Bucknell University Athletics
Eight Bison Named to Academic All-Patriot League Track & Field Teams
5/11/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 11, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Just days after sweeping the Patriot League Championships, Bucknell track and field dominated the academic honors as well, earning eight total spots on the Academic All-Patriot League Team, it was announced on Wednesday. The Bison earned a league-best four selections to both the men's and women's squads. The academic team recognizes student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2 who excel both in competition and in the classroom.
Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence), Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), John Picardo (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton Central) and Luke Webster (Pataskala, Ohio/Newark Catholic) represented the Bison on the men's all-academic squad. The quartet combined for four individual titles and 58 of Bucknell's 186 total points (31.2 percent) at the Patriot League Championships last weekend.
Kristin Bretscher (Farmingville, N.Y./Centereach), Kelly Grosskurth (Huntington Station, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East), Jamie Leacock (Howell, N.J./Howell) and Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) were each named to the women's academic team. Bucknell was the only school with more than one selection.
The Track Athlete of the Meet last weekend, Arent earned a spot on the academic squad with a 3.46 GPA while majoring in chemistry. Arent was also a member of the Academic All-Patriot League Team during indoor track season and last year was added to the Division I All-Academic Track & Field Team by the U.S. Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). At the league meet, Arent won the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles in addition to taking second in the 110-meter hurdles where he set a school record (14.32).
Picardo and Donaldson were both members of the winning 4x400 relay and the third-place 4x800 relay at the league meet. It was Donaldson's second victory at the championships as he was also the top finisher in the 800 meters with a time of 1:51.01 that ranks fourth in Bucknell history. An accounting major, Donaldson carries a 3.70 GPA and is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Academic Fraternity, the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Bucknell Dean's List.
Prior to his victory in the 4x400, Picardo placed fourth in the 400 meters. In the classroom, the senior has maintained a 4.80 GPA as a double-major in art studio and education. His honors are many and include the Oristaglio Family Arts and Society for Photographic Education scholarships, the Brooks Fellowship to study at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colo., and the Director's Selection at the Center for Fine Art Photography. Much of Picardo's artwork has been exhibited across the country and published in several magazines. Picardo was also named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team during indoor track season.
Webster earned the first Patriot League title of his career, winning the discus with a throw of 160 feet, 4 inches. As a chemical engineering major, the sophomore has a 3.71 GPA, including a perfect 4.0 during the fall 2010 term. Last season he earned his first selections to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List. Webster is one of only two sophomores named to the academic team along with Army's Justin Harris.
The academic honor is the second of the year for both Bretscher and Moniz. Moniz was named Academic All-Patriot League during cross country season, while Bretscher earned similar accolades during indoor track and field season. Bretscher, who placed fourth in the heptathlon at the Patriot League Championships with a career-best 4,258 points, currently has a 3.79 GPA while majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in economics. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi Honor Society for outstanding achievement in engineering and exemplary character as well as the secretary for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Bretscher's studies have also included work as a process engineer and a teaching assistant at Bucknell for the Chemical Engineering Principles course.
Moniz returned from an injury during the indoor campaign to earn second-place finishes in the 4x800 and 5,000 meters. She earned a third medal in the 1,500 as well, placing third overall. In the classroom, the senior co-captain has a 3.46 GPA as a neuroscience major. Other recent honors include the Ronald J. "Pete" Pedrick Award at the Bucknell Athletics Senior Recognition Dinner "in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to the University." Moniz has helped organize several community events, including the annual Running of the Bison 5K benefiting the Special Olympics and the Arbor Day service project with Bison track and field. A member of Scholars in Service AmeriCorps from 2008-10, she now works for CONCERN foster care agency in Lewisburg.
Leacock earned her second Patriot League title, winning the 400 hurdles and placing third in the 4x400 as well as fourth in the 100 hurdles last weekend. A senior psychology major, she registered a perfect 4.0 GPA last fall to bring her cumulative mark to 3.42. Leacock has earned multiple selections to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Bucknell Dean's List during her career. Her studies include assisting with faculty research on students' religious fundamentalism in relation to their attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals.
Bucknell's only non-senior to make the academic team, Grosskurth did so with a 3.55 GPA in biology. A three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and a five-time selection to the Bucknell Dean's List, Grosskurth is also a member of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity/sorority. On the track, the junior earned her first career all-league citation by placing second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last weekend.
The Academic All-Patriot League Team has been added for all sports beginning in the 2010-11 season to honor additional student-athletes for both academic and athletic success. The track and field teams include 10 male and 10 female student-athletes. Student-athletes must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA and be a starter or a key reserve. Award winners are determined by a vote of the league's sports information directors who cannot vote for their own athletes.
Bucknell will try to fall its Patriot League team titles with more success at the IC4A/ECAC Championships this weekend. Action in Princeton, N.J., runs May 13-15.
2011 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team
Colin Eustis, American
Justin Harris, Army
Tom Wagner, Army
Robert Arent, Bucknell
Jordan Donaldson, Bucknell
John Picardo, Bucknell
Luke Webster, Bucknell
Kyle Forrest, Lehigh
Evans Kosgei, Lehigh
Cody Rome, Navy
2011 Women's Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team
Erin Koch, American
Kristin Bretscher, Bucknell
Kelly Grosskurth, Bucknell
Jamie Leacock, Bucknell
Sarah Moniz, Bucknell
Elise DeRoo, Colgate
Katelyn Hartnett, Holy Cross
Kelly Clyde, Lafayette
Katherine Pierce, Lehigh
Brigid Byrne, Navy
2011 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Evans Kosgei, Lehigh
2011 Women's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Erin Koch, American
