Announcing the 2020 Bucknell Athletics Senior Award Winners; Salisbury, Joksimovic Receive Christy Mathewson Awards

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Each year, the Bucknell Department of Athletics & Recreation bestows 11 different awards to outstanding student-athletes in the senior class. These senior awards recognize a wide range of accomplishments, from on-field success, to academics, community service, commitment to diversity, and other contributions to the department and to the University.

Before we reveal the winners, Bucknell Athletics would like to recognize each and every one of our senior student-athletes. For many of them, their senior seasons were disrupted or canceled altogether, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the disappointment, the manner in which these seniors handled the situation, and in many cases went above and beyond to help in their communities, was truly inspiring. We will always remember the Class of 2020, and we wish them all the very best in their future endeavors.

Each day during the week of May 11, we will be revealing awards on the @Bucknell_Bison twitter account, and a running log will be posted here as well, so be sure to check back thoughout the week. Here is a list of awards and the release schedule:

Monday:
11 a.m. -- 'RAY BUCKNELL DIVERSITY AWARD: Presented to the senior student-athlete who through his/her actions has worked to eliminate attitudes and actions that have separated, excluded or marginalized people in the past and has facilitated true understanding and recognition among multiple campus and Lewisburg community constituencies. (RECIPIENT: Micah Sims)
2 p.m. -- EDWARD W. PANGBURN AWARD: Presented for sportsmanship, fellowship, and contribution to the University. (RECIPIENTS: Chloe Poltonavage, Peter Bradbeer)
3 p.m. -- RONALD J. "PETE" PEDRICK AWARD: Presented in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell athletics over a four-year period. (RECIPIENTS: Abby Merriman, Logan Schofield)

Tuesday:
11 a.m. -- LEE S. "BUD" RANCK MEMORIAL AWARD: Presented for outstanding spirit and contributions to the Bucknell athletics program. (RECIPIENTS: Emma Hadley, Cooper Dolan)
2 p.m. -- BRYAN-HUMPHREYS AWARD: Presented to a student-athlete who has exhibited exceptional versatility within his/her sport, displaying outstanding achievement and the selfless determination to help the team succeed by contributing in a variety of ways. (RECIPIENTS: Nina Benson, Stefone Moore-Green)

Wednesday:
11 a.m. -- JOHN F. ZELLER AWARD: Presented 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. (RECIPIENTS: Halie Mariano, Tyler Wincig)
2 p.m. -- ROBERT A. LATOUR SERVICE AWARD: Presented for extraordinary service to Bucknell and local communities. (RECIPIENTS: Ali Russo, Brandon Stokes)

Thursday:
11 a.m. -- BRADLEY N. TUFTS AWARD: Presented in recognition of exceptional athletic achievement and contribution to Bucknell athletics. (RECIPIENTS: Raeanne Geffert, Drew Phipps)
1:30 p.m. -- BISON CLUB AWARD: Presented to the senior athletes who best exemplify the winning spirit of the University's athletic program. (RECIPIENTS: Ellie Mack, Jeff Brown)

Friday:
12 p.m. -- ALVIN F. JACKSON, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: Presented for outstanding academic and athletic achievement, and future promise as Bucknell alumni. (RECIPIENTS: Brittany Willwerth, Alex Pechin)
2 p.m. -- CHRISTY MATHEWSON AWARD: Presented to the outstanding senior athletes. (RECIPIENTS: Kaitlin Salisbury, Rade Joksimovic)

'RAY BUCKNELL DIVERSITY AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENT: Micah Sims (men's track & field)
Micah Sims made the most of his time at Bucknell University, both on and off the track. A true bridge-builder across campus and beyond, Micah's resume is stacked with service. Not only was he a captain of the men's track & field team and a member of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute, but he participated in the NCAA Diversity & Inclusion social media campaign. On campus, Micah served as an assistant in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion; he wrote for Bison Spectrum; he volunteered at Admissions and new student open houses; and he took part in events for organizations such as Jewish Life, Black Student Union, T.E.A.M. peer mentoring, and LGBTQ. Micah was also a strong sprinter and jumper for the track & field team, with a four-year career highlighted by a pair of fourth-pace finishes in the long jump at the Patriot League championships.

