Bucknell University Bison Express · Bucknell University our alumni is what makes our program...

Three Bison competed at the NCAA East Preliminaries held in

Jacksonville, Florida on May 29—June 1. Laddie Trees competed

in the javelin, Christian Lupica in the 110 High Hurdles and Tyler

Erhard in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

We also have a pair of freshmen who will compete in the U.S.A.

Junior National Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday

and Sunday, July 5-6. Ross Pirnie will run the steeplechase on

Sunday, July 6 at 3:35pm (pacific) and Kate Scott will run the 5k

on Sunday at 6:20pm (pacific).

Spring 2014

Volume 11, Number 3

Bucknell University

our alumni is what makes our program

special and the Gerhard Fieldhouse was

a sea of Orange that weekend!

No newsletter would be complete

without mentioning fundraising. I am

happy to say that it has been a very

successful year and I anticipate reaching

our fundraising goal. Keep in mind that

our deadline for donations is June 30,

so there's still time to contribute to

ensure that we reach our goal of

$130,000.

I would like to thank everyone for all of

your moral and financial support. I am

always overwhelmed by the commit-

ment and generosity of spirit of so

many of you. Have a great summer and

I can't wait until cross country season!

Go Bison!

A NOTE FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN DONNER

Another year in the

books. Although we

did not win any team

championships this

year, I felt as though

both men's and wom-

en's seasons were

huge successes with

many personal rec-

ords, IC4A/ECAC qualifiers, additional

All-Time Top 10 performances, school

records, All-East performers, and

NCAA Qualifiers. More importantly,

both programs bonded well and devel-

oped an identity that would make eve-

ryone proud. The addition of Boston

University to the Patriot League added

a positive dynamic and the league con-

tinues to improve every year. Our

men finished second behind a very

strong Navy team, and although our

four-year winning streak was broken, I

do feel as though our team this year

was one of our strongest ever. Of

course, beating Army again is always

nice. Because our women's standards

are so high, many may look at our

third place finishes as a disappoint-

ment, but if you look at our top per-

formances, the 2014 team is not much

different from our past championship

teams. Boston University really made

a huge impact and now the standards

and expectations will rise even higher

which will strenghten our women's

program in the years to come. The

addition of merit athletic aid for wom-

en's cross country/track & field at

most of the institutions will definitely

make the League even stronger.

Academically, our student-athletes

continue to shine as our women had a

spring semester GPA of 3.45 and our

men had a 3.11. Considering the rig-

orous academic and athletic demands

placed on these students, I was very

pleased.

A major highlight of this year was

hosting the Indoor Patriot League

Championships with over 100 alumni

attending the meet and the reunion

dinner. As always, the support from

Bison Express

SEVERAL BISON STILL COMPETING

Lupica winning the 110 Hurdles at the Patriot

League Championships (photo by Fred Gaston)

CLASS OF 2014 FUTURE PLANS

Bison Express

Stephanie Bryan – teaching middle school or high school mathematics

Hana Casalnova - will attend the University of Pittsburgh to pursue an M.S. in Bioengineering - Medical Product Innovation.

Alyssa Cardillo - will be attending Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Syracuse University) for a Master's De-

gree in Public Administration (MPA)

Catherine Kobza - moving to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing

Chelsea Lodato – will be working for PepsiCo

Emily Waksmunski - will be working for Whitman Requardt and Associates as a Transportation Engineer in Seven Fields, PA,

about a half hour north of Pittsburgh

Jenni Zymet – will be getting a Masters Degree from Villanova University in school

counseling

Eric Balaban - plan on visiting family and friends before starting my medical educa-

tion at Penn State Hershey Medical School

Jacob Eaton-Hall – plan on finding a job

Tyler Erhard - working for Brush GMS as a mechanical commissioning engineer. I

will be spending part of the upcoming summer completing my initial training in

England.

Dennis Logan - working for a Verizon outsource marketing company in Pittsburgh

Patryk Najbar – plans to work in finance

Chris Oesterlin - plans on joining the military, specifically the Navy.

