2026 Season Successes

from Coach Donner

Dear Bucknell Spiked Shoe Family,

The 2026 collegiate Track and Field season is now in the books and I would call it a very successful spring outdoor season, with our men finishing in 3rd place in the Patriot League with 99.5 points, and our women finishing 4th with 115.25 points. For the men, it was our highest place since 2021 when we were also 3rd, and our highest point total since 2018. The 115.5 points on the women's side was 29 points higher than 2025, and the combined men's and women's points of 214.75 is our highest combined points since 2019 when we combined for 220.5 points. 

We had three women and one male qualify for the NCAA East Preliminaries at the University of Kentucky in late May: Evie Bliss, women's javelin, Brylee Tereska, women's javelin, Alex Lea, women's 400 meters, and Wade Shomper in the men's shot put. All had a great meet, with Bliss and Shomper both qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

In Oregon, Evie turned in the highest finish at an NCAA Championship event for a female in school history, finishing second with a throw of 60.28 (197-9 ft) and earning 1st Team All-American honors. Wade also had a fine performance, finishing 16th to become Bucknell's first shot putter to earn 2nd Team All-American honors.

Results at East Prelims in Lexington, Kentucky -- May 27-30

Alex Lea:  Women's 400-meters--36th--52.90 (tied school record)

Evie Bliss:  Women's Javelin--1st--61.02 ( 200-2)

Brylee Tereska:  Women's Javelin--17th--48.73 (159-10)

Wade Shomper:  Men's Shot Put--6th--18.94 (62-1.75) new school record

Results of NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon -- June 10-13

Wade Shomper:  Shot Put--16th--18.25 (59-10) 2nd Team All-American

Evie Bliss:  Javelin--2nd--60.28 (197-9) 1st Team All-American

The season is not over yet for Evie. She will compete in the Javelin at the Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships at Icahn Stadium in New York, New York, on Thursday, July 23 at 5:40 p.m. (Day one of the four-day Championship Meet). I am sure Evie will have a great support group at this meet of Bucknell Alumni and present teammates with the meet being in New York.

As you know from previous messages, our program's fundraising goal for the year is $300,000. I am pleased to announce that we have raised just over $234,000 to this point, thanks in a large part to the tremendous support from our alumni, parents and friends. With only a few days remaining in our fiscal year which ends on June 30, I am asking those who may not have made a gift to the program this year, or those who wish to make an additional gift, to help us raise as much of the remaining $66,000 as we possibly can. 

I am humbled by the generosity of so many of our alumni, parents and friends who have given so much already. Your support really does have a positive impact on our program and our student-athletes, and helps us provide a transformative experience for them, both on the track and cross country courses, and in the classroom.

Help us reach our goal by giving online, or by sending a check (postmarked by June 30) made out to Bucknell University with "Spiked Shoe" in the memo line and mail it to, Bucknell University, Attn: Gift Processing, 301 Market St., Suite 2, Lewisburg, PA 17837.

I recently announced our latest recruiting class, consisting of 25 women and 21 men, and we cannot wait to get this great group of student-athletes on campus this fall. Mark your calendars and please plan on joining us at Bucknell for the 2026 Patriot League Cross Country Championship on Saturday, October 31. We will celebrate Halloween and host the championships on the Bucknell West Fields and Golf Course. The races will be at 11 a.m. and noon on Saturday, and we plan to have an alumni reception following the awards ceremony from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Terrace Room on campus. More information will be sent out later this summer regarding the Patriot League Cross Country Championships at Bucknell and the post meet alumni reception.

I have always felt the sign of a great year is when the present all-time top-10 list has lots of new additions. This year did not disappoint, with 14 new individual event additions and three relays for the men, and 33 new individual additions and six new relays for the women. Our top-10 list is updated on our men's and women's track and field websites at www.bucknellbison.com.  

Men's additions to the Bucknell All-Time Top-10 list:

100 meters--Luke Petryna--10.66--tie #9

200 meters--Luke Petryna--21.39--#6

400 meters--Ethan Fianko--48.05--#7

400 meter Hurdles--Ethan Knight--53.02--#6

4 x 100 relay--Hyken, Backus, Lubeski, Petryna--41.01--#4

4 x 100 relay--Ndegwa-Brown, Backus, Lubeski, Petryna--41.28--#8

4 x 400 relay--Ndegwa-Broan, Petryna, Lubeski, Fianko--3:10.48--#2

Triple Jump--Jared Hess--48-2--#8

Pole Vault--Lucas Williams--16-5.25--#3

Shot Put--Wade Shomper--62-1.75--#1 school record

Shot Put--Braiden Pulver--57-5--#2

Hammer--Aiden Tacker--197-9--#5

Hammer--Braiden Pulver--186-6--#9

Discus--Keenan LaMontagne--172-0--#3

Discus--Alex Polenik--167-11--tie #8

Decathlon--Will Feddeler--6319 points--#4

Decathlon--Aidan Karson--6085 points--#7

Women's Additions to the Bucknell All-Time Top-10 list:

100 meters--Grace Camerlingo--11.93--#3

100 meters--Cami Burkett--12.17--tie #10

200 meters--Alex Lea--23.49--#1 school record

200 meters--Cami Burkett--24.88--#10

400 meters--Alex Lea--52.90--#1 school record

400 meters--Raygan Lust--55.84--#8

800 meters--Abby Michaelson--2:08.23--#1 school record

800 meters--Katrina Torelli--2:11.18--#10

1,500 meters--Katrina Torelli--4:24.64--#2

1,500 meters--Shaelan McNally--4:25.83--#4

1,500 meters--Grace Vives--4:26.54--#6

3,000 meter steeplechase--Meghan Rentner--10:30.31--#2

3,000 meter steeplechase--Kerry O'Day--10:53.60--#9

Mile--Grace Vives--4:55.25--#1 school record

3,000 meters--Kailey Granger--9:38.55--#1 school record

5,000 meters--Kailey Granger--16:40.86--#5

5,000 meters--Kerry O'Day--16:43.08--#6

5,000 meters--Caryn Rippey--16:43.45--#7

5,000 meters--Meghan Rentner--16:45.24--#8

5,000 meters--Shaelan McNally--16:46.43--#9

10,000 meters--Caryn Rippey--34:42.16--#3

10,000 meters--Kailey Granger--35:48.66--#7

100 meter Hurdles--Noelani Sadler--14.09--#1 school record

400 meter Hurdles--Noelani Sadler--1:02.04--#7

400 meter Hurdles--Maddy Sipe--1:02.20--#8

4 x 100 meter relay--Camerlingo, Muraglia, Sadler, Lea--46.55--#3

4 x 100 meter relay--Agambire, Muragla, Portacio, Lea--47.04--#8

4 x 400 meter relay--Michaelson, Cooke, Lust, Lea--3:43.40--#2

4 x 400 meter relay--Wright, Portacio, Michaelson, Lust--3:45.47--#3

Distance medley relay--Torelli, Wright, Vives, McNally--11:30.52--#1 school record

4 x 800 meter relay--Vives, Johns, McNally, Torelli--8:52.83--#3

Long Jump--Jordan Muraglia--19-2.5--#3

Shot Put--Madison Fowler--47-5.25--#4

Hammer--Madison Fowler--185-4--#3

Discus--Julia Sobilo--159-1--#3

Javelin--Evie Bliss--201-3--#1 school record

Javelin--Brylee Tereska--164-0--#3

Pole Vault--Lizzy Bryant--12-7.5--#2

Heptathlon--Madeline Lehker--4300 points--#8