EDWARD W. PANGBURN AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Chloe Poltonavage (field hockey), Peter Bradbeer (men's golf)
Chloe Poltonavage has been a symbol of leadership and consistency for four consecutive seasons for Bucknell field hockey. A rare three-year team captain, Chloe helped guide the Bison to four straight Patriot League Tournament berths and a trip to the 2017 championship game. She played in every contest since arriving at Bucknell and started all but one following her freshman season. Chloe racked up 15 career points with five goals and five assists. In the classroom, Chloe worked her way onto the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll twice as an early childhood education major. Chloe was also very involved in the local field hockey scene. She coached youth teams as part of the Bison field hockey club, and when the local middle school team was unexpectedly left without a coach last spring, Chloe stepped in to help fill the void.

Peter Bradbeer was a key member of the lineup on some very good Bison men's golf teams over the last four years. In fact, he was so good that his career scoring average of 74.8 ranks third in the history of the program. He finished in eighth place at the Colgate Invitational in his very first collegiate event, and he went on to post six career top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the Bucknell Invitational in the fall of 2019. Peter was an All-Patriot League honoree after a career-best T-6th finish in 2018, and his career-best round – a 5-under-par 66 at the 2018 Cornell Invitational – is just one stroke shy of the school record. Off the course, Peter was a music major at Bucknell, and he could often be seen performing with his a cappella singing group or working on the student-led opera.

RONALD J. "PETE" PEDRICK AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Abby Merriman (women's swimming & diving), Logan Schofield (men's waster polo)
Abby Merriman made her senior year her best in the orange and blue. After being a steady contributor for her first three seasons with the Bucknell women's swimming & diving program, she broke out to tally 14 of her 22 career individual victories as a senior. In addition, she earned her first All-Patriot League nod after logging a career-high 34 points at the Patriot League Championships. At her final championship meet, she finished fourth in the 1,650 freestyle, fifth in the 500 freestyle and 12th in the 200 freestyle, with each time cracking Bucknell's top 10; she also won a bronze medal as a member of the 800 freestyle relay team, an event she rarely swam until that year. Overall, Abby totaled 90 points at the Patriot League Championships and graduated with program top-10 times in the 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle and 200 freestyle.

Ohio native Logan Schofield progressed from playing sparingly during his first two seasons at Bucknell to becoming an Honorable Mention All-American as a junior and senior. He earned First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Water Polo conference honors in both of those seasons, and he also collected a pair of All-Tournament citations. Playing the grueling center position on offense, Logan set the school record for most ejections drawn during his junior season, and his 297 career ejections drawn are second-most in school history, despite just two years of major playing time. Once of his best career games came in Bucknell's thrilling 13-12 win over previously undefeated Harvard in this year's NCAA Tournament first round. That day in Cambridge, Logan scored three goals and set up two penalty shots to help the Bison to their first NCAA win since 1985. Against No. 2 USC in the national quarterfinals, he scored twice in the early stages to help Bucknell grab the lead at the end of the first quarter. Logan, who has trained in California with the U.S. Junior National Team, scored a career-high 66 goals as a senior and 147 in his career.

LEE S. "BUD" RANCK MEMORIAL AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Emma Hadley (women's swimming & diving), Cooper Dolan (men's waster polo)
Emma Hadley was a difference maker for the Bucknell women's swimming & diving team since arriving on campus in 2016. A three-time All-Patriot League honoree, she scored an impressive 132.50 career points at the Patriot League Championships. She captured two individual medals, finishing as the runner-up in the 2018 200 backstroke and the 2017 100 backstroke; she was also a member of three medal-winning relay teams. She excelled at the ECAC Championships, earning four individual medals, including gold in the 2017 100 backstroke. Over the course of her career, Emma won an impressive 32 individual events. She graduated with program top-10 times in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly. In addition, she led off seven medley relay teams with top-10 times, including the record-holding 200 and 400 squads. A chemical engineering major, Emma made an impact outside of the pool as a laboratory assistant, research assistant, grader and teaching assistant; she also completed an internship with Pfizer as a medical device analyst.