Alex Prieto – will be doing a one year masters program at Columbia University in

Civil Engineering.

Kamal Riley - will be working in a Charter school in Boston

Nigel Robinson - to either work with a college access non-profit organizations, or

I plan on going to grad school in something related to conflict resolution.

Scott Weismiller - plan to get my master's degree in biomedical sciences and then

apply to medical school

Nate Witter - working for Nicholson Construction Company outside of Pittsburgh

as a project engineer

Tyler Erhard finished 2nd in the Steeple-

chase at the Patriot League Champion-

ships (photo by Fred Gaston)

Volume 11, Number 3

CLASS OF 2014 FONDEST MEMORIES OF BUCKNELL

Stephanie Bryan - Home Patriot League meets and running the 10k under the lights at William and Mary

Alyssa Cardillo - winning both indoor and outdoor championships my junior year. It was not just the dual-victory and individu-

al success, but the unity and camaraderie of the team that came with these victories in a sport judged to be an individual one.

Hana Casalnova - winning the 4x800 at Leagues and surprisingly breaking both the school and the Patriot League records.

Catherine Kobza - winning the 2012 Indoor Patriot League Championships at home. I remember the energy in the field house

was so intense, especially because we had entered the final day of competition in third, but ended up coming back for the win.

Chelsea Lodato - Indoor Patriot Leagues 2012 when both the men and women won

Emily Waksmunski - being a part of the 4x800 at Outdoor Patriot Leagues in 2012 where we broke the school and Patriot

League record, but the best part was watching Hana anchor and hold off the Navy runner down the stretch to give us the win.

Jenni Zymet - competing in relays at Patriot Leagues and ECACs

Eric Balaban –My favorite moments as part of this team were the home indoor meets. Although I had a number of great expe-

riences, these electrifying meets were special to compete in, and it really demonstrated the team aspect of Track and Field.

Jacob Eaton-Hall - My favorite memory comes from outdoor Patriot Leagues this year. Winning the 4x100 at leagues for the

first time in years. It was amazing to watch the fans get so excited about our victory.

Tyler Erhard - My favorite Bucknell Track & Field memory is when John Dugan, Rob Yamnicky, and I went 2, 3, 4 in the stee-

plechase at the Patriot League Championships in 2013. If there is one race in my career that I will never forget, it will be that

one.

Dennis Logan –holding the championship cup after winning the Patriot League Championships my sophomore year

Patryk Najbar - winning the 4x1 relay while breaking the school record.

Chris Oesterlin - The Championship season my sophomore year. I made the 4x800m relay team as a sub, and we ended up

breaking the school record and going to the IC4A meet.

Alex Prieto - Winning both indoor and outdoor championships sophomore year

Kamal Riley - when we won the indoor title in 2012. It is something that will forever bring happiness to me.

Nigel Robinson - making my first League roster this past indoor season. As a walk-on, it reaffirmed the hard work I put in

over the past 3 and a half years. And it was the first time my family came to watch me throw during my collegiate career.

Scott Weismiller – Indoor Leagues at Army my junior year when the Navy men were chanting "Navy" as I ran down the run-

way for my third attempt at 15'9. This gave me the extra motivation I needed to clear the bar and score for my team.

Nate Witter - wining Patriot League meets. The number one meet memory was wining indoor at home in 2012 and vaulting

15-9 for the first time, right after Dan Markwalter had made the height. The adrenaline that day was through the roof.

Bison Express

All Class Reunion—February 22, 2014

In conjunction with the Indoor Patriot League Championships held at Bucknell, the staff hosted an all-class re-

union on Saturday evening of the meet. Over 100 alumni and friends attended the event which featured re-

marks from Todd Newcomb, Coach Donner, Wally Dietrich, Scott Sehon, Justin O’Brien, Glenn McLaughlin.

