Surveying the Field: A Men's Track & Field Season Preview

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Surveying the Field: A Men's Track & Field Season Preview

1/12/2023 6:30:00 PM | Men's Track and Field

Lewisburg, Pa.- The 2022-23 track and field season has finally come upon us, and the men's team for Bucknell is eager to hit the course to bring home the indoor and outdoor titles. Last season, the men placed fifth in the indoor Patriot League championships and fourth in the outdoor championship.

The team returns 14 athletes who scored points in either indoor or outdoor Patriot League Championships last year.

Sprints and Hurdles

This group rapidly improved during the 2021-22 season and the progress will pay off in the upcoming campaign. Rayven Sample, who scored points in the 400 in both the indoor and outdoor championships and is a Paralympic, returns for the Bison. Ethan Wolford-Tuffy has proven himself in the 400 meters for both indoor and outdoor arenas. Matthew Perello during last year improved drastically in the 100m and 200m events. Brian Scotto is the top hurdler and has bounced back from injuries. Brandon Foust had a great outdoor season in 2021-22. Freshman Cooper Hyken is expected to make a splash and has already qualified for the IC4A.

Middle Distance

The top returner is Colby Belczyk who impressed at last season's IC4A indoor meet. Bobby Lynam is extremely strong in the 1500 and the mile run. Alex Simpson and Zachary Jelinek are expected to play key roles in the season.

Long Distance

Samuel Whittaker, a top cross-country runner, returns to the track and field herd. He medaled in the 2021-22 outdoor 5000m event. Ben Santos will be running the 3k and 5k events. Noah Martin has scored points in the steeplechase over the last few seasons. Jeffrey Gibbs walked onto the team last year and narrowly missed scoring points when he finished ninth in the steeplechase.

Jumps

Matt Federovich scored in the Patriot League outdoor long jump last season. Chris Sims, a football player, is one of the top triple jumpers. Tristan An is a versatile jumper capable of competing in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Grant Ellis was one of the top high jumpers from 2021-22. Jeffrey Cianfrocca, a freshman, displays much promise as seen by his performances in December's meet.

Pole Vault

Franco Perinotti scored in both the indoor and outdoor championships.

Throws

Robert Feeney scored in the IC4A and outdoors in the hammer and in indoors for the weight throw. John Calisi has drastically improved in the weight throw as compared to last year. He also scored in the hammer during the IC4A championships last spring. Anthony Zamarra is the top returning shot-put thrower and scored in the Patriot League indoor and outdoor championships. The top javelin thrower is Trevor Drescher and he has qualified for the IC4A. Braden Stryker is healthy and ready to continue his hot start from December. Recruiting has been strong in the event with many young gun freshmen. Wade Shomper, the Pennsylvanian state champion in discus and shot-put. Robert Lerner was one of the top discus and shot-put throwers in New Jersey. Keenan LaMontagne was one of the top discus throwers in Connecticut.

Heptathlon

Franco Perinotti, the top pole vaulter, also excels in the heptathlon. Miguel Negrete provides great depth in the event as he battles back from the injuries that plagued last year's campaign.

Overall Team Outlook

"I believe we have a lot of potential as a team," said head coach Kevin Donner. "We have a balanced team. It is balanced as far as lots of experience and leadership along with young people fighting for positions. What hurt us the most last year were injuries. We fought the injury bug and never got to full strength. If we can keep the injuries under control and cut down on them that we could also be contending for a top-3 spot in the Patriot League Championship. Navy is the big favorite. Army and Boston are quite good. We are a dark horse if we can control the injuries."

Meets to Watch For

Indoor

Gulden Invitational on Jan. 21