Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Track & Field Places League-Best Four on Academic All-Patriot League Team
2/28/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Feb. 28, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's track and field's Robert Arent (New Providence, N.J./New Providence), Jordan Donaldson (Saxton, Pa./Tussey Mountain), Andrew Powell (Charlton, Mass./St. John's) and Daniel Markwalter (Vienna, Va./Thomas Jefferson S&T) were each named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team on Tuesday. With their four selections, Bucknell led the league in honorees for the second consecutive year.
The Academic All-Patriot League Team was added for all sports last 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.
Arent earned his second academic citation during indoor season. With a 3.45 GPA, the senior chemistry major has also been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor and Bucknell Dean's List several times throughout his career as well as the league's All-Academic Team during the outdoor campaign last year. His off-the-track activities include participation in the Bucknell Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management in 2010, a program that focuses on globalization, ethics, communication and bridging the disciplines of engineering and management.
On the track, Arent won this third consecutive 400-meter title at the Patriot League Championships earlier this month. With four career indoor Patriot League titles, he is now tied for third-most all-time at Bucknell. Arent was also second in the 60-meter hurdles, fourth as a member of the 4x400 relay and eighth in the 200. During his final season in the Orange and Blue, Arent qualified for the IC4A Championships in 60 hurdles, 200 and 400 meters.
Donaldson is also a two-time All-Academic Team selection having also been voted to the squad last spring. The senior has earned a 3.77 cumulative GPA while majoring in accounting and posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall 2011 semester. A five-time member of the Dean's List and three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Donaldson is also involved with the Alpha Lambda Delta Academic Fraternity and Bucknell Accounting Club.
Athletically, Donaldson placed second in the 800 meters and fifth in the 400 at the most recent Patriot League Championships. The team co-captain was also a member of the 4x400 and 4x800 relays that both placed fourth. During the winter campaign, he finished in second place or better in all but one individual race with the lone exception being the 400 at the league meet despite running a season-best 50.07 seconds.
As a member of both the track and men's soccer teams, Powell has built a lengthy resume for his accomplishments both athletically and academically. In addition to the All-Academic Team honor, Powell has also been named 2010 NSCAA Scholar All-East First Team and All-Patriot League Academic Team in soccer. The senior carries a 3.44 GPA as an accounting major and is a five-time selection to the league's Academic Honor Roll.
Powell collected his third Patriot League gold medal at the championship meet two weeks ago. He successfully defended his heptathlon title with a school-record 5,143 points. His performance included personal bests in the 60 hurdles (8.48) and high jump (6-8 ¾). Powell's league meet also included a second-place performance in the high jump and an 11th-place finish in the long jump.
One of only two non-seniors named to the team, Markwalter claimed his first postseason academic honor with a 3.91 GPA as a biomedical engineering major. The junior has been named to the Dean's List four times and is also a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. His successful academic record includes a 4.0 GPA during the fall 2010 term after he spent the summer as an intern with the National Institution of Standards and Technology Center for Neturon Research.
Markwalter joined the team as a walk-on his freshman season but has developed into one of the squad's top pole vaulters. He tied for third in the event at the 2012 Patriot League Championships after clearing a personal-best 15-9 and qualifying for the IC4A Championships in the event.
Bucknell was one of only two schools to have more than one honoree on the All-Academic Team. The Bison were joined by Navy, which had two selections in addition to the Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Cody Rome. Bucknell edged the Midshipmen at the Patriot League Championships as well by winning its first team title since 1993.
Bucknell will complete its indoor season March 3-4 at the IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass.
Men's Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Cody Rome, Navy, Sr., 3.55 GPA, Applied Mathematics
Men's Indoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team
John Pope, American, So., 3.81 GPA, International Studies
Thomas Wagner, Army, Sr., 3.549 GPA, Physics
Robert Arent, Bucknell, Sr., 3.45 GPA, Chemistry
Jordan Donaldson, Bucknell, Sr., 3.77 GPA, Accounting
Andrew Powell, Bucknell, Sr., 3.44 GPA, Accounting
Daniel Markwalter, Bucknell, Jr., 3.91 GPA, Biomedical Engineering
Michael Thompson, Lafayette, Sr., 3.92 GPA, Civil Engineering
Kyle Forrest, Lehigh, Sr., 3.60 GPA, Accounting
James Pearson, Navy, Sr., 3.50 GPA, English
Cody Rome, Navy, Sr., 3.55 GPA, Applied Mathematics