Thanks to the many alumni who attended not only the dinner, but also the meet. The Gerhard Fieldhouse was

electric with alumni support!

Front: Steph Hardenstine, Alaina Chodoff, Kirsten Rudd, Eileen Foley, Alexa Griffiths, Amanda Steinke, Leah Goeke, and Vickie

Gilbert.

Second Row: Steph Fulmer, Nicole Falcaro, Emily Liggett, Kelly Grosskurth, Sarah Moniz, Caroline Tolli, Lauren Wiemken,

Laura Rycek, Sara Lederman, Jamie Leacock, and Becky Frey

L to R; Mike Ryan, David Strauss, Kevin McGoldrick, Cameron McConnell, Tim Ryan, Justin O’Brien, Steve Levanduski, Jake

Schroeder, Dave D’Alessio, Joe Foley, and Matt Forys

Bison Express

Scenes from the Reunion

Dee and Bill Ledgerwood, Glenn McLaughlin, and Frank Carroll

Rich Stark, Kevin Doyle, Rich Coffin , Mark Barbour, Joe Cresko, Lori Scott, Brian Harshman, and Bob Murdock

Wally Dietrich, Scott Sehon, and Glenn McLaughlin shared remarks

Bison Express

Senior Awards Dinner

Of the twenty-one outstanding Bucknell senior student-athletes

who were presented awards at the 53rd Annual Department of

Athletics & Recreation Senior Recognition Dinner, six were from

the Track & Field program.

Jenni Zymet was the recipient of the prestigious Christy Mathew-

son Award, which goes to the outstanding male and female senior

athletes. Zymet is the fastest long sprinter in program history.

Zymet has already captured a total of seven Patriot League gold

medals, and she holds seven school records. Among those Buck-

nell marks are the indoor and outdoor 400-meter records that

had stood for 14 years.

The Alvin F. Jackson Jr. Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award was pre-

sented to middle-distance runner Emily Waksmunski. A civil engi-

neering major with a 3.94 grade-point average, Waksmunski was

selected the 2014 Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track & Field

Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was runner up in the 1,000 me-

ters and 4x800 relay at the 2014 Patriot League Indoor Champi-

onships, and she is now a four-time all-league selection.

Waksmunski was part of a league-champion and school and league

record-setting 4x800 relay at last spring’s PL Outdoor Champion-

ships. She is also a five-time Academic All-Patriot League selection

and a 2013 Capital One Academic All-District pick.

The Bryan-Humphreys Award, presented to an individual for out-

standing versatility, went to Jacob Eaton-Hall. Eaton-Hall began his Bucknell track career as a middle-distance runner, but

he converted to sprints as a junior. He earned his second All-Patriot League citation at the 2014 Patriot League Indoor

Championships after a second-place run with the 4x400-meter relay. He also helped that school record-setting relay win

an IC4A title this winter. Individually, Eaton-Hall ranks fifth all-time at Bucknell in the 60-meter dash and 10th in the 200.

Gold medal-winning horizontal jumpers Alyssa Cardillo and Ray Holmeswere the winners of the Ronald J. “Pete” Pedrick

Award, presented in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell Athletics over a

four-year period. Cardillo had never scored in a Patriot League Championship meet until her junior year, when she took

second in the long jump at the indoor meet and then won the gold medal outdoors. Cardillo was third in the long jump at

the 2014 indoor championships, and she ranks sixth all-time at Bucknell in that event.

Holmes had a terrific 2014 Patriot League Indoor Championships, when he swept the long jump and triple jump en route

to Field Athlete of the Meet honors. Two weeks later he won the IC4A title in the triple jump and was runner-up in the

long jump, giving him more points at the Eastern championship meet than any other athlete in program history. He also

won Patriot League gold in the triple jump both indoors and outdoors in 2013. On Bucknell’s all-time performers list,

Holmes ranks second in the triple jump and third in the long jump.

