Melanie Buczko Named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete

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Melanie Buczko Named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete for Indoor Track and Field

Sophomore Honored for Athletics and Academics Accomplishments During Indoor Season


April 20, 2005

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Melanie Buczko was named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Indoor Track and Field, the league office announced on Wednesday. Buczko had a stellar indoor campaign in which she became only the second athlete in program history to compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

During the indoor campaign, Buczko finished tied for 14th at the NCAA meet with a leap of 13-1 ½. Buczko, who has set and reset the school record countless times in her career, raised the bar yet again this season, clearing a personal-best height of 13-5 ½ to win the competition at the NYU FasTimes Invitational in February. She also became the first ECAC Indoor Champion in program history, winning the gold medal with a height of 12-9 ½.

Buczko was selected to the All-Patriot League second team after earning the silver medal in the 60 hurdles at the 2005 Championships. She broke her own school record in the event, running a time of 8.89 in the preliminary round. Making another appearance in the Bison record books, Buczko bested her own Gerhard Fieldhouse record, setting the mark at 12-11 ½.

Throughout the indoor season, she won a total of seven pole vault competitions, including four-straight wins to start the season. No stranger to awards, she was named the Lewisburg Hotel Bison Athlete of the Week, the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, and the ECAC Field Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 24.

At the conclusion of the indoor season, Buczko was ranked 75th in the world according to the performance list released by the International Association Athletics Federation (IAAF). She was also rated at the 24th-best vaulter on the national scene. A lofty accomplishment considering the rankings include all female pole vault competitors worldwide, including collegiates and high school athletes, as well as professionals.
 
In the classroom, the civil engineering major carried a 3.58 GPA through fall semester, posting a 3.74 GPA during the fall term. She is the first member of the women's track and field team to win the award since Kelly McConnell claimed the honor during the 2001-02 season.

To be eligible for this award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.

Buczko became only the second woman in program history to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

In her rookie year in 2003-04, Buczko earned dual gold medals at the Patriot League Indoor Championships in the pole vault and the 60-meter hurdles. Adding to her resume, she finished fourth in the pole vault at the NCAA East Regional Outdoor Championships to qualify for a spot at the NCAA Championships, where she finished 11th overall. She also set the school outdoor record last year, clearing the bar at 13-3 ½.

Buczko's 2005 outdoor season is off to a good start, as she won the pole vault competition at the Jim Thorpe Invitational hosted by Penn State University, with a height of 12-11 ½, an ECAC qualifying mark. She recorded a personal-best performance in the 100-meter hurdles at last week's Bison Outdoor Classic, finishing the race in 14.67, the fourth-best time in Bison history.

The season will continue for Buczko this weekend, as the Bison track and field teams host the Bucknell Five-Way on Saturday, April 23. Field events will start at 10:30 a.m. while track events will get underway at 12 p.m., at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.