May 4, 2013

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lafayette Track and Field team had many strong showings on the first day of the Patriot League Championships, which took place at Lehigh University. The women are currently in fourth place, and the men in eighth.

On the women's side, the throwers picked up right where they left off in the regular season. In the hammer throw event, teammates took two of the top spots. Rachel Pena, coming off of her third league Female Field Athlete of the Week honor, placed third with a throw of 179'. Teammate Gwen Steckel finished right behind her in fourth, with a throw of 166' 1".

Allyx Hunsberger also grabbed a third place finish for the Leopards. The junior threw 134' 7" in the javelin to place third in the finals.

Also in the field, Elise Buffinton captured the top spot in the women's pole vault. The 2012-13 indoor champ claimed her outdoor title by clearing 12' 2.5".

Brittany Powell took sixth in the long jump, gaining valuable points for the Leopards, by jumping 17' 9.75".

On the track, freshman Devin Smith ran 25.42 in the 200m preliminary round. She took first in her heat, and second overall to qualify for the finals.

Fellow freshmen Dejana Harris and Sally Trout also qualified for the finals in the 100m hurdles. The Leopards ran 15.60 and 15.66, respectively, in their heats.

On the men's side, Mac Maguire took the seventh spot in the men's hammer throw competition. The junior threw 174' 7".

Freshman Jarrel Bobb, competing in his first league championship, placed eleventh in the long jump with a distance of 20' 0.5".

Also in the field, junior Chris Luna placed sixth in the javelin with a throw of 175'.

Chris Castello competed in the decathlon for Lafayette, and finished third or better in all five events on day one. The sophomore placed third in the 100m dash and long jump, while finishing second in the shot put, high jump, and 400m run.

For updates from day two of the Patriot League Championships, be sure to follow @LafayetteTF and GoLeopards.com.