The ‘Ray Bucknell Diversity Award went to Kamal Riley, who grew up in Barbados, is a member of three of the five fastest

4x100-meter relay teams in program history. He has also served as co-treasurer of the Black Student Union, treasurer of

the Caribbean Club and an events coordinator with the Caribbean Students Association.

Bison Express

Congrats to Noel Powell ’03and his wife Alex on the birth of their son, Mason Lewis

Powell. Mason was born January 2nd at 12:14pm, weighed 9lbs 3oz, and was 22 inch-

es long. Mason also has a big sister named Kenzie.

Congratulations to throws Coach Dan Frake ’06 and his wife Hannah on the

birth of their second son Connor Daniel who was born at 3:56am on May

27. He was 8lbs 8oz and 21 inches long. Connor has a big brother Caden.

Day of Giving Challenge: Spiked Shoe Club Dominates!

On April 24, Bucknell University conducted a one-day giving challenge that was supported by funds donated by the Bucknell

Board of Trustees. When the amazing day was over, the Bison Club stood atop the university after receiving 1,129 gifts for

approximately $332,000.

The Trustees, along with President John Bravman and Professor Wendelin Wright, donated $320,000 to be used as chal-

lenge funds for the event. The funds were then awarded to different designations across campus based on the number of

gifts made to each designation during the day of giving. During that 24-hour period there were 3,314 gifts made to the an-

nual fund to approximately 195 different designations across the university. Bison Club designations (all varsity sports,

sports medicine, cheerleading) accounted for 34.1% of ALL the gifts made that day, resulting in approximately $109,000

additional dollars for Bison Athletics from the challenge pot.

While the Bucknell Fund was the top individual designation for the day with over 700 gifts, the Spiked Shoe program fin-

ished fourth overall, and first among the Bison Club designations, with 156 gifts for $38,823. With the additional funds add-

ed in, our total was over $53,000 for the day!

THANK YOU! Another special thanks to Jim and Marilyn Fink, parents of Mariel Fink ’08, who again hosted our teams for

dinner during the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Princeton, NJ. Our teams always have a fabulous meal at

the Fink house and they have been cooking for us for the last nine years!

Baby Bison

Bison Express

Alumni Profile: Nick DeGregorio ’07

Note: Upon graduation, standout thrower Nick DeGregorio ‘07 chose a path unlike most Bucknellians. We asked him to tell

us about these experiences and his response is below. We are so proud of this member of the Bucknell Track & Field Family.

I am honored that you thought of me for the alumni newsletter. I cannot be-

lieve it has been eleven years since I walked into the fieldhouse as a freshman.

I didn’t know it at the time, but walking through those doors were the first

steps I took on my way to becoming the man I am today. I will never forget

the lessons I had the privilege of learning from you and Coach Schanbacher.

My fondest memory in those four years was definitely outdoor Patriot

League Championships in my senior year, 2007. That was the first time we

beat a service academy, taking out Navy and losing by a few measly points to

Army. Holding that second-place trophy was a rewarding experience, and it

was a truly cathartic to hear about the Bucknell men using that momentum

to pummel both Army and Navy in subsequent years. I speak for all the 2007

men when I say we are proud to have been the team to break the barrier

and show the Patriot League that we mean business. I am honored to be part

of a tradition that has now become a Track and Field powerhouse.

The last seven years since graduation have

been a whirlwind. After college, I attended Ma-

rine Corps Officer Candidates School and was

commissioned a Second Lieutenant no more

than three months after leaving Lewisburg. Af-

ter a year of basic officer training and infantry

training, I was sent to the 3rd Light Armored

Reconnaissance Battalion in Twentynine Palms,

California. I had the privilege of leading my pla-

toon of Marines in the deserts of Ninewa Prov-

ince, Iraq, in 2009. It was a rewarding experi-

ence; we spent our days doing what we could

to build infrastructure in some of the poorest

villages I have ever seen, and we spent our nights denying weapons smugglers and foreign fighters entry into

Iraq from Syria. We did not sleep much, and we showered even less. It was perfect.