Cooper Dolan was a two-year co-captain of the Bison men's water polo team, which has been one of Bucknell's most successful units over the last four years. Cooper never missed a practice during his Bucknell career and played the center position on defense, which is considered one of the most demanding positions in the sport. He was so adept defensively that he shut out a two-time All-American from George Washington in Bucknell's conference championship victory over the Colonials last season. One game later, he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in a thrilling 13-12 victory over Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Cooper was a Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference selection, and he finished his career with 123 goals and 99 assists.

BRYAN-HUMPHRIES AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Nina Benson (women's water polo), Stefone Moore-Green (football/men's track & field)
Throughout her four years with the Bison women's water polo team, Nina Benson progressed from a valuable reserve to one of the top players in the CWPA. Never the biggest player in the pool but always one of the toughest and fastest, Nina was off to a great start in 2020 with 29 goals and 16 assists as the Bison were a red-hot 15-4 on the season. She tallied 89 goals and 64 assists in her career, including three goals and three assists in a terrific performance in Bucknell's victory over 16th-ranked Harvard in the CWPA Championship third-place game last spring. That win gave the Bison their best-ever finish in the tournament. Nina holds the school record for sprint percentage in a season, when she went 36-for-39 – better than 92 percent – a year ago.

It's safe to say Stefone Moore-Green made the most of his time at Bucknell. Following a football career that saw him appear at wide receiver, running back and return man, he joined the track & field team as a senior. Though his outdoor track season was canceled due to the covid-19 public health threat, he made his mark indoors, winning a silver medal in the 400-meter dash and taking fourth in the 200-meter dash at the 2020 Patriot League Indoor Championships; there, the former New Jersey 100-meter dash state champion also captured a bronze medal as a member of the Bison 4x400 relay team. In his short time running track at Bucknell, Stefone stamped his name on top-10 performance lists in three different events, including the third-best time in the 400. Stefone also took full advantage of Bucknell's academic offerings, completing a double major in political science and education and a minor in religious studies. While his athletic responsibilities and academic studies kept him busy, he still made time to work in Bucknell's athletics department. He served as a camera operator for Bison Vision, the department's streaming service, since his freshman year; he was entrusted to work at everything from the Patriot League Women's Basketball title game to the Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championships.

JOHN F. ZELLER AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Halie Mariano (softball), Tyler Wincig (baseball)
The trajectory of Halie Mariano's career did nothing but go up since her arrival at Bucknell. She saw batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage all improve markedly each season, and her coaches say she worked as hard as any player they have seen in order to secure a full-time role. As a senior, Halie started all 22 games and was tied for first on the team in RBIs while leading the squad in extra-base hits. She also displayed admirable versatility by playing both infield and outfield. Halie's leadership extended off the field as well, where she served as president of Bucknell's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was the Patriot League representative on the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. An outstanding student in her own right, Halie was a 2019 member of the Academic All-Patriot League Team.

Tyler Wincig has been the epitome of a scholar-athlete during his time at Bucknell. Not only is he one of the premier hitters in the Patriot League, but with a 3.91 grade-point average in accounting and financial management, Tyler was selected as the 2019 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Tyler played seven different positions, including pitcher, during his Bison career, and last year he earned First Team All-Patriot League honors after hitting .348 with an incredible .500 on-base percentage. Both marks ranked second in the league, and the on-base percentage was third-best in school history while ranking No. 20 in the nation. Tyler also hit eight home runs last season and led the league with a .643 slugging percentage. One of only seven players in school history to hit two homers in a game, Tyler hit 10 career four-baggers and graduates ranked in the top 10 in school history with a .421 career on-base percentage.

ROBERT A. LATOUR SERVICE AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Ali Russo (women's soccer), Brandon Stokes (wrestling)
Ali Russo was a two-time captain of the Bucknell women's soccer team. A four-year starter at outside back and midfield, Ali was the "Iron Woman" of the Bison. She played in all 78 games in her career, and she barely missed a single minute of action. She was a key starter on Bucknell's Patriot League championship teams in 2016 and 2017, and she earned Third Team All-Patriot League honors as a freshman and Academic All-Patriot League honors as a senior. Ali's presence in Bucknell Athletics extended well beyond Emmitt Field. She served as SAAC vice president this past year and has been very active with the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute. She works as a student athletic trainer and has represented Bucknell at leadership conferences at the U.S. Naval Academy and at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.

