Dec. 8, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. - Patriot League schools opened up the indoor track and field season over the weekend, with seven of the League's eight schools in competition before exams and the holidays approach. Four different schools claim a weekly honor in the first set of awards, with Bucknell leading the way with three selections.
On the men's side, the Bison had two honorees, with junior Drew Fitzgerald as the Field Athlete of the Week and freshman Justin Hicks as the Rookie of the Week. Navy sophomore Matthew Evers took home the Track Athlete of the Week award.
Senior Chelsey Musante completes the trio from Bucknell by claiming the Female Field Athlete of the Week award. Also winning weekly honors on the women's side were Holy Cross senior Tiffany Reid as the Track Athlete of the Week and Lehigh freshman Khaaleedah Smith as the Rookie of the Week.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Male Track Athlete of the Week
Matthew Evers, Navy So., Bellevue, Neb.
Evers posted two IC4A qualifying marks at the Navy Invitational over the weekend, finishing second in the 800-meter in a time of 1:52.51 and ran the anchor to help Navy win its heat and place sixth overall in the 4 X 400 relay in a time of 3:19.64. The time in the 800 was a personal record and eclipsed the Wesley A. Brown Field House record coming into the day.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Female Track Athlete of the Week
Tiffany Reid, Holy Cross Sr., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Reid set a pair of school records at the Alden Invitational, finishing first in the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.27 and third in the 300-meter dash with a time of 41.03.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Male Field Athlete of the Week
Drew Fitzgerald, Bucknell Jr., Ballston Spa, N.Y.
Fitzgerald began his indoor campaign with three top-10 finishes at the Bison Opener, including a first-place finish in the high jump with an IC4A-qualifying mark of 6-8 1/4. He took third place in the pole vault with the eighth-best mark in Bucknell history at 15-3, and also finished ninth in the long jump with a mark of 21-2.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Female Field Athlete of the Week
Chelsey Musante, Bucknell Sr., Shelton, Conn.
Musante posted a pair of ECAC qualifying marks at the Bison Opener in Lewisburg. She won the weight throw for the second consecutive year with a mark of 57-7, which ranked second all-time at Bucknell. Musante also finished second in the shot put with a mark of 44-5 1/2.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week
Justin Hicks, Bucknell Fr., Wilmington, Del.
Hicks had a strong debut for the Bison, placing fourth in the 60-meter in a time of 6.91 and third in the 300-meter in 35.92. The 60-meter time was the third-best mark in school history, and would have been a record if teammates Marlon Woods and Isaih Bell had not finished ahead of him. The 300-meter time is the fourth-best in Bucknell annals.
Patriot League/M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week
Khaaleedah Smith, Lehigh Fr., Philadelphia, Pa.
Smith opened her indoor career by winning all three events she entered at the Lehigh Season Opener. She finished the 60-meter in a time of 8.10, and also had an individual win in the 400-meter with a time of 1:00.56. Smith helped Lehigh place first in the 4 X 400 meter relay with a time of 4:19.05.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Colin Eustis, American Jr., Delhi, N.Y.
Eustis won the 5,000-meter race at the Navy Invitational in an IC4A-qualifying time of 14:42.97, almost 22 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. It was the seventh-fastest time in school history.
Marlon Woods, Bucknell Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio
Woods came in first place in the 60-meter dash at the Bison Opener in a school-record and IC4A-qualifying time of 6.85. He previously broke the school mark by running a 6.93 in the prelims.
Mark Van Orden, Navy Sr., Morris Plains, N.J.
Van Orden tossed an IC4A-qualifying mark of 55-3 (16.84 m) to win the weight throw at the Navy Invitational.
Nick Ray, Lehigh Sr., Charlotte, N.C.
Ray won both the shot put and the weight throw at the Lehigh Season Opener, recording marks of 52-4 in the shot put and 52-2 in the weight throw.
Kristin Smith, Navy Fr., Harleysville, Pa.
Smith was victorius in the high jump in her collegiate debut with a winning clearance of 1.65 meters, and was also part of Navy's second-place 4 X 400 relay team that came in with a time of 3:59.49.
