Army West Point's Benjamin Petrella and Bucknell's Colleen Buckley earn Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Army West Point junior Benjamin Petrella and Bucknell senior Colleen Buckley were selected as the men's and women's Patriot League Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year when honors were announced by the League office on Friday morning. Petrella and Buckley also highlight the men's and women's Academic All-Patriot League Cross Country teams.
The Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Teams honor student-athletes who excel in their sport and in the classroom. The awards are voted on by Patriot League cross country sports information directors, who could not select their own student-athletes.
2018 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Benjamin Petrella, Army West Point, Jr., Liverpool, N.Y.
*Petrella holds a 3.97 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as a physics major along with earning a Distinguished Cadet Award and the Superintendent's Award for Excellence by the U.S. Military Academy.
*He helped the Black Knights to their second-consecutive Patriot League Championship by finishing sixth-overall with an 8K time of 26:07.80 to earn First Team All-League honors.
*This marks Petrella's second-consecutive appearance on the Academic All-League team in addition to being named the 2018 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year.
In addition to Petrella, Navy junior teammates Kevin Murray and Jake Brophy earned spots on the Academic All-League for the second-consecutive season. At the recent Patriot League Championships, Murray was crowned champion with a time of 25:27.50 to earn First Team All-League honors. The 2017 Scholar-Athlete of the Year holds a 3.60 GPA in mechanical engineering and is a two-time League academic honor roll member. Brophy currently holds a 3.83 GPA in computer science and is also a two-time academic honor roll member along with being named to the 2017 USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country team. During the 2018 cross country season, he was a three-time M-F Athletic Patriot League Runner of the Week.
Also making their second-consecutive appearances on the Academic All-League squad are American senior Matthew Rainey and Lehigh junior Jeffrey Kirshenbaum. Rainey earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors with a 9th-place finish in the championship meet with a time of 26:11.30. He carries a 3.58 GPA in communications, law, economics & government and is a six-time League academic honor roll member between cross country and track. An economics major, Kirshenbaum currently holds a 3.98 GPA. He is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll along with being named to the 2017 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. At the 2017 League championships, he earned second-team honors with an 11th place finish.
Boston University senior Alexander Seal makes a second appearance on the team after earning honors for the 2016 season. Seal battled back from injuries all year to pace the Terriers to a League runner-up position in finishing third overall with a time of 25:38.10, earning First Team All-League honors. He currently carries 3.66 GPA in environmental analysis and policy.
Earning a spot on the Academic All-League team for the first time is Bucknell senior Chad Sussman. He is a cell biology/biochemistry major with a 3.85 GPA along with being a six-time League Academic honor roll member between cross country and track. At the League championships, he finished 14th with a time of 26:27.90, earning Second Team All-Patriot League honors.
2018 Patriot League Patriot League Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Colleen Buckley, Bucknell, Sr., River Edge, N.J.
*Buckley holds a 3.61 GPA in animal behavior and is now a five-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree (two cross country, three track) along with being a six-time League Academic honor roll member between the two sports.
* As the 2018 Patriot League Individual Champion with a 6K winning time of 21:41.50, she led the Bison to their fourth-straight and twelfth overall League title.
* During the 2018 fall season, she was a two-time M-F Athletic Patriot League Runner of the Week.
*Over her celebrated Bucknell career, she has been a six-time Patriot League champion (one cross country, five track) and an 11-time All-Patriot League honoree (three cross country, eight track).
Joining Buckley as a repeat honoree to this year's team is senior teammate Jenna Farmer. Farmer carries a 3.75 GPA in cell biology and biochemistry and is a six-time League academic honor roll member between cross country and track. During the 2018 Championships, her time of 22:20.50 earned her an 11th place finish and second-team all-League honors.
Making a second appearance on the team after earning 2016 Academic All-League honors is Navy senior Erin McDonnell. As an oceanography major, she currently holds a 3.63 GPA and is a three-time League academic honor roll member. She also earned First Team All-Patriot League and Rookie of the Meet honors in 2015 during her freshman season.
The remaining members of the women's Academic All-League team are making appearances for the first time. Army West Point had two honorees in sophomore Mika Andrews and junior Kajol Maheshwari. Andrews carries a 3.547 GPA in law and legal studies while Maheshwari currently holds a 3.944 GPA in life sciences. Holy Cross junior Jenna Gasparrini earned first team all-League honors with a runner-up finish time of 21:50.90 at the League Championships. She currently carries a 3.58 GPA as a mathematics major and was a 2017 League academic honor roll member. During the 2018 cross country season Gasparrini earned one M-F Athletic Patriot League Female Runner of the Week honor.
Rounding out the women's team is Lehigh junior Diana Hammerstone. She earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors with an 8th-place finish at the League championships with a time of 22:14.50. She carries a 3.69 GPA in material sciences and engineering is a two-time League academic honor roll member in cross country.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Corvias Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.
Patriot League Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Benjamin Petrella, Jr., Army West Point
Patriot League Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Colleen Buckley, Sr., Bucknell
(Listed alphabetically by school)
Men's 2018 Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team
Matthew Rainey, Sr., American
Benjamin Petrella, Jr., Army West Point
Alexander Seal, Sr., Boston University
Chad Sussman, Sr., Bucknell
Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Jr., Lehigh
Jake Brophy, Jr., Navy
Kevin Murray, Jr., Navy
Women's 2018 Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team
Mika Andrews, So., Army West Point
Kajol Maheshwari, Jr., Army West Point
Colleen Buckley, Sr., Bucknell
Jenna Farmer, Jr., Bucknell
Jenna Gasparrini, Jr., Holy Cross
Diana Hammerstone, Jr., Lehigh
Erin McDonnell, Sr., Navy
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.