent years. He noted that first years Emily Grubb and Karen Hull both impressed on Saturday. Hull just missed a top ten mark at Bucknell with her time on Saturday in the 100m hurdles (14.87). Michaela Bracken also put on a strong showing in winning the 400m hurdles (1:05.37).

Mid-Distance
Karly Forker and Tara Lyons return as Bucknell's top two runners in the mid-distance events. Forker was named the Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week after running an ECAC-qualifying time of 4:33.15 on Saturday. Lyons has seen recent success for the Bison in the 800, where she won both the Angry Birds Challenge and the Bison Opener last season. Lyons also competed in the 1000 last season, and ranks sixth at Bucknell in the indoor 800 (2:12.81).

Distance
Donner noted that the Bison also have a lot of options at the distance events, with Patriot League Cross Country individual champion Ashlyn Ramos headlining the list. Ramos is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League pick in cross country, and was also an All-East selection in the 5000 indoors. Ramos was named the most improved runner on the team, and scored in both the 3000 and the 5000 at the 2020 Patriot League Indoor Championships.

The versatile Nora Bennett also impressed on the opening weekend in competing in the 1500 for the Bison. Bennett finished fifth just behind Forker (4:36.83), and Donner added that she could compete in a number of events for the Bison this spring, including the 1500, the steeplechase, and the 5000.

Ashley Blair, a three-time All-Patriot League selection in cross country, also returns. Blair has already put together a remarkable career for the Bison, and ranks fifth in the 3000 on Bucknell's top ten list. Blair placed third in the 10,000 at the 2019 Outdoor Championships, and fifth in the 5,000, and was the Patriot League Champion in the 3,000 at the 2019 Patriot League Indoor Championships.

Emily Deschler earned All-League accolades, in cross country, and Donner notes the junior has improved tremendously. Deschler will figure to be in the mix in both the 5000 and the 10,000.

Several first years including Abby Paczewski and Allyson Clarke will also compete in the distance events going forward.

Throws

Maura Fiamoncini, a two-time All-American, returns for her senior season looking to do more of the same. Fiamoncini will look to return to the national championships, and will also look ahead to the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Taylor Oxley and Riley Beebe are two more options who opened up their outdoor seasons on Saturday, with Beebe placing third overall (125-4).

Delia Sipe, the school record holder in the indoor shot put, returns for her senior season, and will be joined by Abby Whitaker and Daija Misler. All three have competed in both the shot put and the discus, and will provide experienced options for the Bison in those events. Donner believes that all three are able to score at Patriot League events going forward.

Joining the fold in the throws is first year Madison McGloin, who opened up her collegiate campaign with a fourth-place showing in the hammer (154-2).

Jumps

In the jumps, the Bison are headlined by the return of Gianna Macones, who earned an All-East nod at the 2020 ECAC Championships. Macones ranks fourth in the long jump indoors (19-0), and also ranks eighth in the 60H (9.04).

Julia Chakos and Lexi Gray both had limited competition in their first year, but Donner noted that both have made tremendous strides and competed well at Virginia on Saturday.

Samantha Lopes returns in the triple jump, where she placed fourth at the 2019 Indoor Championships. The native of Elizabeth, New Jersey ranks in a tie for fifth in the event in the Bucknell record books indoors.

In the high jump, Alex Butz returns as an All-East performer in both the high jump and the pole vault. Butz finished third in the high jump on Saturday (5-3), and her personal record of 5-5.25 outdoors ranks in a tie for sixth all-time at Bucknell. Butz is an Academic All-Patriot League selection, and has been scored in each of her two appearances in the high jump outdoors, while earning runner-up accolades in last season's Indoor Championships.

First years Olivia Boyce and Abby Kates both ranked high in their respective states in the high jump, while the versatile Bracken has also performed well in the high jump in the past.

First years Grubb and Kaia Slaw will also look to be in the mix in the long jump and provide depth.

Pole Vault
One of the highlights from Saturday's meet, Butz and sophomore Jennifer Scott both posted Bucknell top ten marks. Butz improved on her ranking in clearing 12-5.5 to move up to second in the Bucknell record books behind Bucknell Hall of Famer Melanie Buczko, while Scott impressed in her season debut by clearing 11-5.75, which ranks in a tie for eighth.

Lia Zavattaro finished ninth in the pole vault last season indoors (11-5.75), and will look to break into scoring territory in her junior season.

Multi
Bracken figures to be involved in the multis, where she ranks ninth in the indoor pentathlon (3300). First year Abby Eisold has also impressed in practice, while Lea Bourgeois and Katie Phillips both bring back experience after competing at the Patriot League Indoor Championships a season ago.

"After coming off of a rough year, I believe we have the pieces for a huge improvement this year," said Donner. "We have great balance, and I don't believe we have any holes in our lineup. It was tough missing the indoor season as well as some practice time, but fatigue and burnout won't be an issue with this year's team. We are always looking to compete for a championship, and there are a lot of freshman who can compete for lineup spots this season. I believe that iron sharpens iron, and that we'll have great competition in all of our event groups. "