College track and field: Bucknell's Donner stepping out of a shadow

By William Bowman
The Daily Item

May 28, 2009 04:00 am

— LEWISBURG -- Even today, eight years after he replaced Art Gulden, Kevin Donner says not a day goes by that he does not talk to someone about the legendary Bucknell track and cross country coach.
That's what happens when you replace an icon. It's tough to create your own identity.
And even though he's been very successful at Bucknell -- winning 16 Patriot League titles combined between track and cross country -- Donner said it took more than a couple of years to feel like the program he was in charge was indeed his.
"I stepped into an interesting situation, one that a lot of new coaches don't have to deal with," said Donner. "A lot of times the program is down and you have to build it back up. It was the opposite here. My job was to keep it going. I certainly wanted to be successful like Art Gulden, but I had to run it like Kevin Donner."
Gulden, a Hall of Famer at Bucknell who passed away in 2001 after battling cancer, had a remarkable run of success in Lewisburg, including an incredible 405-43 mark in cross country, winning nearly 70 conference titles and picking up 20 Patriot League coaching honors.
Into that shadow stepped Donner. He's had enough good years at Bucknell, coaching more than 100 league champions in his first seven years, that he has now started building his own legacy, adding to the Bucknell legacy along the way.
"It was an honor taking over for an outstanding coach. I really inherited a top-notch program," he said. "It took me four or five years until I felt like it was my program. Before that, I felt more like a tenant than the owner."
And while following in the footsteps can be tough, Donner seems to have succeeded.
The Bison will send 11 athletes -- six men and five women -- to the NCAA East Regional this weekend in Greensboro, N.C. It is the most athletes Bucknell has qualified for the regional track meet under Donner. For the men, Bucknell is sending juniors Andrew Heubner (steeplechase), Kyle Anthony (triple jump), Timothy Medlock (shot put) and Steven Pierce (javelin), sophomore Drew Fitzgerald (pole vault, high jump) and freshman Ted Heitzman (javelin). Senior Megan Hathaway (800), junior Amy Mantush (triple jump and high jump), sophomore Rebecca Frey (pole vault) and freshmen Sarah Bella (shot put, discus) and Stephanie Fulmer (1500) have qualified for the BU women.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about that list: 10 of the 11 will be back next year, including Heitzman, a former PIAA champion in the javelin from Southern Columbia.
"This is a big group that's worked extremely hard to get here," said Donner. "What I am most proud of is the fact that 10 of them return."
With such a large group of underclassmen heading to regionals, Donner said his group is looking at the meet from a number of perspectives.
For those making their first trip to regionals, it will obviously be a valuable learning experience for the remainder of their careers. For the veterans, including Hathaway -- the lone senior making the trip -- the goal is not just to qualify for regionals, it is to move on.
The East Regional is one of four across the nation, and the top five finishers in each regional automatically qualify for nationals as well as athletes who earn wild-card bids. A year ago the Bison sent five to regionals, with their best finish coming from Beverly Rogers, who was ninth in the javelin.
"The ultimate goal is a couple of weeks away," said Donner. "For a few of these kids, this will be their first time in a major meet like this. A few others have been there before. A guy like Kyle Anthony, who's won two Patriot League championships, he's thinking national championship.
"Either way you look at it, it's a great experience."
It is an experience Donner hopes more of his athletes can experience in the future.
Like each and every college sport, coaching is a big part of how successful a program is. At a place like Bucknell, where the academic standards are so tough, Donner said coaching is even more critical.
"We have to work really hard (recruiting) to find the student-athlete who can compete at a Division I level," he said. "The coaching aspect at a school like Bucknell is very important. We need to develop athletes to compete at Division I because we don't always get the athletes we want."
Obviously, Donner and his coaching staff are not only doing a great job coaching, but also recruiting. Five of the BU athletes heading to regionals are freshmen or sophomores.
Anthony, a junior, is ranked 74th nationally in the triple jump and enters regionals looking to continue a string of big jumps. At the IC4A Championships, Anthony placed third overall with his leap of 49 feet, 11 ¾ inches.
Mantush will lead the Bucknell women. She will compete in the high and triple jumps, events she ranks 89th and 108th nationally, respectively. In the running events, Bucknell will have Patriot League champions Fulmer and Hathaway competing in the 1,500 and 800, respectively.
Hathaway is one of the most decorated Bison heading to regionals. The senior from North Tonawanda, N.Y., has her name in Bucknell's all-time top 10 more than 20 times in both indoor and outdoor track. She is a three-time Patriot League individual champion and helped Bucknell to a pair of relay titles.

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