Three Women's Track & Field Athletes to Compete Thursday at the NCAA East First Round

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's track & field team sends three athletes to the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida to compete against the finest athletes east of the Mississippi. Evelyn Bliss (javelin), Alexandra Lea (400-meter dash), and Brylee Tereska (javelin) will represent the Orange & Blue in competition. Bliss and Tereska competed last year in the same event while Lea is a first-time qualifier. Any athlete who finishes top 12 in her event qualifies for the NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The track events will be streamed on ESPN+. Updates will be provided on Bucknell's Track & Field X account.

Live Results | Live Stream (Thursday) | Live Stream (Saturday)

What: 2025 NCAA East First Round
Where: University of North Florida-Jacksonville, Fla.
When: Wednesday-Saturday, May 28-31

**Competition Times for Bucknell Participants**
Day	Competition	Athlete(s)	Time
May 29	Javelin	Evelyn Bliss & Brylee Tereska	2:30 p.m.
May 29	400-Meter Dash (Preliminaries)	Alexandra Lea	7:25 p.m.
May 31	400-Meter Dash (Finals)	Alexandra Lea	6:50 p.m.

"We are very proud to have three women at the NCAA East First Round," said head coach Kevin Donner. "Evie is a returning All-American in the javelin and has very high expectations this year. This is Brylee's third trip to the First Round, so she has tremendous experience at this level. Alex is only a freshman and she is the first true sprinter to make the NCAA East First Round ever since the NCAA adopted the present East-West qualifying format. Receiving this great experience so early in her career will only help her in the future."

Bliss did not miss a beat during her sophomore season, entering her second consecutive NCAA East First Round competition with a five-match winning streak, including repeating as the gold medalist at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships. The Bison javelineer finished fifth last season at the 2024 NCAA East First Round and serves as the fourth seed for this year's competition. Bliss earned Second Team All-American status after finishing 13th at the 2024 NCAA National Championships. She will attempt to become Bucknell's first two-time All-American since Maura Fiamoncini (2018, 2019, and 2021) and only the second in Bison history.

Tereska competes in her third straight NCAA East First Round competition, joining Fiamoncini (2018, 2019, and 2021) as a three-time East qualifier. The junior javelineer finished 38th in 2023, improved to 26th in 2024, and is seeded 31st this season. Tereska aims to join Bliss (2024), Fiamoncini (2018, 2019, and 2021), and Laura Rycek (2011) as the fourth Bison javelin thrower to reach the NCAA National Championships.

Fiamoncini offered her alumni-driven insight, "It's great to see the Bucknell women's javelin throwers continuing their success in the post season and I'm wishing them all the best in the first round."

Lea struck like lightning in 2025. The freshman runner blew into the top echelon of regional runners with a historically magnificent performance at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships. Lea conquered the 200 and 400-meter dashes, setting school records in both events, and the meet record in the 400. Her 53.07 time landed her position for qualification. She became the first Bison sprinter to earn qualification under the best time format and first since Catherine Trentacoste (2006) to reach the NCAA First East Round.

Each javelin thrower receives three attempts and the top 12 finishers head to Eugene, Oregon and immaculate Heyward Field for the 2025 NCAA Championships. Should Lea finish in the top 24 for the preliminaries, she will compete in Saturday's quarterfinals to determine the 12 runners who are Eugene bound.

The three newest entries give Bucknell women's track & field 68 all-time outdoor NCAA regional qualifiers. The Bison have seven NCAA championship qualifiers and six All-American honorees.

Three Women's Track & Field Athletes to Compete Thursday at the NCAA East First Round

Players Mentioned

Evelyn Bliss

Alexandra Lea

Brylee Tereska

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