Bucknell University Athletics
Bryson Johnson Receives Senior Athletic Award at Bucknell
4/30/2013 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 30, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior Bryson Johnson (Pictou, Nova Scotia/St. David's Catholic), a member of the Patriot League champion men's basketball team, received a special award at the University's annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Bison Club and held at the Elaine Langone Center on Tuesday, April 30.
Johnson won the John F. Zeller Award, presented to senior athletes "for outstanding contributions to Bison Athletics, while exemplifying the best of Bucknell in the manner that John Zeller did in his 68 years of service to the University." Johnson was the co-winner of the award along with Lindsay Horbatuck of the women's basketball team.
In addition to Johnson, 19 other student-athletes were honored at the banquet, including standout distance runner Caroline Tolli and men's basketball star Mike Muscala, who were the winners of the Christy Mathewson Award, given to the most outstanding athletes in the senior class.
A two-year co-captain and member of the Bucknell Bison Leadership Academy, Johnson leaves as the most prolific 3-point shooter in Bucknell and Patriot League history. He made 323 career 3-pointers, including a record 99 as a sophomore, and he graduates ranked 10th on Bucknell's career scoring list with 1,384 points.
The Nova Scotia native was a talented shooter from day one at Bucknell -- he hit six 3-pointers against Mercer in the first game of his freshman year -- but Head Coach Dave Paulsen frequently remarked this season about Johnson's marked improvement as a defender and ball-handler over the course of his career. As a senior he was one of the team's top perimeter defenders and also led the team in assists (79) for the first time.
Bucknell is a highly selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 3,500 undergraduate students. Bucknell competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League and has full membership along with American, Army, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Bucknell has won the Presidents' Cup, signifying the Patriot League's all-sports champion, in 17 of 22 years, including 13 of the last 15.