Brandon Stokes always put his team first. During his time in the Bucknell wrestling program, he competed at four different weight classes, with the majority of his dual appearances coming as an undersized heavyweight. As a senior, he was planning to drop back down to 184 pounds, which was his natural weight class; but after being pushed back up to 285 pounds, he went on to earn his first EIWA podium berth. A fan favorite due to his team-first mentality and local roots, the Milton native was also heavily involved in Bucknell's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Leadership Institute. For SAAC, he held a variety of roles, most notably serving as the Director of Engagement; with the Leadership Institute, he attended the prestigious United States Naval Academy Leadership Conference in both 2019 and 2020. In addition, he served as a student-athlete representative for the 2018 athletic director search, the 2019-20 committee on athletics and the 2019-20 athletic strategic planning committee. As the SAAC Director of Engagement, he helped organize outreach to the campus and local community; he was also a regular volunteer at the Lewisburg Food Pantry.

BRADLEY N. TUFTS AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Raeanne Geffert (softball), Drew Phipps (wrestling)
Raeanne Geffert was a school record-setter and a three-time All-Patriot League pitcher for the Bison softball team. Raeanne was Bucknell's ace from the moment she arrived on campus her freshman year and collected a program-record 55 wins in the circle. She broke the wins record during a memorable weekend this season where she also became the all-time leader in strikeouts and innings pitched in a span of three days. With 546 strikeouts, Raeanne not only broke the team record, she shattered it by more than 100. In the hottest streak of her career, Raeanne pitched a program-record 34-and-a-third scoreless innings, tossed a rare no-hitter against Lehigh, and set the single-season record with 169 strikeouts as a junior. Along with her spectacular athletic achievements, Raeanne has been a dedicated student who garnered two Academic All-Patriot League awards.

Drew Phipps raised the bar for the Bucknell wrestling program. Known for his steady leadership and relentless work ethic, the Irwin, Pennsylvania native earned three spots on the EIWA podium and twice qualified for the NCAA Championships. He was at his best as a senior, becoming the Bison's ninth EIWA runner-up, posting a 31-7 overall record and going 14-2 in dual action. En route to his second-place finish at the 2020 EIWA Championships, he knocked off the top seed, who was ranked sixth nationally at the time; it was his fifth career victory over a nationally ranked opponent. A consistent performer who competed at both 184 and 197 pounds, Drew won at least 20 bouts in each of his four seasons as a Bison; he had 99 career victories, good for 11th in school history, going into the 2020 NCAA Championships, which were canceled due to the covid-19 public health threat. Drew was a fixture in Bucknell's dual lineup for his final three campaigns, notably starting 49 duals in a row between November 2017 and February 2020; he finished his career with an impressive dual record of 42-15.

BISON CLUB AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Ellie Mack (women's basketball), Jeff Brown (men's track & field)
Ellie Mack will go down as one of the best players in Bucknell women's basketball history. Ellie has been a major catalyst in some of the finest seasons the program has seen, including three Patriot League regular season titles and a pair of Patriot League Tournament championships. She was honored this season by becoming the fourth player in program history to be named the Patriot League Player of the Year. She's also a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and was part of the 2019 All-Tournament team. Since Ellie stepped into a starting role as a junior, the Bison are an incredible 36-4 against Patriot League opponents. In February, Ellie became the 26th player in Bucknell women's basketball history to eclipse 1,000 career points, doing so in just 95 games after missing her freshman season with an injury. As a team captain this season, Ellie led the Bison in scoring, rebounding, assists, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage.

Jeff Brown is one of the top sprinters in Bison track & field history and a worthy recipient of the title of "Bucknell's Fastest Man". Jeff captured the Patriot League championship in the 60-meter dash for the first time as a junior, and he repeated the feat this year. He broke the school record in the 60 as a junior, and then eclipsed his own mark three different times this season, culminating with a Patriot League-record 6.75 at the 2020 league championship meet. Jeff was the IC4A Championship runner-up in 2019, and this spring he would have been one of the favorites to win gold in the 100-meter dash at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships.

