Tag: women’s track

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Sports Track & Field Women

Women’s track blows away competition

By Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s track and field team dominated in its last weekend of regular-season complete squad competition, winning the Bucknell Team Challenge on Saturday. The Bison beat out top teams including Duquesne, Penn State and Towson, earning a decisive 196.5 total points, over 70 more than second-place Duquesne.

On the track, it was the 800 meters where the Bison shone the brightest. Hana Casalnova ’14, Beth Braunegg ’14 and Caroline Tolli ’13 swept the top three spots on the day, with times moving them all into the school record books in the event. Casalnova’s 2:10.70 put her third in school history, while Braunegg and Tolli’s 2.11:74 and 2:12.02 put them now at fifth and sixth, respectively.

“This weekend’s meet fit really well into our schedule. We are only two weeks out from the Patriot League Championship, so it was really important to simulate that competition with a scored meet against some really solid teams,” Tolli said.

There were also many other victories for the Orange and Blue that day, including a win in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:14.76. Katie Jessee ’15 ran a 10:16.86 and marked her first career victory in the 3,000 meters, while Taylor Funk ’12 showed she’s back in peak form with her 14.75 seconds winning the 100 meter hurdles. Also impressive was Kelly Grosskurth ’12 grabbing the victory in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 11:10.90.

The Bison also performed strongly on the field, with Autumn Schellenberger ’14 and Emily Ando ’14 taking first and second in the pole vault, both clearing 11’ 7.75’’. Abby Monaghan ’13 bested the field with the discus, breaking into fourth in the school record books with a throw of 151’ 9’’. In the javelin, Kat Folger ’12 broke her way into third in school history with a throw of 156’ 6’’.

“I am so proud of the girls on this team. We are really pulling together and the pieces are falling into place. I am very happy with our overall performances; we had a lot of great throws, jumps and times,” Monaghan said.

This weekend, the Bison will split up, with select members traveling to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays from Thursday through Saturday, with the rest of the team traveling to Bloomsburg’s Maroon & Gold Invitational on Friday. This will be the last chance for the Orange and Blue to prepare for the Patriot League Championships the following weekend.

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Sports Track & Field Women

Women’s track continues dominance

By Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s track and field team set many school top-10 records last weekend in the Bison Outdoor Classic, the team’s first home meet of the outdoor season. The meet was not team-scored, but it allowed individuals an opportunity to demonstrate their skills as they prepare for the upcoming league championship.

“The meet this weekend was great for the team because it was highly competitive and really pushed everyone to improve times and distances. It is also always nice to be on your own track because we practice there every day and feel most comfortable and relaxed there,” Sasha Hornock ’13 said.

The Bison started off the weekend strong at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on the track. In the 1,500 meters, teammates Hana Casalnova ’14 and Caroline Tolli ’13 finished neck and neck, grabbing 12th and 13th with times of 4:31.14 and 4:31.18 respectively. Casalnova’s time put her fourth in the school record books and Tolli’s put her fifth. Emily Liggett ’12 also stepped up in the 5,000 meters with her time of 17:05.91, giving her fifth in the race and putting her third in school history.

The Orange and Blue also had success on the field on day one, with top-10 finishes in multiple events. In the discus, Abby Monaghan ’13 and Rebecca Misko ’12 placed fifth and seventh with throws of 145’ 0’’ and 142’ 1’’ respectively. Tayler Siegrist ’13 also took third in the javelin with her best throw of the season, reaching 141’ 8’’.

On the second day of competition, the pole vault started the day off strong for the Bison, with Emily Ando ’14 taking fifth with a vault of 11’ 7.75’’, while Yanelis Mestre ’15 and Autumn Schnellenberger ’14 tied for seventh at the mark of 11’ 1.75’’. All three teammates rank in the top six in school history and either tied or beat their career bests at the meet. In the triple jump, Alexandra Romanelli ’13 also broke into the top-10 with her mark of 38’ 0.25’’, earning her seventh in the meet.

