Jan. 19, 2010

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy freshman Kristin Smith (Harleysville, Pa.) has been named the Patriot League / M-F Athletic Rookie of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. It is the first career weekly honor for Smith and the second for the Midshipmen this season, after Amanda Phelps (So., Oceanside, Calif.) claimed last week's top field-athlete honor.

At his past weekend's Navy Invitational meet, Smith won the high jump with an ECAC-qualifying and Navy freshman record leap of five feet, seven inches (1.70 meters). The effort ranks as the second-best indoor performance by a Midshipman in school history, ranking behind Suzanne Dondero's 5'8" (1.73 meters) effort achieved in 1997.

It also established a new Wesley A. Brown Field House standard in the event. Smith has now won the high jump in each of the team's three competitions this winter. In addition to her exploits in the high jump, Smith also currently ranks as Navy's top 60-meter runner with a time of 8.18 seconds.

The Navy women return to action on Saturday, January 30 with their annual trip to George Mason University to compete at the Patriot Games.

Patriot League / M-F Athletic Track & Field Athletes of the Week (1.19.10)
Track Athlete:  Jennifer Pierce, Bucknell
Pierce took second in the 500-meter dash over the weekend in 1:15.94, which qualified her for ECACs and is also the seventh-best time in that event in Bison history.
Field Athlete: Chelsey Musante, Bucknell
Musante was the top Bison finisher in the shot put (44-7) and weight throw (56-6) at the Akron Quad, where she reaffirmed her ECAC standing in both events.
Rookie:  Kristin Smith, Navy
Smith took first in the high jump at the Navy Invitational (5-7, 1.70 m), setting a Wesley A.Brown Field House record. The mark is also a Navy freshman record and ranks second all-time in Navy history.

*** Go Navy! ***