BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy claimed four Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards when the League announced honors on Tuesday, while Army West Point and Lafayette garnered one award apiece.
Naval Academy junior Tyler Yurich was named Patriot League Indoor Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 200-meter with a career-best mark of 21.66 seconds. His mark leads the Patriot League and ranks him 63rd in NCAA Division I. Lafayette senior Nava Chevan broke the school record in her 800m win with a time of 2:11.45. Her mark leads the Patriot League and places her 13th in NCAA DI. Chevan also anchored the Leopards 4X400-meter relay group that won gold at the meet.
Army West Point junior Robby Manse collected Patriot League Men’s Field Athlete of the Week after a League-eading shot put mark of 17.52m (57’ 5.75”) and a weight throw distance of 18.54m (60’ 10’’). Both marks rank inside the top 60 in NCAA DI. Navy senior Sami Bollinger was named Patriot League Women’s Field Athlete of the Week winning the triple jump with a mark of 11.89m (39’ 0.25”). Her jump leads the Patriot League and places her 84th in NCAA DI. She also logged a 5.63m (18’ 5.75”) mark in the long jump, which is the second-best jump in the League this season.
Navy freshman Brian Schloeder earned the Patriot League Men’s Indoor Rookie of the Week after earning gold in the pole vault with a mark of 4.95m (16’ 2.75”) for his first collegiate win. Fellow Mid Bennett Pidro garnered Patriot League Women’s Indoor Rookie of the Week honors after a 5.58m (18’ 3.75”) leap in the long jump which ranks second in the Patriot League. She also claimed fifth-place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.09-seconds. The second-best mark by a freshman in the League this season.
Army West Point’s Faith Kibbe, Colgate’s Cole Blair, Holy Cross’ Abby Desmarais and Josh Gentchos, Lehigh’s Abby Klebe and Skyler Mott and Navy’s Benjemen Schneider earned honorable mention nods for their performances this week.
Patriot League Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Tyler Yurich, Navy, Jr., Sprints, Harmony, Pa./Seneca Valley
*Yurich won the 200m with a career-best mark of 21.66 seconds.
*His mark leads the Patriot League and ranks 63rd in NCAA Division I.
*He also logged a 6.93-second mark in the 60m, which ranks third in the Patriot League.
Patriot League Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Nava Chevan, Lafayette, Sr. Mid-Distance, Florence, Mass./Northampton
*Chevan set the Leopards school record with an 800m time of 2:11.45.
*She won the event, and her mark leads the Patriot League while ranking 13th in NCAA DI.
*Chevan also anchored the 4X400-meter relay squad that won gold for the Leopards.
Patriot League Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Robby Manse, Army West Point, Jr., Throws, Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy
*Manse registered a League-leading shot put mark of 17.52m (57’ 5.75”).
*He also logged a Patriot League best weight throw distance of 18.54m (60’ 10").
*Both marks place Manse inside the top 60 in NCAA DI.
Patriot League Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Sami Bollinger, Navy, Sr., Jumps, Temecula, Calif./Great Oak
*Bollinger won the triple jump with a mark of 11.89m (39’ 0.25”).
*Her jump leads the Patriot League and places her 84th in NCAA DI.
*She also logged a 5.63m (18’ 5.75”) mark in the long jump, which is the second-best jump in the League this season. Bollinger currently holds the best mark on the season as well.
Patriot League Men’s Rookie of the Week
Brian Schloeder, Navy, Fr., Pole Vault, Buffalo, Minn./Rockford
*Schloeder won the pole vault with a mark of 4.95m (16’ 2.75”) for his first collegiate win.
*The mark places him in a tie for second in the League this season and 70th in NCAA DI.
Patriot League Women’s Rookie of the Week
Bennett Pidro, Navy, Fr., Sprints/Jumps, Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan
*Pidro logged a 5.58m (18’ 3.75”) leap in the long jump which ranks second in the Patriot League.
*She also claimed a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.09-seconds. The second-best mark by a freshman in the League this season.
Honorable Mention
Faith Kibbe, Army West Point, Distance, De Pere, Wisc./West De Pere
*Kibbe won the 500m with a time of 1:18.53 at the West Point Open.
Abby Desmarais, Holy Cross, Sprints, Framingham, Mass./Framingham
*Desmarais logged a 200m time of 25.34 which is the second-best League mark by a freshman this season.
Abby Klebe, Lehigh, Jr., Mid-Distance, Chesterbrook, Pa./Conestoga
*Klebe won the 1000m at the Penn Select meet with a time of 4:54.72.
Cole Blair, Colgate, Sr., Jumps, Georgetown, Texas/East View
*Blair posted a 7.20m (23’ 7.5”) mark in the long jump to earn gold.
*His mark ranks second in the Patriot League and 49th nationally.
Josh Gentchos, Holy Cross, Fr., Sprints, Concord, N.H./Bishop Brady
*Gentchos set a school record with a 22.13-second mark in the 200m.
*The mark is the fastest freshman time in the League this season.
Skyler Mott, Lehigh, Sr., Jumps, Mill Neck, N.Y./Friends Academy
*Mott finished as the runner-up in the high jump with a mark of 2.05m (6’ 8.75”).
Benjemen Schneider, Navy, Sr., Jumps, Savannah, Mo./Savannah
*Schneider won the high jump with a mark of 2.05m (6’ 8.75”).
PATRIOT LEAGUE INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2024-25 Patriot League Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Annapolis, Md. at the United States Naval Academy. Events at Wesley A. Brown Field House begin Saturday, Mar. 1 and conclude on Sunday, Mar. 2. All nine men's programs and each of the 10 women's teams will compete.
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 who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.