Mids Stand in Third Place After First Day of Patriot League Championship :: Jacqui Charnigo won the pole vault, three Mids scored in the 10,000-meter run

May 2, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy women's track & field pole vaulter Jacqui Charnigo (Sr./Medina, Ohio) won an event to lead the Midshipmen to a third-place standing after the opening day of the Patriot League Outdoor Championship on Friday at Ingram Field.

Defending Patriot League champion Bucknell concluded day one in first place with 58 points, followed by Lafayette's 37 points. Navy's 33.33 points are enough to edge Army's 27 points for third place, followed by Holy Cross's 15 points, Lehigh's 14.66 points and American's one point.

"We had a good day today. It was pretty much on par with our expectations coming in," stated Navy head coach Carla Criste. "Jacqui set a good tone in the pole vault and the runners responded on the track. We are excited and hope to carry some of the momentum from today into tomorrow's events."

Charnigo cleared 12'3-1/2" (3.75 meters) in the pole vault to record a season-best, ECAC qualifying mark and win the event. Teammate Jessica Schlaegel (So./Nashport, Ohio) also scored for the Mids, placing in a three-way tie for fourth place with a height of 10'11-3/4" (3.35 meters).

Navy accounted for 16 of its 33.33 points in the 10,000-meter run. Amy Watson (So./Hampstead, Md.) crossed the finish line second with a time of 38:16.53, soon followed in third place by teammate Lexa Gass's (So./Crescent, Pa.) 38:19.49 clocking. Anna Bernal (So./Bonaire, Ga.) rounded out the scoring contingent for the Mids with a fifth-place time of 39:05.86.

The Midshipmen 4x800-meter relay of Abby Gesecki (So./Nanticoke, Pa.), Erin Neumann (Fr./Wray, Colo.), Allie Moreland (Jr./Ocean City, N.J.) and Vicki Moore (Sr./Burke, Va.) combined for a fourth-place time of 9:14.89. Friday's effort was a season-best performance and qualified for the ECAC Championship.

Navy's Ashley Bucholz (Fr./DeBerry, Fla.) claimed one point in the long jump, where she delivered a career-best distance of 17'8-3/4" (5.40 meters) to finish sixth in the event.

The Midshipmen will look to make up some ground with the second and final day of the Patriot League Championship tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m.