Feb. 23, 2008

Results

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Navy women's track & field pole vaulter Jacqui Charnigo (Sr./Medina, Ohio) posted the third-highest mark in school history to win the event, as the Midshipmen concluded the second day of the Patriot League Championship in third place on Saturday at Bucknell's Gerhard Field House.

Defending league champion Bucknell leads the way after two days with 60 points, closely followed by Lafayette's 59 points and Navy's 42 points. Holy Cross stands at fourth place with 19 points, followed by Lehigh's 18 points, Army's nine points, Colgate's six points and American's four points.

"Our goal coming into the league championship was to finish at least among the top-three schools and today really helps," stated Navy head coach Carla Criste. "Tomorrow will be exciting and we will need to duplicate our effort and results from today in order to be successful."

Charnigo soared over the bar set at 12'9-1/2" (3.90 meters) to best all competitors in the pole vault on Saturday. Not only does the mark tie the third-best height in school history, it was the second-best effort all-time at the Patriot League Championship. Only Bucknell's Melanie Buczko cleared a higher bar at the league championship, recording a mark of 12'10" (3.91 meters) in 2006. Charnigo was not alone among scorers in the event, as Jessica Schlaegel (So./Nashport, Ohio) produced a career-best 11'3-3/4" (3.45 meters) effort to place fifth.

Navy's highlight on the track came in the 5,000-meter event, where the Midshipmen boasted the two-fastest times, both ECAC marks, on the day. Erica Ziel (So./Saginaw, Mich.) won the race with a career-best time of 17:31.80, soon followed by teammate Amy Watson's (So./Hampstead, Md.) 17:32.50 clocking for second place.

The Midshipmen 4x800-meter relay of Abby Gesecki (So./Nanticoke, Pa.), Maureen Dooley (Jr./Durham, Conn.), Allie Moreland (Jr./Ocean City, N.J.) and Vicki Moore (Sr./Burke, Va.) finished second with the fifth-fastest time in school history with a 9:10.00 clocking. Gesecki ran an outstanding 2:17 during her opening leg of the relay to help the Mids claim eight points in the event and earn a spot in the ECAC Championship.

Navy received scoring performances in two other events. Gloria Hill (Sr./Mitchellville, Md.) placed fifth in the long jump with a distance of 17'6-1/4" (5.34 meters) and Katie Berkey (Jr./Tempe, Ariz.) landed in fifth with a total of 3,034 points. Berkey tallied 724 points in the high jump (5'2-1/2", 1.59 meters) and 721 points in the 60-meter hurdles (9.95 seconds).

The Mids also will send one of their own into the finals of the 60-meter hurdles on Sunday. Sabrina Gambill (Sr./Bridgewater, Mass.) finished sixth during the semifinal round with a 9.25-second showing after crossing the finish line in 9.39 seconds in the preliminary round.

The Midshipmen will look to make up their 18-point deficit and claim their second Patriot League Championship during the third and final day of the event tomorrow. The action is slated for a 12 noon start.