April 29, 2003

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Army men's track & field team will try to win its 12th-straight outdoor title, while the Bucknell women will attempt to defend their home stadium en route to their fifth outdoor crown in as many years at the 2003 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on the campus of Bucknell University Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3.

The 11-time defending champion Black Knights are led by a League-best nine returning all-stars from last year's outdoor championship. Junior Jeff Weaver (Kahoka, Mo.), who is a two-time Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Meet, will defend his triple jump title from a year ago and look to improve on second-place finishes in the long and high jumps. Weaver was the PL Men's Field Athlete of the Week Mar. 25 and April 8.

The field contingent remains strong for the Cadets with the return of all-stars Travis Pendleton (Anaheim, Calif.), Rodney Manzo (Wallkill, N.Y.) and Adam Burke (Washington, N.J.). Pendleton won the discus with a League meet-record throw of 65.22 meters, while Mazno and Burke finished first and second in the high jump, respectively.

Junior Trevor Hooper (Keller, Texas) earned All-League status with a victory in the 400-meter hurdles, while seniors Eric Motzenbecker (Manasquan, N.J.) and Jonathan Dreher (Glencoe, Ill.), junior Jevan Willis (Lorraine, Ohio) and sophomore Tony Corona (Dallas, Texas) were all-stars with runner-up finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800 relay events.

The host Bison, who were the runner-up to Army a year ago, are led by 2002 Outdoor Male Track Athlete of the Meet Noel Powell (Tamaqua, Pa.). The junior was victorious in the 100, 200, long jump and 4x100 relay a year ago. This season, Powell is on pace to repeat. He holds the top marks in the PL in the 100 (10.65), 200 (21.39) and long jump (7.62).

Other returning All-League performers for Bucknell include seniors Greg Costello (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Rich Alexander (Sandusky, Ohio), Adam Kaufman (Bidgeton, N.J.) and Matt Solomon (Mifflinburg, Pa.) and spohomore Randy Newberger (Newark, N.J.). Costello collected his third-straight all-star berth with a win in the 10,000 and a second-place effort in the 5,000.

Lafayette will look to improve on its third-place finish at last year's outdoor championship. The Leopards tout five returning all-stars, including two-time honorees Herb Kennedy (Rockville Center, N.Y.) and Kristopher Miszler (Hawley, Pa.). Kennedy, the April 1 Men's Track Athlete of the Week, was second in the 100 a year ago, while Miszler was a member of the 4x400 squad that won the gold.

Seniors Alvin Lyte (Middle Village, N.Y.) and Ethan Blose (Monroeville, Pa.) and junior Reginald Clay (Columbus, Ga.) are the other all-stars that are back in the mix. Blose was the April 22 Men's Field Athlete of the Week after an NCAA Regional Qualfying throw in the javelin.

Lehigh, which was fourth at last year's outdoor championship, will likely be strong in the field events with the return of All-Leaguers Patrick Dugan (Fleetwood, Pa.) and Francis Vincent (East Lyme, Conn.). Dugan stood atop the podium in the javelin with a PL meet record 54.24 meter throw. Vincent was the runner-up in the triple jump in 2002 and has the second-best mark in that event this season (14.65).

American has three outdoor All-League performers back in the fold, including senior Sean O'Brien (Tewksbury, Mass.), junior Matt Seymour (Rockville, Md.), who won the 5,000-meters, and 1,500-meter champion sophomore Sean Duffy (Holmes, Pa.). O'Brien broke the tape in the 800-meters and anchored the winning 4x800 squad. The senior also earned All-America honors at the 2002 NCAA outdoor championship with an 11th place finish in the 1,500-meters.

Holy Cross' Dan Conti

The Holy Cross Crusaders, who came in sixth at the 2002 outdoor championship, have three outdoor all-stars back from a year ago. Junior Dan Conti (Hubbardston, Mass.) was victorious in the 100-meter hurdles last year. The 2002 PL Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year was selected as the April 22 weekly track award winner after finishing first in three events at the Crusader Invitational.

The lone all-star for Colgate a year ago was Tyrone Russell (Ithaca, N.Y.), who was first in the 400 and second in the 200. The senior owns the best 400 time in the League with a 48.27 mark during the 2003 campaign. He is also second in the PL in the 200 (21.45).

The women's slate is headed by the 2002 champion Bison, who have five all-stars back in the fold, including Maria Garcia (Providence, R.I.). The junior, who is a two-time Women's Field Athlete of the Week this season, claimed the gold medal in the hammer throw a year ago.

