CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Navy captured three of the six M-F Athletic Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards when the League office announced the first set of honors for the 2019-20 indoor season. Army West Point, Bucknell and Holy Cross each claimed one award.
 
Navy sophomore David Nelsen earned M-F Athletic Patriot League Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for his performance in the 60-meter hurdles at the Navy Invitational. Freshman Caden Dailey received his first men’s rookie of the week honor by posting IC4A-qualifying marks in the long jump and 60-meter dash. Freshman Charlene Morke earned her second M-F Athletic Patriot League Women’s Rookie of the Week award for her performance in the pole vault against Princeton.
 
Army West Point sophomore Anna Tovkach captured her first M-F Athletic Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award after posting the second-best time in NCAA DI this season in the 800-meters (2:10.02), along with the second-best time in program history.
 
Bucknell junior Nicholas Marino received his first M-F Athletic Men’s Field Athlete of the Week of the season by tying his personal-best mark in the pole vault (5.0m) at the Angry Birds Classic.
 
Holy Cross junior Christa Jay Moore won her first M-F Athletic Women’s Field Athlete of the Week of the season by tying her school record height of 3.95 meters in the pole vault at the Beantown Challenge.
 
Army West Point junior Bernard Jenkins, Bucknell senior Drew Dorflinger and sophomore Gianna Macones,  Navy senior Regine Tugade all received honorable mentions for their performances last week.
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
David Nelsen, Navy, So., Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton
*Nelson helped Navy to a 107-68 victory over Princeton on Saturday with a pair of first-place finishes and IC4A-qualifying times.
*The sophomore runner won the 1-mile run with an IC4A-qualifying time and Patriot League-best mark of 4:11.80.
*He also ran the fourth leg of the Mids’ 4x800-meter relay team that posted an IC4A-qualifying time of 7:46.00, also the best time in the Patriot League this season.
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Anna Tovkach, Army West Point, So., Gainesville, Fla./Eastside
*Tovkach took first place in the 800-meter run at the Nittany Lion Challenge against competitors from Penn State, Pittsburgh and Georgetown with an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:10.02.
*Her 800m time is second in Army history behind Cassie Mundekis (2019) and atop the Patriot League leaders list this season.
*She has the second-best 800m time in NCAA DI this season.
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Nicholas Marino, Bucknell, Jr., Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham
*Marino helped Bucknell to a first-place finish at the Angry Birds Classic hosted by Lehigh with his second-consecutive win in the pole vault.
*He tied a personal best by clearing an IC4A-qualifying height of 5.0 meters (16’4.75”).
*His vault at the Angry Birds Classic is the best in the Patriot League and 30th-best in NCAA DI this season.
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Christa Jay Moore, Holy Cross, Jr., Hubbardston, Mass./Worcester Academy
*Moore won the pole vault at the Beantown Challenge hosted Harvard by tying a school and personal record clearing 3.95 meters.
*Her vault qualifies for the ECAC Championships, is second in the League this season and 17th in NCAA DI.
*Moore cleared a height four inches higher than the second-place finisher at the Beantown Challenge.
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Rookie Athlete of the Week
Caden Dailey, Navy, Fr., Centreville, Va./Centreville
*Dailey posted IC4A-qualifying marks in the long jump (7.22m) and the 60 meters (6.96) to help Navy to a 107-68 victory over Princeton on Saturday.
*His long jump distance of 7.22 meters leads the Patriot League and tops his previous personal best by a distance of 0.19m.
*He ran a personal-best time of 6.96 in the 60m, for the sixth-fastest time in the Patriot League this season.  
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Rookie of the Week
Charlene Morke, Navy, Fr., Isanti, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti
*Morke cleared 3.80 meters in the pole vault to take first place in a dual meet with Princeton.
*Her height of 3.80 meters qualifies for the ECAC Championships and is the third-best mark in the Patriot League this season, behind her League-best vault of 3.97 meters and Moore’s vault of 3.95 meters.
*She bested the second-place finisher by 0.35m.
 
Honorable Mention
Bernard Jenkins, Army West Point, Jr, Bremerton, Wash./Franklin
*Jenkins won the high jump at the Nittany Lion Challenge by clearing a height of 2.01 meters for the fourth-best mark in the Patriot League this season.
 
Drew Dorflinger, Bucknell, Sr., Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville
*Dorflinger took first place in the mile at the Angry Birds Challenge in Bethlehem, Pa. with a time of 4:19.52.
 
Gianna Macones, Bucknell, So., Sparta, N.J./Sparta
*Macones posted an ECAC-qualifying long jump distance of 5.79 meters to finish second at the Angry Birds Challenge. Her mark is the best in the Patriot League this season.
 
Regine Tugade, Navy, Sr., Sr., Dededo, Guam/John F. Kennedy
*Tugade captured first place in the 60-meter dash (7.62) and the 200-meters (24.72), qualifying for the ECAC Championships in both races. Both marks rank in Navy’s all-time top 10, with her 60m time placing second in program history.
 
Sam Orie, Navy, Jr., Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area
*Orie finished first in the shot put (13.72m) and weight throw (17.82), posting ECAC-qualifying distances in both. Her weight throw distance of 17.82 is the best in the Patriot League and 71st in NCAA DI.
 
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
12.10 – Clayton Thompson, Navy, Jr.
1.14 – David Nelsen, Navy, So.
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
12.10 – Chloe Alfieri, Navy, So.
1.14 – Anna Tovkach, Army West Point, So.
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
12.10 – Geoff Kirk, Army West Point, Jr.
1.14 – Nicholas Marino, Bucknell, Jr.
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
12.10 – Emily Mikoud, Army West Point, So.
1.14 – Christa Jay Moore, Holy Cross, Jr.
 
M-F Athletic Men’s Rookie of the Week
12.10 – Sethan Hollier, Navy, Fr.
1.14 – Caden Dailey, Navy, Fr.,
 
M-F Athletic Women’s Rookie of the Week
12.10 – Charlene Morke, Navy, Fr.
1.14 – Charlene Morke, Navy, Fr.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE 
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.