After Iraq, I received orders to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and deployed

with them aboard the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2010. We act-

ed as a shipboard rapid response force throughout the Pacific Ocean.

While in the Philippines working with their army, a typhoon made land-

fall and we did what we could to provide relief. People often forget that

Marines have missions other than full-scale war. When friends and allies

of the United States find themselves in need of assistance, it is often

United States Marines who are the first to arrive and provide relief.

Bison Express

Alumni Profile: Nick DeGregorio ’07

After four years on active duty, I decided to

accept an offer from New York University’s

Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program. I

stayed in the Marine Corps Reserve, with

Weapons Company, 2d Battalion, 25th Ma-

rines, in Long Island. After a few semesters at

NYU, I realized medicine was not my future.

In 2012, I took orders to deploy once again,

this time to Africa. I traveled to the Republic

of Burundi and trained a company of 120 sol-

diers from the Burundian National Defense

Force. When I departed Burundi in 2013 to

return to the States, my Burundian company

traveled to the Central African Republic to

combat a brutal ethno-religious cleansing that

persists there today. Reports from the front

state that the Burundian soldiers in the CAR

are the most professional and tactically profi-

cient of all the African Union nations that

have contributed soldiers to that war. I am proud to have known those men.

And now I am here in Afghanistan, writing this letter. I am a liaison to US Army Special Forces, helping to correlate our

victories on the battlefield with the long-term legitimacy of the government of Afghanistan. This will be my last deploy-

ment for a while; I will stay in the reserves and continue to wear this uniform, but I think it is time to find another

niche. I don’t know exactly what that will be, but I look forward to the journey and I hope the next chapter is as excit-

ing and rewarding as the previous one.

Jack Wickens ’78 Launches AthleteBiz

Volume 11, Number 3

2014 BISON CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD CAMP

SPOTS AVAILABLE

JULY 13-17, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 570-577-1482

CAMP BROCHURE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE

BUCKNELLBISON.COM

Have you ever wished that Track & Field had a bigger fan base and was easier to follow?

Jack Wickens '78 just launched a new web platform that aims to make the sport more inspir-

ing and more accessible by giving fans a way to experience the sport through the eyes of the top

athletes themselves.

Dual goals for the site (www.athletebiz.us) are to give fans a whole new way to experience

the sport through unprecedented access to the top athletes AND to empower the athletes themselves to market themselves and to raise critically needed income.

Check out this promo video for AthleteBiz at http://www.athletebiz.us/pages/about-us .

AthleteBiz is an innovative non-profit platform that allows you to find and follow the athletes

that are most intriguing to you.

The site will regularly include "behind the scenes" insights from the athletes, such as

https://www.athletebiz.us/pages/our-relay-memories.

If you think we're onto something special here, please sign-up (it's free) and help us "get the

word" out to your sports-loving and fitness-seeking friends and family. Note that each athlete

controls the content and features of their personal pages. They and I welcome feedback and

suggestions on how to make this site a winner for you..

Jack can be reached at [email protected].

P.S. Here's an article that appeared in Track & Field News this month

http://i.imgur.com/ZbIJhTv.jpg

Web: www.athletebiz.us Facebook: athletebizusa Twitter: @athletebizusa

Alumni Notes

Volume 11, Number 3

Larry Patz ’54 recently shared this letter with the Bison coaching staff:

It has been a long time since I wrote, so I thought I would bring you up to date. The bad news: I have finally, after 67 years,

fully retired from track and field. I did not coach at the local (Hopkinton NH) high school last year because of my wife's sur-

gery, and I am not doing so this year, mostly due to my aging body. My stamina has gone the way of the dinosaurs. Also, the

head coach retired a year ago, and the new one has built his own team, inviting none of the old crew. I miss it.

The good news is I am well and I feel well, if a little tired. I have beaten down two types of cancer. My granddaughter, who

we have adopted, is doing extremely well considering her handicaps (DiGeorge Syndrome). She is a real pleasure. If you met

her you would think she is a very nice 8 or 9 year old with a minor speech problem. She just turned 12.

