May 29, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League will be well represented at the NCAA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field East Region Championship, with 36 student-athletes participating in individual events and two relay teams in the field that will compete at Florida State's Mike Long Track in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday and Saturday.
There will be 23 Patriot League student-athletes in the individual events on the men's side, and 13 in the women's field. Three of those competitors will take part in multiple events. Army's Alfred McDaniel is in the 100-meter dash and long jump and Navy's Daryl Hunter competes in the shot put and discus throw on the men's side, while Army's Ebony Thomas runs in both the 100 and 200-meter dash events on the women's side.
The two service academies produce a bulk of the League's overall competitors, as Navy will send 10 student-athletes for individual events and Army has eight. In addition to Hunter, Navy will have Craig Meekins (800-meter run), John Olsen (3000-meter steeplechase), Andre Barber (discus throw), Roland Belany (hammer throw), Dante Marshall (triple jump), Mark Van Orden (hammer throw) and Bo Lawson and Devan Clark (javelin throw) competing in the men's events. Jacqui Charnigo competes in the pole vault on the women's side.
The Black Knights will send John Mickowski (1500-meter run), Jon Anderson (5000-meter run), Archie Smith (triple jump) and Joseph Nemeth (shot put) along with McDaniel on the men's side, and will have Janelle Jones (triple jump) and Geryah White (shot put) joining Thomas in the women's events.
Army will also send the only two relay teams out of the Patriot League, with a squad in both the men's and women's 4 X 100 meter events. McDaniel, Adrian Perkins, David Libert and Robert Stovall will run on the men's side, with Thomas, Carissa Hauck, LaShaunda Dupree and Lesa Boyd running in the women's field.
Lehigh and Bucknell each have five student-athletes in the competition. For the Mountain Hawks, Scott Robinson (400-meter hurdles), Khalil Uqdah (pole vault) and James Pachucki (javelin throw) compete in the men's field, with Sarah Serwo (800-meter run) and Shannon Alejandro (1500-meter run) in the women's event. The Bucknell men's contingent consists of Kerry Boyle (400 meter dash) and Kevin MacLeod (400-meter hurdles), while the Bison's women's competitors are Amanda Mockbe (discus throw) and Beverly Rogers and Laura Rycek, who will both take part in the javelin throw.
Lafayette will have four student-athletes in the field, with the Leopards' representatives coming in the women's events. Lafayette's Ashley Harbin competes in the hammer throw after posting a qualifying mark of 63.71meters. That mark is the third-highest in the event, which is the best qualifying mark for a Patriot League student-athlete for any of the events this weekend. Harbin is joined by Asia Hollis (400-meter dash), Janica Austin (100-meter hurdles) and Kristen Kalinowski (high jump) from Lafayette.
American's three representatives all come in the men's events. The Eagles will send Steve Hallinan in the 1500- meter run, while Brendan Fennell and Carlos Jamieson compete in the 5000-meter run.
Colgate has one competitor to round out the Patriot League contingent, as Lyle Tolli competes in the 1500-meter run.
The Patriot League will field at least one representative in 14 of the 17 individual events on the men's side, and in 13 of the 17 on the women's side. Nine events will feature multiple Patriot League competitors, with three student-athletes from the League on the men's side in the 1500-meter run, 5000-meter run and javelin throw.
The top-five finishers in each event will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 11-14. In addition, a handful of at-large competitors from across the country will also fill out the field at the national championship.
