The women’s track and field team hosted the Bucknell Team Challenge at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on April 23. The Orange and Blue came in second out of eight teams, finishing with 166.5 points.

The Orange and Blue dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with the Bison finishing in the top three spots. Margaret Thomson ’19 came in first with a personal-best time of 10:57.35, which ranks fourth in school history. Lauren Hazzard ’19 was the runner-up with a time of 11:15.88, which was also a personal-best time and ranks in the top 10 in the record book. Christine O’Kane ’19 finished in third in 11:23.12.

The Bison look to continue with their success through the Patriot League Championships.

“Our fitness is peaking, so we’ll be getting in a last two weeks of solid workouts and hurdle work to make sure we’re as ready as possible, ready to beat Boston, and we’re just trying to get as much sleep as possible with finals coming up too,” Hazzard said. 

“I truly consider not only my fellow steeplechasers, but the whole track team a second family. We have a motto on our team that goes: ‘A successful team beats with one heart.’ Therefore, in preparing for the Patriot League Championships we will focus on enjoying every opportunity we have to train together. In competing, we don’t just compete for ourselves, rather, we compete for one another and the team,” O’Kane said. 

Carly Reiner ’17 beat out 17 opponents and won the triple jump title with a jump of 38-2 ^¼. Kimberley Lapszynski ’17 also added to the Bison’s score by placing fourth in the triple jump.

The quad of Kafilat Oladiran ’18, Lapszynski, Reiner, and Jess Bridle ’16 came in first place in the 4×100 meter relay, finishing with a time of 47.67. This performance ranks sixth on the program’s top 10 list.

In the 800-meter run, Christine Bendzinski ’18 came in first in a field of 19 runners with the time of 2:12.53. Brennan Sharkey ’18 finished the 3,000-meter run in second place in 10:23.33. Jen Silvestri ’16 was not only the runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles, but also finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles.

The Bison came in strong during the throwing portion of the competition. Ellen Kalnins ’16 heaved the hammer to a score of 160-11, placing first. Tara Lee ’16 threw an impressive 152-11 in the hammer, making her the runner-up.

Abigail Brundage ’16, Sophia Nnadi ’16, Brianna Tutuska ’19, Stephanie Easse ’17, Meg Sangimino ’17, and Rebecca Skovira ’16 all scored points in their throwing events and helped boost the Orange and Blue to a second-place finish.

The Bison will compete in the Maroon and Gold Invitational on April 30 at Bloomsburg University. After this meet, the team will begin to prep for the Patriot League Outdoor Championships on May 6-7.