Senior Edwina Bourn (Newburgh, N.Y.) made her third-straight all-star appearance after placing second in the 100-meter hurdles. The Bison will look to score points in the relay events with the return of senior Nicki Piper (Mineral Point, Pa.) and sophomores Amy Calvo (Trenton, N.J.) and Rehana Lanewala (Newark, N.J.). Piper was a member of the gold medal 4x800 squad, while Calvo and Lanewala participated in the 4x400, which was second at last year's outdoor championship.

Army's Sara Fields

Army's women's squad, which came in the second spot at year ago, also has five returning all-stars, including the 2002 Women's Field Performer of the Meet, Sara Fields (Bloomington, Ind.). The junior stood atop the podium in the discus and shot put last year. Ashley Albritton, who was the silver medalist in the discus and hammer throws a year ago, enters this weekend's meet as the April 29 Women's Field Athlete of the Week after a solid outing at the Yale Invitational.

Other notable returnees for the Black Knights include sophomores Tiffany Martin (San Antonio, Texas) and Emily Perez (Ft. Washington, Md.) and senior Kimberly Allen (Jackson, Miss.). Martin was a multi-event winner at the 2002 Outdoor Track & Field Championship with victories in the 100, 200 and long jump. Her 5.83-meter mark in the long jump broke the Patriot League championship meet record. Martin, Perez and Allen were members of the 4x100 squad that came in second.

Navy, which finished third in 2002, has a League-best eight returning All-League performers. Headlining the list of all-stars are senior Amanda Hasenauer (Sebastian, Fla.) and sophomore Tineisha Davis (Madisonville, Ky.). Hasenauer broke her own League record in the pole vault, clearing a height of 3.66 meters at the 2002 outdoor meet. Davis will look to defend her 400-meter crown and look to move up from a second-place outing in the 200 a year ago. Her time of 55.26 broke the PL Championship meet record.

Davis teamed up with senior Amy Stokes (Ft. Washington, Md.), junior Kacee Jossis (Boise, Idaho) and sophomore Eva Tukarski (Crofton, Md.) to win last year's 4x400 in PL-record time (3:48.22). Stokes earned her second all-star berth with a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles. Also earning All-League accolades were seniors Joanna Uwujaren (Burke, Va.) and Danielle Yambao (Cerritos, Calif.) and sophomore Katie Scotidas (Massapequa, N.Y.). Uwujaren won the triple jump, while Yambao and Scotidas were members of the gold medal-winning 4x100 relay squad.

Lehigh will look to improve on a fifth-place team finish from last year's outdoor championship. Two-time all-star Justina Barone (Dunkirk, N.Y.) leads the Mountain Hawks. The senior was victorious in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles a year ago, including a PL-meet record performance in the 400 (59.35). Barone is the defending Women's Track Performer of the Meet and is a two-time Indoor Field Performer of the Meet.

Other all-stars returning for the Mountain Hawks are senior Yasmin Deliz (Marlboro, N.J.) and junior Katie Dukatz (San Antonio, Texas). Deliz, who is a two-time Women's Field Athlete of the Week this season, came in second in the shot put, while Dukatz claimed the high jump title.

Colgate has three all-stars from the 2002 outdoor championship back in the fold, including sophomore Beth Stephenson (Hyannis, Mass.). Stephenson was the runner-up in the long jump a year ago. Seniors Danielle Gabay (Mississaugua, Ontario) and Leeann Teager (Holliston, Mass.) earned All-League honors as members of the 4x800 relay team, which was second at last year's meet.

American's Samia Akbar broke the PL record in the 5,000-meters a year ago

Leading the American charge is senior All-League performer Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va.). The three-time Women's Track Athlete of the Week was victorious in the 5,000-meter run and was second in the 1,500-meters a year ago. Her time of 17:13.81 in the 5,000 broke the Patriot League Meet record. At the Penn Relays last week, Akbar was second in the 10,000-meters and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship.

Lafayette is led by senior Jackie Bingham (Lunenburg, Mass.). Bingham was the March 25 Women's Field Athlete of the Week and is among the League's Top 15 in the javelin, hammer and shot put. The senior's throw of 43.67 meters in the javelin has provisionally qualified her for NCAA Regionals.

Holy Cross, which came in seventh at the 2002 Outdoor Championship, will depend on sophomore Beth Miczek (Leicester, Mass.) to improve on her sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at last year's League meet. Junior Andrea Madden (Reading, Mass.) was sixth in the shotput at the Outdoor Championship a year ago.