“I was very pleased with my performance this weekend since the season got off to a rough start for me. The weather also held up and turned out to be a great day to pole vault,” Ando said.

Success for the Orange and Blue also continued on the track, with Casalnova once again leading the way with her performance, this time in the 800 meters. Her time of 2:10.95 placed her eighth in the meet and moved her into third in the school record books. Hornock ran a career best 12.31 seconds in the 100 meters, taking fifth on the day.

The Bison will finish up their regular season this weekend with another home meet, hosting the Bucknell Team Challenge at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The meet will be Senior Day, and the 1981-82 cross country and track and field teams will also be recognized for their 30-year reunion.

“This weekend’s Team Challenge will be a great opportunity for this team to jell and develop an identity heading into the league championships in two weeks,” head coach Kevin Donner said. “We are not quite there yet; however in a couple weeks we will be ready. We have a nice group of seniors competing in their last ever home meet so everyone will be very excited.”

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Sports Track & Field Women

Women’s track takes third

By Katherine Harris
Writer

For the second consecutive year, the women’s track and field team placed third in the Colonial Relays last weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The Orange and Blue placed ahead of 24 other teams, trailing only Villanova and Delaware with 78 total points in the two-day event.

One of the highlights of the day was the impressive performances of the Bison in relays. The 4×200 relay broke a school record set in 2003 with a time of 1:41.40, taking third in the race. The distance medley also took third on the day, with a time of 11:45.88 breaking into second in the school record books.

“I saw a team that is really jelling,” head coach Kevin Donner said. “The Colonial Relays is a war of attrition over two days where many athletes need to compete in multiple events and rounds. It is a great preparation for the grueling two-day Patriot League Championship.”

Many individuals also had strong showings on the track over the two days. On Friday, Jennifer Zymet ’14 led the way with a fifth-place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 56.76 seconds. Teammates Stefanie Spanfeller ’14 and Stephanie Bryan ’14 came in one after the other in the 10,000 meters, grabbing third and fourth place with their times of 38:01.77 and 38:12.11 respectively.

Success on the track continued for the Orange and Blue on Saturday with Taylor Funk ’12 coming in eighth in the 100 meters with a time of 14.94 seconds. Bison teammates Alysha Hooper ’12 and Stephanie Fulmer ’12 also had strong showings in the 3,000 meters with their respective times of 10:12.51 and 10:14.58 earning them fourth and sixth on the day.

“As the season continues we will become more confident in our races. The training is already there so now it is just time to perform. Each week, having another race or two under our belts will allow us to continue to drop our times and further our marks,” Funk said.

The Bison had strong performances both days in the field events as well. On Friday, Kat Folger ’12 grabbed third in the javelin with a throw of 143’ 10’’. Emily Ando ’14 and Autumn Schellenberger ’14 tied for sixth in the pole vault, both clearing 10’ 8’’. Orange and Blue teammates also rounded out the top ten in the hammer throw, with Abby Monaghan ’13, Kathryn Wahls ’13 and Rebecca Misko ’12 taking spots eight through ten with marks of 143’ 4’’, 140’ 2’’ and 135’ 11’’ respectively.

Monaghan led the day for the Bison throwers on Saturday with her personal best 146’ 9’’ grabbing her a first-ever discus victory and moving her into seventh in school history. In the shot put, Sarah Bella ’12 placed third with a throw of 43’ 0.25’’. Laura Lutzker ’14 and Gabrielle Eckles-Shehadi ’15 also both cleared 5’ 1’’ in the high jump, taking the fourth and fifth positions in the field.

“I was very happy with my performance; it was my season opener and I had a good series of throws in competition,” Folger said. “We will continue to work hard and stay focused to prepare to defend our title as Outdoor Patriot League Champions.”

