May 7, 2011

Complete Results

Easton, Pa. - Patriot League Championship and Navy school records fell on Saturday, as the Navy women's track and field team (3-0) earned a runner-up finish behind Bucknell at the women's outdoor league championship meet at Lafayette's Metzgar Track. Bucknell won the women's championship with a team score of 189.5 and Navy was second with 164 points.

"We had some great performances and we were very excited about some of the records," head coach Carla Criste said. "However, we just needed a little more depth to score some points and we fell a little short of Bucknell."

Junior Jess Palacio, junior Amanda Phelps and freshman Lauren Allam all had impressive days in earning Patriot League major awards and the trio combined for five individual titles, two school records and two meet records this weekend.

Palacio was named the Patriot League Track-Athlete of the Meet after winning two events and breaking a school record in one and a league meet record in the other.

Palacio broke Navy's school record in the 1,500m with a first-place time of 4:22.58. Palacio held the previous school record of 4:24.72, which she ran last season. Palacio has won the 1,500m in back-to-back years and has won nine career Patriot League Track and Field titles.

Palacio also won the 800m run, by clocking a new Patriot League Outdoor Championship Meet record of 2:07.35. The previous meet record was 2:09.33, set by Bucknell's Stephanie Bango in 2002. Palacio set Navy's school outdoor record in the 800m with a time of 2:07.22 earlier this season and her time today was her second-best time in the outdoor 800m. This was also Palacio's second straight 800m outdoor league title.

Palacio has now been named the Patriot League Track-Athlete of the Meet at the last three league meets (2010 Outdoor, 2011 Indoor, 2011 Outdoor).

Both of Palacio's times are well under the ECAC-qualifying standard and Palacio's 1,500m time is ranked 29th in the NCAA East Region and her top 800m time of the season is ranked 25th.

After winning the hammer throw on Friday, Phelps took first place in the shot put to earn Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet honors.

Phelps won the shot put on Saturday with a personal record of 44-3¼ (13.49m). Yesterday, Phelps won the hammer with a mark of 181-1 (55.20m). Saturday's effort in the shot put moves Phelps up to second on Navy's all-time performance list.

Allam blew away the competition in the discus throw with a Patriot League Championship and Navy school record mark of 165-7 (50.49m). The second place finisher was 13 feet behind the Pasadena, Md. native. Allam, who also set a Patriot League record with five PL Rookie of the Meet honors this season, was named the league's rookie of the meet on Saturday.

Allam is now ranked 17th in the NCAA East Region in the discus and has hit the ECAC standard in all seven discus events that she has competed in this season.

Navy put three athletes in the top-four of the high jump competition to gobble up 18 team points. Sophomore Melanie Sluzewicz posted a new PR clear and ECAC mark of 5-7, but fell to second place after the jump off. Sluzewicz also earned All-Patriot League Second Team honors with her runner-up finish in the 2011 indoor league meet. Sophomore Kristin Smith (3rd) and freshman Veronica Ffrench (4th) each cleared 5-5 to round out Navy's high jump efforts.

Junior Arian Davis closed out competition in the heptathlon with a second-place finish of 4,590. Davis got a big boost by being the top heptathlon finisher in the long jump on Saturday with a distance of 17-2¾. The 4,590 points is a new PR for Davis in the heptathlon and is also over the ECAC standard. She also placed second in the heptathlon at the 2010 outdoor league meet and recently won the pentathlon at the indoor meet in February.

One day after placing second and breaking the Navy school record in the long jump, senior Ashley Bucholz placed third in the triple jump with a season-best leap of 37-9 ½ (11.52m). Bucholz broke the school record in the long jump with a mark of 19-5½ (5.93m), joining Palacio and Allam as a third Mid to break a school record this weekend.

Junior Mansfield Murph placed third in the 400m dash with a time of 56.98 and sophomore Arabia Littlejohn was fifth at 57.74. Both times were outdoor season best performances. Murph now ranks fifth on the school's all-time performance list in the 400m dash and Littlejohn is sixth.

Junior Katie Taylor was third in the 5,000m run with a time of 17:43.25 and sophomore Brigid Byrne scored by placing sixth with a time of 17:50.56. Byrne also placed second in the 10K on Friday.

Senior Bethany Rahall took fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase with a personal-record time of 11:14.64. Sophomore Jessica Ridgway placed fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 12.51.

Navy took second place in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:51.00. Navy's 3:51 is under the ECAC-qualifying standard and is their best time of the season. Littlejohn, Ffrench, Murph and Palacio teamed up for the 4x400m team.

Navy's 4x100m relay took took fourth with a time of 47.95. The 4x100 team consisted of Ridgway, Ffrench, Smith and Littlejohn.

The Mids will next send its qualified athletes to the ECAC Championships in Princeton from May 13-15.

Final Team Standings

1.	Bucknell 189.5
2.	Navy 164
3.	Lehigh 84
4.	Lafayette 64
5.	Holy Cross 62
6.	Army 60.5
7.	Colgate 31
8.	American 26

Patriot League Major Awards
Track-Athlete of the Meet
Jess Palacio

Field-Athlete of the Meet
Amanda Phelps

Rookie of the Meet
Lauren Allam

Patriot League Individual Champions
Jess Palacio, 800m, 2:07.35
Jess Palacio, 1,500m, 4:22.58
Amanda Phelps, Hammer Throw, 181-1 (55.20m)
Amanda Phelps, Shot Put, 44-3½ (13.49m)
Lauren Allam, Discus Throw, 165-8 (50.49m)

All-Patriot League Second Team (Runner-up)
Brigid Byrne, 10,000m, 36:50.06
Ashley Bucholz, Long Jump, 19-5½ (5.93m)
Melanie Sluzewicz, High Jump, 5-7 (1.70m)
Alix Membreno, Javelin, 154-11 (47.21m)
4x400m Relay (Littlejohn, Ffrench, Murph, Palacio)
Arian Davis, Heptathlon, 4,590 points

New Navy School Records
Jess Palacio, 1,500m, 4:22.58
Lauren Allam, Discus, 165-8 (50.49m)
Ashley Bucholz, Long Jump, 19-5½ (5.93m)

New Patriot League Championship Meet Records
Jess Palacio, 800m, 2:07.35
Lauren Allam, Discus Throw, 165-8 (50.49m)