ALVIN F. JACKSON MEMORIAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Brittany Willwerth (field hockey), Alex Pechin (football)
Brittany Willwerth began turning heads from the first moment she suited up for the Bison field hockey team, and she has put together an impressively well-rounded career as a student-athlete. Brittany was a staple of the Bison's offensive attack, starting 63 of the 66 games in which she appeared. She's eighth in program history with 69 points, tallying 24 goals and a sixth-ranked mark of 21 assists. Brittany is one of only four Bison field hockey players to receive All-Patriot League honors all four years and was a 2018 All-Mideast Region selection. Additionally, Brittany has been an exceptional student and volunteer. As a psychology major, she's been a three-time member of the Academic All-Patriot League Team and a two-time member of the NFHCA National Academic Squad. Brittany is well known in circles all across campus and beyond, having served as the sports editor for the school paper, an athletic training intern, and an executive board member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In her spare time, she has volunteered at children's hospitals and at a summer camp for kids with disabilities in her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Alex Pechin is the epitome of Bucknell's scholar-athlete ideal. One of the most decorated student-athletes in school history, he excelled on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. Over the course of his storied career, the two-year captain rewrote the Bison record book and cracked the FCS's all-time top-10 in both career and single-season punting average. In the process, he was voted to a staggering 15 All-America teams, most notably becoming the Patriot League's 14th consensus All-American in 2019. Beyond that, he became the football team's first four-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree, was recognized as the inaugural FCS Punter of the Year and represented the Bison at the 2020 NFL Combine and East-West Shrine Bowl. The Biomedical Engineering/Management for Engineers double major also made history by becoming the first three-time Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and by being selected as the 2019 STATS FCS Doris Robinson Award Winner; he was the first Patriot League student-athlete to capture STATS's award, which honors the top scholar-athlete in the FCS. A football team peer tutor, Alex was an active member of Bucknell's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Leadership Institute. He worked as a grader for Physics 211 and 212, participated in InterVarsity Bible study and volunteered at Riverwoods and Geisinger. He also interned for Orbit Biomedical, a start-up company dedicated to revolutionizing gene and cell therapy treatment for patients suffering from sight-threatening diseases, in the summers of 2019 and 2018.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON AWARD:
2020 RECIPIENTS: Kaitlin Salisbury (women's track & field), Rade Joksimovic (men's water polo)
In her very first collegiate track & field meet in December of 2016, Kaitlin Salisbury broke the school record in the 60-meter dash … and the wins and the records never stopped over the next four years. Kaitlin earned Rookie of the Meet honors in her first Patriot League championship meet, when she won the 60 and scored in the 200, the long jump and the triple jump. She went on to claim three gold medals and a silver medal in the 60 in her four Patriot League Indoor Championship appearances. Kaitlin will graduate with the school records in the 60 and 100-meter dashes and the indoor and outdoor long jump, and her name appears on Bucknell top-10 lists in five other events. She earned All-Patriot League honors in all seven of her indoor and outdoor seasons, and she was a five-time scorer at the ECAC Championships, including a win in the 60-meter dash during her junior year.

The incomparable Rade Joksimovic will be remembered as one of the most-decorated student-athletes in any sport in Bucknell history. After leading the men's water polo team to its second conference championship in the last three years, Rade became the first Bison in program history to earn First Team All-America honors, and he didn't stop there. He is currently one of three finalists for the Cutino Award, presented to the National Player of the Year. Rade was the only player on the 2020 first, second or third All-America teams from outside the state of California, and this was his third time being named to one of the top three All-America teams. Rade was named the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Player of the Year all four years, and he led the entire nation in goal-scoring all four years. He never missed a game in his Bucknell career and finished with an incredible 527 goals and 714 points, which rank second only to Hall-of-Famer Scott Schulte, who played more than 30 years ago. Rade owns the school record with 14 goals in a single game, and he is also the school-record holder in career steals. Most importantly, Rade helped lead the Bison to one of its most successful eras in school history, with three 20-win seasons, two league titles, and two NCAA Tournament appearances, culminating with a trip to the national quarterfinals this fall.

Bucknell University Athletics

Announcing the 2020 Bucknell Athletics Senior Award Winners; Salisbury, Joksimovic Receive Christy Mathewson Awards

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