I had a very enjoyable career as a sprint coach for eight years. The high point was perhaps the girl’s team winning the NH State

Division III Championships five consecutive years. My only disappointment was bad luck. A coach of a small high school (320

students on my case) is usually happy if he has one girl who can beat 60 seconds in a 400m—in 2009 I had four. If all went

well, we thought we would have a chance at winning the New England Championships in the 4x400. But one girl got sick at

the wrong time and could not run.

Most important, I had a nice experience a few days ago. I happened to be near the high school when I heard a lot of shout-

ing. All the sprinters were there on the track calling to me, so I went over to see them. I was first greeted by a former track

athlete who had graduated several years ago. I remembered him, but before we could say anything I was charged by all the

girls - six of them - who gave me a big gang hug. The boys stood around rolling their eyes. The graduate told me he was prac-

tice teaching at the school, and also helping coach. He said "I am trying to teach them everything I learned from you. Watch

this! (to the kids he said) how far do you run in a 100 meter dash?" The very loud response: "105 meters!!" Right. Always

run through the finish line.

Then the kids started to reminisce about me. Several recalled that I made it fun, and I was never grouchy, unlike the head

coach. Several recalled my running with them, and managing to stay with them for short distances - at age 79. One said I nev-

er lost my cool, saying “That was ugly” when something went wrong such as a dropped baton. One girl - the anchor on the

4x100 team - remembered when I saved her life. At the state meet two years ago, the meet director announced at the be-

ginning that there would only be one call for an event -- no second calls. I thought that wrong, so I decided I would make

sure all day that the kids would be in the right place at the right time. When the girls 4x100 was called, I rounded up the

four and watched them check in. I then turned my attention to the boys 4x100. When I turned back to the girls, there was

the first leg girl at the start line ready to go, and there was the anchor standing next to her. I hustled her to her position.

How did that save her life? In her words, the head coach would have killed her for missing her leg.

Good things happen even after two years on the sidelines. Very uplifting. It is nice to be appreciated. I hope you have had a

similar experience.

Regards,

Larry Patz

Class of 1954

Larry & Mariyln Patz Larry Patz in 1952

The Bucknell cross country and track & field program continues to compete at the highest possible level. To allow our

student-athletes to continue the winning tradition of the Bison cross country/track & field program, we need your continued

financial support now more than ever.

Bison Club gifts to the Spiked Shoe Club support the work of the coaching staff beyond the annual budget approved by the Uni-

versity, thus enabling our coaches to recruit aggressively under NCAA regulations and within the framework established by the

University’s offices of admissions and financial aid, and supplement the travel and equipment budgets. I thank all of you for your

past support, and hope that you will help us keep the program at the top of the Patriot League.

YES, I WANT TO SUPPORT THE SPIKED SHOE CLUB. Enclosed is my check for $ ____________. Please make checks

payable to Bucknell University, and write SPIKED SHOE in the memo line. If paying by credit card, please complete all of the

information requested below.

NAME _________________________________________________ CLASS YEAR ______________

ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE, ZIP ________________________________________________________________________________________

HOME PHONE _________________________________________ E-MAIL _________________________________________

CREDIT CARD NAME, NUMBER, EXP DATE ____________________________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN TO: KEVIN DONNER, HEAD CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD COACH

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY

LEWISBURG, PA 17837

Something new happening in your life? New job? New home? New baby? New story to tell? Old story to tell?

Let us know! Starting in the next newsletter, we are going to include an Alumni Notes section with updates and

alumni news. If you have something you’d like to share, please pass it along. If you have a picture to share,

please pass that along as well. You can either complete the form below or send an e-mail to

[email protected].

Name ____________________________________ BU Class of _______________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

THANKS FOR SHARING!

ALUMNI NOTES

Volume 11, Number 3

Bucknell University Bison Express · Bucknell University our alumni is what makes our program...

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