The Bison will compete next this upcoming weekend at their first home meet of the season. The Bison Outdoor Classic will be held at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium this Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

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Sports Track & Field Women

Women’s track comes away with trio of golds

By Katherine Harris

Writer

After winning the indoor Patriot League title in the winter, the women’s track and field team started off its outdoor season strong last Saturday with many impressive performances at the Towson Invitational.

“After the layoff between the indoor and outdoor season, I was very pleased with the result,” head coach Kevin Donner said. “We looked at this first outdoor meet more as a rust-buster and did not worry too much about times and distances.”

Even with the team not as worried about individual times and distances, there were still many shining moments on the day in Towson, Md. The Bison ended the meet with three gold medals, including a time of 48.43 seconds in the 4 x 100 meter relay that missed breaking into the program top-10 list by one hundredth of a second.

Another of the victories for the Orange and the Blue came from Rebecca Misko ’12 with her throw of 41.44 meters in the discus. Her mark was closely contested by teammate Abby Monaghan ’13, whose second-place throw of 41.43 meters just barely missed Misko’s distance.

The Bison continued their success in throwing events as they took the second through fourth spots in the javelin. Tayler Siegrist ’13 led her teammates with a throw of 137’ 8’’, while Sarah Trahan ’12 threw 127’ 5’’ and Erin Norris ’15 came in at 125’ 8’’.

In the pole vault Yanelis Mestre ’15 earned sixth in the school records books with a career best 11’ 1.75’’. Mestre earned the fourth place spot in the meet, while Autumn Schellenberger ’14 grabbed fifth on the day.

The Orange and Blue also had strong performances on the track, with Hana Casalnova ’14 leading the way with her winning time of 4:38.19 in the 1500 meters. Casalnova was also followed in the event by teammates Emily Waksmunski ’14, placing fourth, and Stephanie Fulmer ’12, coming in at fifth.

“I thought that the team performed really well in the meet this weekend,” Beth Braunegg ’14 said. “We are ahead of where we were last year at this time so this is setting us up for a strong showing at the league meet in a few weeks.”

The Bison also had three members place in the 800 meters. Braunegg led the way with her time of 2:16:09, while Caroline Tolli ’13 came in close behind in third at 2:16:70. Rounding out the top five was Emily Liggett ’12, whose 2:18:29 earned her the fifth spot in the race.

“We just wanted to be competitive, which we were,” Donner said. “The times and distances will come as we get into mid-season form by mid-April. Next weekend … will give us a good gauge on where we are at as a team.”

The team will seek to continue to improve its marks this weekend at the Colonial Relays, taking place on Friday and Saturday at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

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Sports

Women’s track earns three golds

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The women’s track team earned three gold medals at the Bison Outdoor Classic despite the harsh weather on Saturday. In the rain on Saturday, Jennifer Zymet ’14 took first in the 400 meters, and Chelsea Lodato ’14 won the 800 meters. Laura Rycek ’11 won the javelin on Friday for her third consecutive top finish.

The Orange and Blue also had success in the discus, with Rebecca Misko ’12 throwing the third-best distance in program history and earning third place at the meet.  Her throw of 152 feet, 11 inches was the first time Misko had broken the 150-foot mark.

“Even with the crazy rain and terrible weather our team was still able to beat out lots of our competition,” Lodato said. “I think competing in weather like that makes us grow together as a team because it really means a lot when your teammates stand out in the rain to cheer for you, like ours did for us.”

“We didn’t let the weather conditions affect us,” Zymet said. “Instead of worrying about the wind, temperature or rain, everyone just went out there and gave it their all, and it definitely showed.”

The sun was shining for the Friday competitors, when Rycek threw 152 feet, three inches to win the javelin, and teammate Tayler Siegrist ’13 earned the bronze with 132 feet, one inch.

In the pole vault, Rebecca Frey ’11 earned second place, clearing 11 feet, 11.75 inches.

Along with the Orange and Blue field accomplishments, some Bison distance runners also excelled on Friday.  In the 3,000 meter steeple chase, Leah Goeke ’13 advanced to the fourth-best time in program history, and teammate Kelly Grosskurth ’12 moved up to the fifth.

