CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Army West Point senior Benjamin Petrella and Boston University senior Abigail Gugel were selected as the 2019 Patriot League Men's and Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, when honors were announced by the League office on Wednesday. Petrella and Gugel 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 the classroom. The awards are voted on by Patriot League cross country sports information directors, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
2019 Patriot League Cross Country Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Benjamin Petrella, Army West Point, Sr., Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool
*Petrella captured his second consecutive Patriot League Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor and third Academic All-Patriot League selection.
*He finished fourth at the 2019 Patriot League Men's Cross Country Championship with an 8K time of 25:10 to receive first-team honors for the second straight year.
*Petrella is majoring in physics with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.955, helping him receive 2019 Google Cloud First-Team Academic All-America honors.
2019 Patriot League Cross Country Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Abigail Gugel, Boston University, Sr., Jordan, N.Y./Jordan Elbridge
*Gugel earned the 2019 Patriot League Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet by crossing the finish line first in a 6K time of 21:41.2, helping guide the Terriers to the League championship. She bested the second-place finisher by 16 seconds.
*The Jordan, N.Y., native is carrying a 3.61 cumulative GPA as a biology major.
*She was also an Academic All-Patriot League selection for indoor and outdoor track and field during the 2018-19 season.
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 GPA 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.
2019 Men's Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team (listed alphabetically by school)
Benjamin Petrella, Army West Point, Sr.
Drew Dorflinger, Bucknell, Sr.
Jake Stupak, Bucknell, Sr.
Seth Slavin, Lehigh, Jr.
Jake Brophy, Navy, Sr.
Luke Murphy, Navy, So.
Kevin Murray, Navy, Sr.
2019 Women's Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League Team (listed alphabetically by school)
Mika Andrews, Army West Point, Jr.
Abigail Gugel, Boston University, Sr.
Jenna Gasparrini, Holy Cross, Sr.
Allison McArdle, Holy Cross, Sr.
Diana Hammerstone, Lehigh, Sr.
Susie Poore, Lehigh, Jr.
Maddie Warrender, Navy, So.
Three men's cross country student-athletes were selected to the Academic All-Patriot League team for the third time, led by Petrella. Navy senior Jake Brophy (computer science, 3.71 GPA), the 2019 Patriot League Men's Cross Country Outstanding Performer of the Meet, and classmate Kevin Murray (mechanical engineering, 3.52 GPA), the 2017 men's cross country scholar-athlete of the year, join him among six League student-athletes to accomplish the feat.
All seven members of the Academic All-Patriot League men's team received All-League honors at the 2019 Patriot League Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday, including the top four finishers. Individual champion Brophy led the way, with Bucknell senior Drew Dorflinger (political science, 3.59 GPA), Murray and Petrella rounding out the championship's top-four.
Three more academic honorees claimed a spot on the All-League second team including Bucknell senior Jacob Stupak (economics, 3.86 GPA), Navy sophomore Luke Murphy (computer science, 4.0 GPA) and Lehigh junior Seth Slavin (computer engineering, 4.0 GPA).
The 2019 Women's Cross Country Academic All-Patriot League team featured three multi-year honorees with Army West Point junior Mika Andrews (military history, 3.739 GPA), Holy Cross senior Jenna Gasparrini (mathematics, 3.37 GPA) and Lehigh senior Diana Hammerstone (materials science and engineering, 3.78 GPA). All three make the Academic All-Patriot League squad for the second time, after receiving accolades in 2018.
Four of the seven student-athletes received All-League honors at the 2019 Patriot League Championship on Saturday. Gasparrini, a three-time All-League honoree, placed second at the Championship with a time of 21:57.2, while senior teammate Allison McArdle finished seventh (22:16.1) to earn first-team honors. Hammerstone placed ninth at the 2019 League championship for her second straight second-team finish. Andrews finished 12th with a time of 22:31.9 to receive second-team All-League honors for the first time.
Two more student-athletes make the Academic All-Patriot League squad for the first time with perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs. Lehigh junior Susie Poore (political science/English, 4.0 GPA) placed 15th at the League Championship, while Navy sophomore Maddie Warrender (English, 4.0 GPA) placed 37th at the League championship.
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.