Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Track & Field's Arent, Picardo Named Academic All-Patriot League
2/25/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Feb. 25, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell track and field's Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) and John Picardo (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton Central) were both named to the inaugural Academic All-Patriot League Team on Friday. The Bison's two honorees tied them with Army for the most selections in the league.
The Academic All-Patriot League Team has been added for all sports beginning in the 2010-11 season to honor additional student-athletes who excel both on and off the track. The men's track & field team has 10 student-athletes. Student-athletes must have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average and play an integral part in the team's success. Award winners are determined by a vote of the league's sports information directors who cannot vote for their own athletes.
Picardo's selection is the result of an extensive resume that showcases his success as an art studio and education double-major. The senior has earned a 3.80 GPA while producing photographs and other art work that have appeared in exhibitions across the country and been published in more than a few magazines. Currently a gallery assistant at the Samek Art Gallery on campus, Picardo has also interned at the Rochester Museum and Science Center and the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
Picardo's awards have been numerous throughout his career. A multi-term selection to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Bucknell Dean's List, he is also a recipient of the Brooks Fellowship, which allowed him to study at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado, the Society for Photographic Education Student Scholarship and the Oristaglio Family Arts Scholarship at Bucknell.
On the track, Picardo earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors at last week's championship meet after helping the 4x400 relay to a second-place finish. The relay's finish in 3 minutes, 17.73 seconds ranks fifth all-time at Bucknell and gave the squad another IC4A Championship-qualifying mark. Individually, Picardo placed fourth in the 500 meters (1:05.49).
Arent's selection to the Patriot League's all-academic team comes months after being named to the Division I All-Academic Track & Field Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). A member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Bucknell Dean's List, Arent has claimed is accolades with a 3.46 GPA while majoring in chemistry. When not in the classroom or on the track, the junior has served as a grader for the Physics Department and participated in the Bucknell Institute for Leadership in Management and Technology.
Few rival Arent's success on the track. A co-captain this season, Arent successfully defended his 400-meter title at the indoor championship last week. He also placed second in the 60-meter hurdles, second as a member of the 4x400 relay and sixth in the 200 meters. Arent set program top-10 marks in three of his four events, including a school record in the hurdles. After running a career-best time of 8.13 seconds, which ranked second in program history, in the prelims of the hurdles, Arent broke the record with an 8.07 in the finals.
Arent's athletic resume includes Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet at the 2010 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships. As a sophomore, Arent won both the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles, placed third in the 110-meter hurdles and anchored the second-place 4x400 that allowed Bucknell to clinch its first outdoor track title since 1991.
Navy's Cody Rome was named the 2011 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's indoor track and field.
Bucknell placed third as a team at the Patriot League Championships in Annapolis, Md., last weekend. Before the Bison get their outdoor season underway, several athletes will head to the IC4A Championships next month. More than a dozen Bison have qualified for the championship meet in Boston March 5-6.
2011 Male Scholar-Athlete: Cody Rome, Navy
2011 Male Academic All-Patriot League Team
Colin Eustis, American
Chris Jones, Army
Thomas Wagner, Army
Robert Arent, Bucknell
John Picardo, Bucknell
Jonathan Knowlton, Colgate
Chris Bergan, Holy Cross
Nick Henderson, Navy
Ryan Stasiowski, Lafayette
Cody Rome, Navy