The Bison had three top-20 finishers in the 5,000 meters.  Sarah Moniz ’11 placed ninth, Alysha Hooper ’12 placed 16th and Alaina Chodoff ’11 placed 19th.

The Orange and Blue will be back in action tomorrow for their final home meet of the outdoor season, when they host the Bucknell Team Challenge.

 

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Sports

Women’s track opens season with four golds

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

Laura Rycek ’11 led the way with a gold in the javelin as the women’s track and field team finished third out of the 40 teams at the William and Mary Colonial Relays. The Bison posted a team score of 59 points.

“As for the team as a whole, we have always been a strong outdoor team, and I look forward to seeing how well everyone does this year,” Rycek said. “Our team has an energy that I love. Everyone supports each other, and that is so important.”

In the throws, the Orange and Blue had much success in the javelin, with three throwers earning points for the team. Rycek took the gold with a throw of 142 feet and 10 inches, Kat Folger ’12 took fourth, and Tayler Siegrist ’13 finished eighth. Rebecca Misko ’12 took sixth in the discus and Kathryn Wahls ’13 earned sixth in the hammer throw.

Multiple Bison distance runners also earned points for the team, with three Bison placing in the 10,000-meters. Alaina Chodoff ’11, Melissa Smith ’12 and Eileen Foley ’11 earned third through fifth place, in that order. In the 3,000-meter run, Sarah Moniz ’11 and Alysha Hooper ’12 finished third and fifth, respectively.

Three Bison pole vaulters, Emily Ando ’14, Autumn Schellenberger ’14 and Rebecca Frey ’11 each cleared 10 feet 8 inches to tie for ninth at the meet.

This third-place finish is the highest place the Bison have earned at the Colonial Relays since they began regularly competing at the meet in Williamsburg, Va. three years ago. Their previous best finish was in 2009, when they finished fifth overall. The only teams to finish ahead of the Bison this year were first-place Villanova who scored 116.2 points and second-place Duquesne who scored 62 points.

The Bison are back in action April 15-16, when the men and women’s teams will host the Bison Outdoor Classic at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for their first home outdoor meet of the season.

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Sports

Women’s track takes four golds

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The women’s track team claimed four gold medals at the Towson Invitational to open the outdoor season. Laura Rycek ’11 won the javelin with a personal-record throw of 154 feet, 10 inches, the second-best throw in program history. Rebecca Misko ’12, Rebecca Frey ’11, Emily Ando ’14 and Caroline Tolli ’13 also earned victories at this unscored meet.

“I think the results from the meet were mixed,” Frey said. “Many runners did off-events, and it’s hard to go for personal bests in sprinting or jumping in cold weather, but a lot of people rose to the challenge and performed well.”

The Orange and Blue throwers dominated the javelin, earning all four top places. Kat Folger ’12 placed second, throwing a new personal best of 143 feet, which places her third all-time. Teammates Tayler Siegrist ’13 and Sarah Trahan ’12 took third and fourth, respectively.

“I had not thrown the discus in competition since the end of last outdoor season and was focused on getting a solid throw,” Misko said.

Misko, the defending Patriot League Champion, earned a gold at Towson, throwing the discuss 133 feet, four inches. “This performance gives me a great start and confidence for the rest of the season,” she said. “I think the team will be strong in the outdoor throwing events this season.”

In the jumps, the Orange and Blue swept the pole vault. Frey and Ando each cleared 10-6 to win the event. Teammate Autumn Schellenberger ’14 completed the Bison sweep by clearing 10 feet to place third.

Tolli earned the Bison’s only first-place finish on the track in the 1500-meter run, another event that the Bison swept. Kady Weisner ’14 took second, Sarah Moniz ’11 took third, and Alysha Hooper ’13 earned fourth.

The Orange and Blue had almost a dozen more top-three finishers.

