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Navy Women, Army Men Claim 2009 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships
Feb. 22, 2009
2009 Indoor Track and Field Championship page Annapolis, Md. - A pair of new champions were crowned in the Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships at Navy's Wesley Brown Fieldhouse on Sunday, with the Navy women edging Bucknell, 151-142, to end the Bison's seven-year reign and the Army men claiming their 13th all-time title with a big effort on the final day to finish ahead of Bucknell. The Navy women claimed their second Patriot League Championship, with the last coming in 2001 before the start of Bucknell's run. Army won its third title in the last four years on the men's side, and first since 2007. Each winning squad placed third in last year's Championship. In the final women's team standings, Navy finished with 151 points, followed by Bucknell in second with 142 and Army third with 94. Holy Cross placed fourth, with Lehigh fifth, Colgate sixth, Lafayette seventh and American placing eighth. On the men's side, Army captured 188 points to win the title, with Bucknell placing second with 129 and Navy in third with 103. Lehigh placed fourth, followed in order by Lafayette, American, Colgate and Holy Cross. Navy's Amy Watson captured Track Athlete of the Meet on the women's side after placing first in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs and second in the mile. Bucknell's Chelsea Musante and Lafayette's Jessica Buzzell received Co-Field Performer of the Meet honors, with Bucknell's Stephanie Fulmer earning the Rookie of the Meet Award. Navy's Carla Criste was named the women's Coach of the Year for leading the Mids to the title. Army's Brandon Thurman earned Track Athlete of the Meet honors in the men's event after winning the men's 200 and 500-meter dash, and helping the Black Knights to the 4 X 400 meter relay title. Bucknell's Drew Fitzgerald was named the Field Performer of the Meet, while Army's Michael Hutchins was named Rookie of the Meet. First-year Army Head Coach Troy Engle received Coach of the Year honors for the champion Black Knights. The Navy women edged Bucknell with solid performances in the final events on Sunday. The Mids claimed three of top four spots in the 3,000-meter run won by Watson, and held off Colgate to win the distance medley event. That was enough to help the Mids hold on to the lead over the Bison, who had first-place finishes on Sunday for Megan Hathaway (500-meter dash), Rebecca Frey (pole vault), Fulmer (mile) and the 4 X 400 meter relay team. Army's Ebony Thomas set Patriot League records in winning both the 60 and 200-meter dash events on Sunday, finishing with a time of 7.57 in the 60-meter competition and 24.61 in the 200-meter event. Colgate's Curran Knox claimed victory in the 60-meter hurdles and finishing second to Thomas in both of the dash events. The remaining winners of the women's events on Sunday were: Army's Jarietta Ross (triple jump) and Geryah White (shot put), Colgate's Michele Miller (400-meter dash), Lehigh's Jennifer Therkorn (800-meter run) and Sarah Serwo (1,000-meter run). Eleven of the 14 winners in the women's events on Sunday set IC4A qualifying marks. The Army men entered Sunday's competition trailing Bucknell by four points, but took over in the end by winning seven events on the day. In addition to Thurman's victories in the 200 and 500-meter dash events, Hutchins won the 400-meter dash, Andrew Ferrara claimed the 800-meter run, Alexis Torre-Santiago took the 1,000-meter run, and the Black Knights emerged victorious in both the distance medley and 4 X 400 meter relay events. Bucknell and Navy each had multiple winners on the day. Kyle Anthony (triple jump), Timothy Medlock (shot put) and Andrew Yehl (60-meter hurdles) claimed events for the Bison, while Jonathan Grant (mile) and Andrew Hanko (3,000-meter run) earned first-place finishes for the Mids. Lehigh's Khalil Uqdah won the pole vault, and Lafayette's Kyle Clayton claimed the 60-meter dash. All but Ferrara set an IC4A qualifying standard. Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each event, with 10 for first place, eight for second, six for third, four for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth. First-place finishers were awarded First-Team All-League status, while second-place competitors earned Second-Team All-League honors. The complete list of All-League finishers from the weekend is listed below, along with the final team standings on both the men's and women's side. For complete results and more information, visit the 2009 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championship page Women's Track and Field Team Rankings (Final - 20 Scored Events)
1. Navy, 151 points Men's Track and Field Team Rankings (Final - 20 Scored Events)
1. Army, 188 points Women's First-Team All-League Finishers
Olivia Pruszko, Holy Cross (Heptathlon) Men's First-Team All-League Finishers
Kyle Anthony, Bucknell (Triple Jump) Women's Second-Team All-League Finishers
Lesley Bautista, Holy Cross (Pole Vault) Men's Second-Team All-League Finishers
Franklin Johnson, Lehigh (Triple Jump)
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