Bucknell University Athletics
Minella, Ott Earn Spots on Academic All-Patriot League Rowing Team
5/23/2019 12:01:00 PM | Women's Rowing
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell juniors Natalie Minella and Grace Ott earned two of the 11 spots on the Academic All-Patriot League Rowing Team on Thursday. Minella and Ott are standouts academically at Bucknell, and both earned All-Patriot League honors earlier in the week after leading the Bison Varsity Eight to a silver medal at the Patriot League Championships, which also clinched a second-place finish for the team.
Minella is the coxswain in Bucknell's top boat, and she is now a two-time all-conference selection. The Varsity Eight outdueled Boston University at Georgetown in quite a battle for the silver medal at last week's Patriot League Championships. Navy crossed the line first in 6:26.834, but then Bucknell, Boston University and Georgetown were all separated by less than a second. The Bison took the No. 2 spot on the final stroke in a time of 6:32.798, followed by the Terriers in 6:32.958 and the Hoyas in 6:33.518. Had Bucknell finished fourth instead of second in that race, the team would have tied for third place instead of second in the overall points standings.
Minella also guided the Varsity Eight to a runner-up finish at the Cooper Invitational and fourth-place finishes at the Dad Vail Regatta and Cherry Hill Invitational this spring.
Off the water, Minella is a sociology major with a 3.72 cumulative grade-point average. She is a Dean's List student, a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete, and a member of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute. Last year she was part of a student research team that studied the public perception of science and worked to develop a new course, "Science in the Public Eye."
Ott joined Minella on the All-Patriot League Second Team this season after working from the bow seat in Bucknell's Varsity Eight. Ott was also in the 1V8+ at the Dad Vail and Cherry Hill Invitational, and earlier in the spring she helped the 2V8+ to a gold medal at the Cooper Invitational.
Ott is an international relations major with a 3.63 GPA, and she has already done considerable work abroad during her time at Bucknell. She spent the fall of 2018 in Quito, Ecuador as an independent researcher and volunteer. She conducted interviews to learn about the women's movement and penal system reform in Ecuador, and she completed a 30-page research paper in Spanish based on her findings. Ott also spent time in Oita, Japan last summer, where she worked as a public speaking instructor with Japanese students.
The Bison finished second in all three events at the Patriot League Championships, which led to the second-place team finish behind Navy. Bucknell also took second in the team standings at the Dad Vail this spring, placing a best-ever eight boats into finals.
2019 Patriot League Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete: Megan Hanson, Navy
Women's Rowing Academic All-League
Kathryn Quirk, Boston University, Sr.
Emma Quirk, Boston University, Sr.
Natalie Minella, Bucknell, Jr.
Grace Ott, Bucknell, Jr.
Cate O'Leary, Georgetown, Sr.
Tyler Sparling, Holy Cross, Sr.
Sarah Boyer, Lehigh, Jr.
Rhys Schueren, Loyola Maryland, Sr.
Caitlin McCandler, MIT, Sr.
Megan Hanson, Navy, Sr.
Sam Fox, Navy, Jr.
Minella is the coxswain in Bucknell's top boat, and she is now a two-time all-conference selection. The Varsity Eight outdueled Boston University at Georgetown in quite a battle for the silver medal at last week's Patriot League Championships. Navy crossed the line first in 6:26.834, but then Bucknell, Boston University and Georgetown were all separated by less than a second. The Bison took the No. 2 spot on the final stroke in a time of 6:32.798, followed by the Terriers in 6:32.958 and the Hoyas in 6:33.518. Had Bucknell finished fourth instead of second in that race, the team would have tied for third place instead of second in the overall points standings.Minella also guided the Varsity Eight to a runner-up finish at the Cooper Invitational and fourth-place finishes at the Dad Vail Regatta and Cherry Hill Invitational this spring.
Off the water, Minella is a sociology major with a 3.72 cumulative grade-point average. She is a Dean's List student, a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete, and a member of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute. Last year she was part of a student research team that studied the public perception of science and worked to develop a new course, "Science in the Public Eye."
Ott joined Minella on the All-Patriot League Second Team this season after working from the bow seat in Bucknell's Varsity Eight. Ott was also in the 1V8+ at the Dad Vail and Cherry Hill Invitational, and earlier in the spring she helped the 2V8+ to a gold medal at the Cooper Invitational. Ott is an international relations major with a 3.63 GPA, and she has already done considerable work abroad during her time at Bucknell. She spent the fall of 2018 in Quito, Ecuador as an independent researcher and volunteer. She conducted interviews to learn about the women's movement and penal system reform in Ecuador, and she completed a 30-page research paper in Spanish based on her findings. Ott also spent time in Oita, Japan last summer, where she worked as a public speaking instructor with Japanese students.
The Bison finished second in all three events at the Patriot League Championships, which led to the second-place team finish behind Navy. Bucknell also took second in the team standings at the Dad Vail this spring, placing a best-ever eight boats into finals.
2019 Patriot League Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete: Megan Hanson, Navy
Women's Rowing Academic All-League
Kathryn Quirk, Boston University, Sr.
Emma Quirk, Boston University, Sr.
Natalie Minella, Bucknell, Jr.
Grace Ott, Bucknell, Jr.
Cate O'Leary, Georgetown, Sr.
Tyler Sparling, Holy Cross, Sr.
Sarah Boyer, Lehigh, Jr.
Rhys Schueren, Loyola Maryland, Sr.
Caitlin McCandler, MIT, Sr.
Megan Hanson, Navy, Sr.
Sam Fox, Navy, Jr.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
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