The Bison will compete at the William and Mary Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. this weekend.

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Sports

Women’s track places second in meet

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

Sasha Hornock ’13 and Sarah Bella ’12 won gold medals to help the women’s track team place second at the Patriot League Indoor Championships last weekend in Annapolis, Md.. Navy prevented the Bison from defending their title from last season, scoring 157 points compared to the Bison’s 117.

Hornock won the 60-meter dash, earning the first gold medal of her career. Also on the track, Jennifer Zymet ’14 placed second in the 400 meters and third in the 200.

In throws, Bella placed first in the shot put with a throw of 44 feet, 3.25 inches. Teammate Rebecca Misko ’12 took silver in the shot put.

Hornock and Bella were named first-team all-league, while Zymet and Misko earned second-team honors.

“Our focus going into the meet was for every person to score. We can only take 32 people to the Patriot League championships, so every person and every point counts,” Hornock said.

Many more Bison stayed true to their focus and earned points for the team. In the 60-meter hurdles, Taylor Funk ’12  and Jamie Leacock ’11 placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Both set new career-best times, and Funk broke nine seconds for the first time in her career.

The Orange and Blue had success in the jumps as well. Rebecca Frey ’11 earned bronze in the pole vault, and teammate Emily Ando ’14 finished in fourth. Casey Krause ’11 and Alexandra Romanelli ’13 earned third and fourth in the triple jump, respectively. In the long jump, Krause placed ninth with a season-best jump.

In the last 13 years, the Bison have either placed first or second at this Championship meet. In years when the Bison have failed to come in first, the Midshipmen have won every time.

“I’m proud of the team. Although it’s disappointing getting second, we competed with heart and Bucknell had great performances overall,” Hornock said. She also commented that this meet is a motivating force for the outdoor season.

“I believe the team performed well, but we are definitely still hungry for more. I think the team will use the outcome of this meet as a motivator to go after the spring championship title,” Bella said.

After a two-week break the Orange and Blue will travel to Boston for the ECAC Championship meet on March 5-6.

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Sports

Five Lady Bison take gold in Winter Classic

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

Five Bison took gold for the women’s track team at the Bucknell Winter Classic last Saturday. Beth Braunegg ’14 won the 1,000 meters, and the Bison swept the 500 meters with Erin Horleman ’14 leading the way.  In the field, the Orange and Blue posted impressive results in the shot put and pole vault.

Braunegg’s time of 2:54.75 seconds in the 1,000 meters was a personal best.

“I feel that last weekend’s performance set me up really well both mentally and physically,” Braunegg said. “I’m learning to set more ambitious goals and also to have more confidence in my capabilities.”

Thanks to her performance, Braunegg was deemed the Patriot League Rookie of the Week. This is the fifth consecutive week that a Bison has received this honor.

Horleman ran a time of 1:19.42 to win the gold in the 500 meters. Her teammate Valerie Sans ’13 took silver in the 500 meters, while teammate Hannah Jones ’14 placed third.

The Orange and Blue also continued their success on the field. Rebecca Frey ’11 and Emily Ando ’14 took first and second place in the pole vault, respectively, both clearing career-best heights.

In the throws, Sarah Bella ’12 was the victor of the shot put, throwing 41 feet, eight inches. Teammate Rebecca Misko ’12 finished second, and Laura Rycek ’11 placed fourth.

“The Winter Classic provided the team with a good experience and got everyone pumped up for the Patriot League Championships next weekend,” Bella said. “We have a very strong team this year, and I am very confident that we will do big things next weekend and make it a meet to remember.”

The Winter Classic wrapped up the regular season for the Bison, who will travel to Annapolis this weekend for the Patriot League Championships, hosted by Navy. Last year the Bison won the Patriot League title, defeating second-place Navy.

“Our primary focus going into Patriot Leagues this weekend is to support, encourage and motivate each other in order to ultimately win the championship,” Braunegg said.