April 9, 2010

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's track team will look to secure the outdoor N-Star for the fifth time in six years and complete the program's eighth Star Meet sweep when it visits Army this Saturday in West Point. The dual meet action at Shea Stadium is slated to begin at 11:00 am.

Heading into the 24th outdoor meeting between the two schools, Army holds a 13-10 advantage over its service academy rivals. The Mids have won four of the last five outdoor Star Meets, including last spring's 116-87 victory in Annapolis, Navy's second-largest margin of victory over the Black Knights in series history.

Earlier this winter, Navy won 11 of 17 events on its way to claiming its fifth-consecutive indoor Star Meet victory over Army. In that meet, the Mids were led by senior Abby Gesecki and sophomore Jess Palacio, who each won a pair of individual events, while also contributing to a winning relay effort.

A win on Saturday would give the Midshipmen their eigthth indoor and outdoor Star Meet sweep of Army in program history, all of which have taken place over the last-14 years.

Unlike in years past, but similar to this winter, the Mids and Black Knights will meet after already having competed alongside each other earlier in the season. During the indoor season, it was, of course, the record snowfall that blanketed the Mid-Atlantic region that pushed back the Star Meet to the weekend following the Patriot League Championship. This time around, the two rivals got an early glimpse of each other at the 2010 Service Academy Championships, held two weeks ago on the campus of VMI in Lexington, Va.

In that meet, the Mids placed second behind a well-balanced Air Force program and had the upper hand against the Black Knights, producing the top performance in 11 of 19 events (when giving consideration to solely the Army and Navy athletes' marks).

The Navy women have had a pair of athletes qualify for next month's ECAC Championship in seniors Krystina Johnson and Mia Blundetto. Johnson soared to a new school-record in the high jump with a successful clearance of 5'8¾" (1.75 meters) in Navy's spring opener on March 20. Blundetto, Navy's outdoor team captain, meanwhile, uncorked a PR and ECAC qualifying-toss of 169'5" (51.65m) in the hammer (the 10th-best effort in school history) to take second at the Service Academy Championship meet.

Look for both Gesecki and Palacio to again play major roles in Navy's bid to sweep the host Black Knights. Gesecki is a two-time Patriot League champion and has recorded six individual event victories against Army over her stellar four-year track career. Palacio, meanwhile, starred in this winter's indoor victory after winning the 800 in both meetings as a freshman.

Fellow sophomore Mansfield Murph and freshman Arabia Littlejohn should provide some solid speed for the Mids. Murph won the 500 and has been a steady pointscorer against Army in her first two years. Similarly, Littlejohn impressed in her debut with a runner-up 400 finish against the Black Knights and is off to a terrific start this spring, including victories in the 200 and 400 at the Service Academy meet two weekends ago.

The Navy women will send athletes to a pair of meets next weekend, including Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational and Mount St. Mary's Kloiber Invitational next Friday and Saturday, April 16-17.

A-N Outdoor Women's Track & Field Series
Overall                        Army leads 13-10
In Annapolis                Navy leads, 6-5
In West Point               Army leads 8-3
At Neutral Site             Navy leads 1-0 (at Biloxi, Miss. `99)

First Meeting         April 11, 1987 - - Army, 94-65 (West Point)
Last Meeting         April 11, 2009 - - Navy 116-87 (Annapolis)
Last Five Years      Navy leads, 4-1
Last 10 Years         Navy leads, 7-3

Longest Navy Win Streak     4, 1982-88
Longest Army Win Streak     8, 1999-02

Navy's Top Outdoor Performances (2010)
Event               Athlete             Time/Mark
100m               Krystina Johnson    12.42
200m               Krystina Johnson    25.84
400m               Arabia Littlejohn     57.87
800m               Jess Palacio            2:12.73
1,500m            Jess Palacio            4:31.82
5,000m            Mollie Hebda         17:39.12
100m Hurdles   Ashley Aitken         15.47
400m Hurdles   Caitlyn Fine            1:08.62
Steeplechase    Katie Taylor           11:33.62
High Jump        Krystina Johnson    1.75m*
Pole Vault         Jordan Kronshage   2.95m    
Long Jump       Ashley Bucholz        5.55m
Triple Jump      Ashley Bucholz       11.04m
Shot Put          Janet Von Eiff         13.18m
Discus             Amanda Phelps       38.17m
Hammer          Mia Blundetto         51.65m*
Javelin            Joy Nameth             31.04m

4x100m Relay    McFadden, Johnson, Smith, Murph    49.03
4x400m Relay    Gesecki, Smith, Murph, Littlejohn    3:55.33

* Denotes IC4A qualifiers

Patriot League Weekly Awards
Krystina Johnson    PL Field-Athlete of the Week    3/23

Schedule of Events
11:00 am     Long Jump, Pole Vault, Hammer
11:30 am     Shot Put, High Jump, Javelin
                   Triple Jump follows Long Jump
                   Discus follows Shot Put
12:00 pm     3000m Steeplechase
12:15 pm     4 X 100m Relay
12:25 pm     1500m Run
12:35 pm     100 m High Hurdles
12:45 pm     400 m Dash
12:55 pm     100 m Dash
1:05 pm       800 m Run
1:15 pm       400 Intermediate Hurdles
1:25 pm       200 m Dash
1:35 pm       5000 m Run
1:55 pm       4 X 400 m Relay

*Individual Events: 5-3-2-1
*Relay Events: 5-3
*Only two individual entries per school shall score
*Only one relay per school shall score

## Go Navy! ##