Bucknell University Athletics
Johnston and Kaufman Named to Academic All-District II First Team
5/29/2003 8:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
May 29, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior distance runner Bryan Johnston (Kane, Pa./Kane), senior field athlete Adam Kaufman (Bridgeton, N.J./Saint Marks) and senior distance runner Eric Furst (Goshen, N.Y./Goshen Central) have been named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America District II Men's Track and Field/Cross Country University Division Team. Johnston and Kaufman, both first-time members of the squad, landed a spot on the first team, while Furst was a member of the second team. The teams were announced on Thursday, May 29.
With their selection to the All-District first-team, Johnston and Kaufman are now finalists for national Verizon Academic All-America honors, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and announced on June 17.
To be eligible for the team, the student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, a starter or key reserve, and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
Johnston earns first-team recognition on the heels of one of his most successful years. A 3.60 management major, Johnston also produced on the cross country course this past fall. He claimed the 2002 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Individual Title in a time of 25:43.18, on the way to earning Runner of the Meet accolades. He also picked up Most Valuable Male Runner honors at the Gulden Relays after turning in a season-best time of 25:02.
During the indoor season, Johnston earned personal bests in both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter races. He followed his indoor performances with a solid outdoor season, winning the silver in the steeplechase at the conference championships, while also qualifying for IC4A's and NCAA Regionals in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
The 2002 Patriot League Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Johnston has also been a member of the Academic Honor Roll all eight semesters of his college career. He was recently honored at Bucknell's senior recognition dinner with the Albert E. Humphrey's Award, presented to a male athlete for outstanding achievement in more than one varsity sport.
 Adam Kaufman joined Bryan Johnston on the Academic All-District II First Team.  |
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Kaufman is a member of the first-team for the first time in his career as well. A bio-chemistry major with an impressive 3.95 grade point average, Kaufman has been equally successful on the playing surface. During the indoor season, he picked up a first place finish in the weight throw at the Bucknell Winter Classic with a toss of 48'7.5". He saved his best for the Patriot League Championships, throwing a season-best 50'7.5" for fourth place. The two-time track and field captain also recorded his outdoor season-high throw at the conference meet, earning fifth place in the hammer with a pitch of 159'9".
For his career, Kaufman stands holds the fifth-best hammer throw in Bucknell history (176'9"), while also standing in sixth-place on the BU all-time chart in the weight with a toss of 53'1.5".
In the classroom, the eight-time Dean's List member has received the President's Award for Academic Achievement three years in a row. He is an ECAC Medallion winner, while also serving as President of both the Bucknell student affiliate of the American Chemical Society and the Pre-Health Society. Kaufman, who will be attending Harvard Medical School in the fall, was recently honored with the Alvin F. Jackson Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award at the annual senior recognition dinner.
 Eric Furst earned a spot on the Academic All-District II Second Team. |
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Furst is another first-timer on the Academic All-District team after maintaining a 3.65 cumulative grade point average in physics and mathematics/philosophy throughout his career. A member of both the cross country and track and field teams, Furst recorded a perfect 4.00 GPA in his final semester with the Bison. On the course in the fall, he finished in the team's top-five in seven of eight races. During the indoor season, he ran a career-best 2:25.14 in the 1000-meter, good for fourth-place on the Bucknell all-time charts, and just missed jumping into the top-10 in the 500-meter with a season-best 1:06.76.
During the outdoor season, Furst was a member of the of the Bison distance medley relay that set a new school record at the Penn Relays with a time of 9:51.36, finishing fourth in the prestigious event. At the Patriot League Championship meet, he earned a third-place finish in the 800-meter. Earlier in the season, Furst set a personal-best in that event with a 1:53.18 at the Bison Outdoor Classic, moving into eighth on the BU all-time chart.
A seven-time member of the Dean's List, Furst earned a fourth-place finish in the 1000- meter at the indoor IC4A competition this season, placing him on the All-East squad for the first time in his career.
Following is the complete list of the Verizon Academic All-District II Track and Field/Cross Country University Division Teams:
| 2003 Verizon Academic All-District II Track and Field/Cross Country University Division Teams | |||||
| First Team | |||||
| Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Ryan Bender | Duquesne | So. | Indiana, Pa. | 3.98 | Pharmacy |
| Brian Chaput | Pennsylvania | Jr. | East Haven, Conn. | 3.63 | Communications |
| Tim Fisher | Saint Joseph's | Sr. | Fayetteville, N.Y. | 3.66 | Accounting |
| Bryan Johnston | Bucknell | Sr. | Kane, Pa. | 3.58 | Management |
| Adam Kaufman | Bucknell | Sr. | Bridgeton, N.J. | 3.94 | Biochemistry |
| Aaron Lanzel | Navy | Sr. | Sugar Grove, Pa. | 3.59 | Electrical Engineering |
| Andrew Maloney | Saint Francis (PA) | So. | Toronto, Ontario | 3.96 | Management |
| Greg Ostrowicki | Rutgers | Jr. | Howell, N.J. | 3.938 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Nickie Peters | Coppin State | Sr. | Belmont Village, St. Vincent | 3.78 | Chemistry |
| Todd Witzleben | LaSalle | Sr. | Orchard Park, N.Y. | 3.40 | Finance |
| Second Team | |||||
| Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Brian Abram | Pennsylvania | Sr. | Prairie Village, Kan. | 3.52 | Cognitive Science |
| Sam Burley | Pennsylvania | Sr. | Cheyenne, Wyo. | 3.26 | Environmental Science |
| Nick Carras | Saint Joseph's | Jr. | Levittown, Pa. | 3.50 | Pharmaceutical Marketing |
| Eric Eckstrand | Navy | Jr. | Wilmington, Del. | 3.78 | Computer Science |
| Dave Finneran | Delaware | Sr. | Rutherford, N.J. | 3.669 | Chemistry |
| Eric Furst | Bucknell | Sr. | Goshen, N.Y. | 3.61 | Physics |
| Huguens Jean | UMBC | Sr. | Columbia, Md. | 3.29 | Computer Engineering |
| Michael Kitchko | Lehigh | Sr. | Lansford, Pa. | 3.86 | Chemical Engineering |
| Nicholas Maiorino | Lehigh | Jr. | Penfield, N.Y. | 3.85 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Matt Seymour | American | Jr. | Rockville, Md. | 3.47 | History |
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