Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track and Field Places Five on All-Academic Team
7/14/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
July 14, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Five Bison from the Bucknell track and field team were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic team on Monday. Sarah Bella (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham), Rebecca Frey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and Megan Hathaway (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) represented the women's squad, while Kyle Anthony (Barryville, N.Y./Eldred Central) and Steven Pierce (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) represented the men.
In her first season in the Orange & Blue, Bella became the University's outdoor shot put record holder (46 feet, 4 inches) and ranks fifth all-time in the event indoors (43-4 1/4). This spring, she earned the title of Patriot League Champion in both the shot put and the discus, earning her the selection as Rookie of the Meet at the league's championships. She later competed in both events at the NCAA East Regional Championship Meet. Bella registered a 3.66 grade point average in the spring, giving her her first selection to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Frey earned Patriot League titles in the pole vault both during the 2009 indoor (12-1 1/2) and outdoor (11-9 3/4) seasons. Her victory in the spring earned her a trip to the NCAA East Regionals where she cleared 12-0, ranking her third all-time at Bucknell. The rising junior ranks third in the event indoors as well with a mark of 12-1 1/2. With a GPA of 3.55, Frey was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for the second time this spring, majoring in civil and environmental engineering.
Hathaway closed her Bucknell career out with wild success. The recent graduate earned league titles this winter in the 4x400 relay and the 500, setting a school record of 1 minute, 14.25 seconds. During the outdoor season, Hathaway won the 800 in a Bucknell top-10 time of 2:11.17 and was a member of the title-winning 4x400 and 4x800 relays. The sprinter finished her academic career at Bucknell with a 4.0 GPA while majoring in sociology. She was also named to the ESPN The Magazine All-Academic Second Team earlier this year.
Anthony earned All-Patriot League honors for the third consecutive season after winning the indoor triple jump with a leap of 49-1 1/2. It was his second league championship victory in the event after taking the title as a freshman. Anthony followed the 2009 performance by winning the triple jump outdoors, posting a mark of 49-3. The rising senior's spring title earned him a trip to his first career NCAA East Regional Championship meet where he took 15th place. A 2009 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award second team selection, Anthony has maintained a 3.41 GPA while majoring in English and philosophy.
Pierce made a strong comeback after missing last season with an injury. The rising senior began the season at the Maryland Invitational with a javelin throw of 213-1. The mark won the event and qualified him for the NCAA East Regionals for the second time in his career. Pierce's success is not new, as he ranks third all-time at Bucknell in the javelin with a throw of 216-1, set during his freshman campaign. In the classroom, Pierce maintained a 3.75 GPA this spring while working on an interdepartmental major.
A record number of student-athletes – 531 women from 146 Division I schools and 327 men from 107 schools – were selected to the USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic squad. To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have met either the NCAA Division I Indoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard or the NCAA Division I Outdoor regional or national qualifying standard in their respective event.
