Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Lands Two Athletes on 2001 Verizon Academic All-District II University Division Spring At-Large Team
5/25/2001 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 25, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior women's crew member Jessica Smith (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) and junior women's water polo player Brooke Rea (Canandaigua, N.Y./Los Altos) have been named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District II University Division Spring At-Large First Team.
With their selection to the first team, both athletes are now eligible for national Academic All-America recognition. The national team will be voted on in early June and announced on Thursday, June 14. In order to be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a player must be at least a sophomore and a starter or significant reserve on his/her team, and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better.
Smith is a member of the varsity pair for the Bison crew. The co-captain started her career as a coxswain before moving to varsity lightweight eight in her sophomore season. In 2001, her first season as a member of the pair, she and her partner took first in the Augusta Invitational, the Knecht Cup, the MIRA Regatta and the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championship. Smith was honored for her abilities on the water and in the classroom with the Alvin E. Jackson, Jr. Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award at the Bucknell Senior Recognition Dinner in early May. The 3.87 bio-chemistry major earned the award for her outstanding academic and athletic achievement, and future promise as a Bucknell alumnus.
Rea makes her first appearance on the Academic All-America squad. A transfer as a sophomore, Rea completed her second full season with the Orange and Blue this past year. In her first season, she led the team with 53 goals. This season, she tallied a squad-best 58 goals, just three shy of a school single-season record. In addition, she recorded a team-high 33 ejections drawn and more that doubled her steal total from a year before with 62. Rea is a constant member of the University's Dean' List, maintaining a 3.83 grade point average as an English major. At the conclusion of the 2000 season, she was named to the 1999-2000 American Water Polo Coaches Association All-Academic Outstanding team. As a team, the 2001 women's water polo squad set a school record for wins, going 18-13 over the course of the season.
