WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW/ROSTER Women’s Cross Country Preview After collecting its fifth Patriot League Championship of the decade, Bucknell women’s cross country slipped to second at the league meet a year ago. That is not something the Bison wish to repeat. With a solid base of runners returning and unparalleled depth on the roster, a return to the winner’s podium seems likely. “Our women’s team has a tremendous amount of depth,” said head coach Kevin Donner, who is heading into his 11th season with the Bison. “It’s the most depth we’ve ever had. We probably have about 17 young ladies who are capable of running in our varsity top seven.” Bucknell knows not to rest just on numbers, however. The Bison will be looking to move even more runners into the top 10 at the Patriot League Championship to contend with foes such as Colgate and Navy. With the graduation of a strong front runner in Sarah Moniz, who placed seventh at the league meet last season, Bucknell will look to three-time All-Patriot League runner Stephanie Fulmer and Alysha Hooper to lead the attack. Fulmer just edged out Moniz in last year’s championship race, placing sixth overall. The finish made Fulmer Bucknell’s first runner to claim three First Team All-League selections since the Patriot League went to a two-team honors format in 2002. She opened the season with back-to-back victories and again led the team with a top-100 finish at the Pre-National Invitational midway through the campaign. Donner expects Fulmer to improve on her placing at the Patriot League meet and compete for the lead. Hooper was named Second Team All-Patriot League for the first time in her career last season with a 14th-place finish. That placed her third on the Bison squad, a position she held in all six of her races in 2010. The senior, who is a co-captain along with Fulmer and Kelly Grosskurth, has been steadily developing throughout her career. “She’s just improved each and every year for us,” said Donner. “She’s been a work horse, is healthy all the time and is getting a little bit better every year.” Another Bison runner who has shown vast improvement lately is Emily Liggett. After enjoying a breakthrough track season last year in which she moved onto the program’s top-10 lists in four individual events and as part of three relays, Liggett is poised to join the leaders this fall as well. Grosskurth and Leah Goeke will look to ride some momentum from track season as well. Goeke was the Patriot League steeplechase champion, while Grosskurth took second in the event last spring. Grosskurth has a history running among Bucknell’s varsity seven as she held her position among the team’s leaders in five of six meets last fall. Caroline Tolli, Melissa Smith and Beth Braunegg add even more experience to the squad. Tolli found her stride last October and finished fifth on the team in three of her final four meets, including the Pre-National Invitational and Patriot League Championships. Smith recorded a career highlight last spring, qualifying for the ECAC Championships in the 10,000 meters for the first time in her career. Emily The Bison will also look for Liggett more consistency from Kady Weis-
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ner and Stephanie Bryan. Now sophomores, the duo experienced some ups and downs as rookies, but Donner sees them as wildcards with the ability to take some varsity spots this fall. Among the 17 freshmen making their first appearance with Bison cross country, Donner expects big things from Madeline Dulac, Ali Foote and Betsy Edinger. All three built strong resumes during their high school careers and are expected to contribute early at Bucknell. The Orange and Blue will contend for their ninth Patriot League title in program history on Oct. 29 at Lehigh. Also highlighting the docket for the Bison are the Bucknell Open (Sept. 3), the Mountain Hawks’ Paul Short Invitational (Sept. 30) and the Penn State National Invitational (Oct. 14) in the lead-up to the postseason.
Women’s Cross Country Roster Name Cl. Hometown/High School Kelsey Acre Jr. Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney Haley Anderson Fr. Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton Rachael Blondy So. Durham, N.C./Cary Academy Mikayla Bogulski Fr. Brooksville, Fla./Springstead Beth Braunegg So. Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp. Stephanie Bryan So. Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson Hana Casalnova So. Grove City, Pa./Grove City Caitlin Cavanaugh Sr. Danville, Pa./Danville Area Alexandra Chapman Jr. Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville Manlius Alison Dillon Fr. McKean, Pa./General McLane Montana DiPietrantonio Fr. Mount Laural, N.J./Bishop Eustace Allison Donaghy Sr. Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck Erin Donaghy Sr. Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck Madeline Dulac Fr. Baltimore, Md./McDonough School Betsy Edinger Fr. Greenwich, N.Y./Greenwich Central Ali Foote Fr. West Islip, N.Y./West Islip Stephanie Fulmer Sr. Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X Zoe Gaston Fr. Wilton, Conn./Wilton Leah Goeke Jr. Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley Michelle Golden Fr. West Pittston, Pa./Wyoming Kelly Grosskurth Sr. Huntington Station, N.Y./Hall Hallow Hills East Erin Holbrook So. East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora Alysha Hooper Sr. Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary’s Erin Horleman So. Beach Haven, N.J./Southern Regional Katie Jessee Fr. Concord, Mass./Concord Carlisle Catherine Kobza So. Pt. Lookout, N.Y./Holy Trinity Kelsey Kodak Fr. Hershey, Pa./Hershey Sara Lederman Jr. Livingston, N.J./Livingston Emily Liggett Sr. Grosse Point, Mich./The Lawrenceville School (N.J.) Alison Lockwood Fr. Geneva, N.Y./Geneva Chelsea Lodato So. Matawan, N.J./Old Bridge Kylie Pearse Fr. Malverne, N.Y./Kellenburg Memorial Morgan Roche Fr. West Hartford, Conn./Hall Kirstin Rudd Sr. Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca Justine Schnell Fr. Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands Melissa Smith Sr. Mercer, Pa./Mercer Area Becky Snelson Fr. Randolph, N.J./Randolph Stefanie Spanfeller So. New York, N.Y./Nightingale-Bamford Caroline Tolli Jr. Lockport, N.Y./Lockport Kate VanNess Fr. Alexandria, Ohio/Granville Emily Waksmunski So. Carrolltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll Kara Weichler Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum Kady Weisner So. Saint Mary’s, Pa./Elk County Catholic
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