Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: John Rooney
Ohnegian Voted Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of Year, Four Bison Named to Academic All-PL Football Team
11/27/2024 11:00:00 AM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The postseason honors continue to pour in for the Bucknell football team. One day after claiming two major award winners and placing 10 players on the All-Patriot League Team, junior center John Ohnegian earned the league's prestigious Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was one of a league-high four Bison named to the Academic All-Patriot League squad.
All four Bucknell student-athletes named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team – Ohnegian, Brad Jamison, Aneesh Vyas, and Gavin Willis – were also All-Patriot League selections for their play on the field. Ohnegian is Bucknell's 15th Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is by far the most in league history. No other team has produced more than six.
Ohnegian was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection on Tuesday, and in addition to his stellar play on the offensive line he carries a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average in economics. This is his second straight year on the Academic All-Patriot League squad, and he was also a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection in 2023.
A rare junior to be named team captain, Ohnegian has started every game over the last two seasons after being named the team's Scout Team Player of the Year as a freshman. He started 11 games at center and one at left tackle this season and helped pave the way for an offense that led the league in yards per game (387.6) and ranked second in scoring (28.8). Ohnegian blocked for Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and record-setting quarterback Ralph Rucker IV as well as Patriot League Rookie of the Year Tariq Thomas, who ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards.
Jamison earned his second straight Second Team All-Patriot League citation, and in the classroom he boasts a 3.74 GPA in mechanical engineering. Earlier this year he was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy as college football's top scholar-athlete, also known as the "Academic Heisman." Jamison started 11 games at linebacker this year and tallied 60 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Willis wrapped up a magnificent sophomore season with Second Team All-Patriot League honors. An undeclared major in Bucknell's College of Arts & Sciences, Willis is off to a strong start academically with a 3.71 GPA.
Willis backed up a solid freshman season with a monster sophomore campaign. He started all 12 games at linebacker and tallied 129 tackles, which is tied for the ninth-highest total in team history. He ranks fourth in FCS in tackles per game (10.8) and leads all NCAA divisions with five fumble recoveries. He also collected 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, and two blocked kicks this season.
Willis was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in the win over Fordham. In that game he made 13 tackles, including four for loss, and he recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Willis recorded double-digit tackles seven times, with a high of 19 against Cornell, and he was a three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Vyas earned his first All-PL nod with a Second Team citation. Vyas played in all 12 games and started 10 on the defensive line, and he finished his senior season with 25 tackles and three pass deflections. He made a season-high six tackles at Georgetown.
A senior business analytics major with a 3.88 GPA, Vyas is a Freeman Fellow and a member of the Freeman College of Management Student Advisory Board. He is an analyst with the Bucknell Student Managed Investment Fund, and last summer he worked with PwC in Chicago as an advance intern in their Financial Services Risk Consulting practice.
Bucknell's four Academic All-Patriot League selections were the team's most since 2017.
Bucknell went 6-6 overall and 4-2 in league play this season, one year after finishing at the bottom of the standings. The Bison were still alive for the league championship in the final week of the season and finished in third place, one game behind Lehigh and Holy Cross.
2024 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year – John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr., OL
2024 Football Academic All-Patriot League
John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr., OL
Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Sr., OL
Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So., LB
Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Sr., DL
Mike Courtney, Fordham, Gr., LB
Alex Kemper, Fordham, Jr., DB
Cam Pygatt, Georgetown, Sr., WR
GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, So., LB
Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr., PK
Christo Kelly, Holy Cross, 5th, OL
Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
Chris Carasia, Lafayette, Sr., WR
Jordan Adderley, Lehigh, Sr., DB
DJ Brown, Lehigh, So., DB
All four Bucknell student-athletes named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team – Ohnegian, Brad Jamison, Aneesh Vyas, and Gavin Willis – were also All-Patriot League selections for their play on the field. Ohnegian is Bucknell's 15th Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is by far the most in league history. No other team has produced more than six.
Ohnegian was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection on Tuesday, and in addition to his stellar play on the offensive line he carries a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average in economics. This is his second straight year on the Academic All-Patriot League squad, and he was also a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection in 2023.
A rare junior to be named team captain, Ohnegian has started every game over the last two seasons after being named the team's Scout Team Player of the Year as a freshman. He started 11 games at center and one at left tackle this season and helped pave the way for an offense that led the league in yards per game (387.6) and ranked second in scoring (28.8). Ohnegian blocked for Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and record-setting quarterback Ralph Rucker IV as well as Patriot League Rookie of the Year Tariq Thomas, who ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards.
Jamison earned his second straight Second Team All-Patriot League citation, and in the classroom he boasts a 3.74 GPA in mechanical engineering. Earlier this year he was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy as college football's top scholar-athlete, also known as the "Academic Heisman." Jamison started 11 games at linebacker this year and tallied 60 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Willis wrapped up a magnificent sophomore season with Second Team All-Patriot League honors. An undeclared major in Bucknell's College of Arts & Sciences, Willis is off to a strong start academically with a 3.71 GPA.
Willis backed up a solid freshman season with a monster sophomore campaign. He started all 12 games at linebacker and tallied 129 tackles, which is tied for the ninth-highest total in team history. He ranks fourth in FCS in tackles per game (10.8) and leads all NCAA divisions with five fumble recoveries. He also collected 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, and two blocked kicks this season.
Willis was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in the win over Fordham. In that game he made 13 tackles, including four for loss, and he recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Willis recorded double-digit tackles seven times, with a high of 19 against Cornell, and he was a three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Vyas earned his first All-PL nod with a Second Team citation. Vyas played in all 12 games and started 10 on the defensive line, and he finished his senior season with 25 tackles and three pass deflections. He made a season-high six tackles at Georgetown.
A senior business analytics major with a 3.88 GPA, Vyas is a Freeman Fellow and a member of the Freeman College of Management Student Advisory Board. He is an analyst with the Bucknell Student Managed Investment Fund, and last summer he worked with PwC in Chicago as an advance intern in their Financial Services Risk Consulting practice.
Bucknell's four Academic All-Patriot League selections were the team's most since 2017.
Bucknell went 6-6 overall and 4-2 in league play this season, one year after finishing at the bottom of the standings. The Bison were still alive for the league championship in the final week of the season and finished in third place, one game behind Lehigh and Holy Cross.
2024 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year – John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr., OL
2024 Football Academic All-Patriot League
John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr., OL
Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Sr., OL
Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So., LB
Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Sr., DL
Mike Courtney, Fordham, Gr., LB
Alex Kemper, Fordham, Jr., DB
Cam Pygatt, Georgetown, Sr., WR
GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, So., LB
Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr., PK
Christo Kelly, Holy Cross, 5th, OL
Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr., LB
Chris Carasia, Lafayette, Sr., WR
Jordan Adderley, Lehigh, Sr., DB
DJ Brown, Lehigh, So., DB
Players Mentioned
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