CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Five Patriot League indoor track & field programs were in action in the first week of action after the New Year, as Army West Point and Lehigh turned in strong showings at the Wagner College Invitational, the Bison hosted the Bucknell Tri-Meet, while Lafayette competed at the Rutgers Invitational and the Navy men took on Princeton.
Army West Point’s Ben Sims was selected as the M-F Athletic Patriot League Male Track Athlete of the Week, while teammate Lee Bares was named the Male Field Athlete of the Week and Briyah Brown earned Female Field Athlete of the Week.
Lehigh’s Maura Henderson was selected as the M-F Athletic Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week, while teammates Lucas Warning and Courtney Avery each earned weekly honorable mention. Avery had won the first two Female Field Athlete of the Week honors this season, while Warning had claimed the honor from the week ending on December 3.
Bucknell freshman Kaitlin Salisbury was selected as the M-F Athletic Patriot Female Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, while Navy freshman Jake Shewbert earned the men’s honor.
Seven Patriot League programs will be in action this weekend with Army West Point heading to the Virginia Tech Invitational and Lafayette traveling to the Spartan Invite on Saturday. Navy will host the Navy Winter Invitational all weekend, with American taking part. Bucknell heads to the Nittany Lion Challenge on Sunday, while Lehigh will host the Angry Birds Challenge. Holy Cross is set to compete in the Tiger Invitational.
M-F Athletic Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE MALE TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ben Sims, Army West Point, So., Sprinter, Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Sims won the 60-meter dash at the Wagner College Invitational by turning in an IC4A-qualifying time of 6.81. Sims’ time is the best in the Patriot League this season and tied for 22nd-best time in NCAA Division I.
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE FEMALE TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Maura Henderson, Lehigh, So., Mid-Distance, Narbeth, Pa.
Henderson was the highest-placing collegiate racer in the mile run at the Wagner College Invitational, finishing with a time of 5:02.09. She set a new PR by nearly 11.3 seconds, while her time currently ranks 44th in the nation this season.
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE MALE FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Lee Bares, Army West Point, Jr., Pole Vault, Lakeville, Minn.
Bares won gold at the Wagner Invitational by vaulting over the bar at 4.95 meters to earn an IC4A-qualifying mark. Bares now has the top-two vaults in the Patriot League this season, having also cleared 5.06 meters in the Crowell Open in December.
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE FEMALE FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Briyah Brown, Army WP, Jr., Thrower, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Brown set an Army program record in the shot put, tying for first place with a throw of 15.27 meters at the Wagner College Invitational. Brown’s throw is the best in the Patriot League this season and tied for 15th-best in NCAA Division I. Brown also finished eighth in the weight throw, with a distance of 15.61 meters.
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE MALE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jake Shewbert, Navy, Fr., Distance, Flowery Branch, Ga.
Shewbert made his collegiate debut by winning the 3,000-meter run against Princeton with a time of 8:34.87.
M-F ATHLETIC PATRIOT LEAGUE FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Kaitlin Salisbury, Bucknell, Fr., Jumps, Hawthorne, N.J.
Salisbury earned first-place at the Bucknell Tri-Meet with an ECAC-qualifying jump of 5.78 meters, the top mark in the Patriot League and tied for the 38th-best in NCAA Division I. Her jump is also one of the top-10 distances in Bucknell program history.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Lucas Warning, Lehigh, Sr., Thrower, Mertztown, Pa.
Warning finished second of 45 competitors in the shot put at the Wagner College Invitational with a throw of 17.42 meters. He now has the top-two throws in the Patriot League this season and the top four in Lehigh indoor track & field history. Earlier this season, Warning recorded a 17.93-meter throw for the ninth-best distance in NCAA Division I.
Courtney Avery, Lehigh, Sr., Jumper, Wynantskill, N.Y.
Avery won the long jump for the third-consecutive meet this season, besting 23 other competitors with a jump of 1.75 meters. Her 1.75 meter jump is tied for the 13th-best in the nation this season.
Kordell Williams, Navy, So., Sprinter, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Williams won the 60-meter hurdles against Princeton with a time of 8.27. His time is the fastest among Patriot League runners this season.
Allison Sharkey, Bucknell, Sr., Sprinter, Springfield, Pa.
Sharkey won the 300-meter dash with a time of 41.66, which moves into the top-10 in Bucknell history.