CENTER VALLEY – Bucknell football student-athlete Alex Pechin was named the 2018-19 Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year following a vote conducted by the athletics communications staff from each of the League’s member institutions.
 
The award is presented annually to one female and one male Patriot League student-athlete. Candidates for the honor were previously named the scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sports. For the 2018-19 academic year, there were 22 candidates from 24 Patriot League sports. Loyola Maryland women’s lacrosse graduate Kristen Yanchoris was named the 2018-19 Patriot League Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.
 
Pechin is the third football student-athlete to be recognized as the scholar-athlete of the year, joining David Berardinelli (Bucknell, 1993) and Nick Martucci (Lehigh, 1999). He is the ninth Bucknell student-athlete to receive the honor since the League began the award following the 1991-92 academic year.
 
Pechin is back as Bucknell’s punter for the 2019 campaign.

2019 Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Alex Pechin, Bucknell, Football, Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville
*Pechin is the fifth student-athlete to be named Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year two times. He is also a two-time Academic-All Patriot League, FCS ADA Academic All-Star and STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award finalist.
*The two-time All-America selection led the Patriot League and finished fourth in the FCS in punting average (44.5 yards/punt) with 29 punts of more than 50 yards two of more than 70 yards and 28 inside the opposing 20-yard line.
*Pechin carries a 3.90 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as a biomedical engineering and management for engineers major – a five-year dual degree program. He is an eight-time member of the Bucknell Dean’s List and a four-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
 
Pechin received 2018 First Team All-America honors from STATS FCS in addition to picking up second-team accolades from the Associated Press (AP) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He is also a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and second among the League’s career leaders with 43.71 yards per punt.
 
In the classroom, the Kennett Square, Pa. native has completed multiple intensive class projects as part of Bucknell’s biomedical engineering/management for engineers dual degree program. Pechin has created an ultrasound simulation for surgical training and practice. He has modeled air and mucus flow in the COMSOL Multiphysics Modeling Software to analyze biological effects for specific diseases and used a VICON motion capture system to analyze the biomechanics of joints. Pechin has also created a MATLAB code for a simple simulation model of cells in an immune system in addition to several other projects. The rising fifth-year has 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.
 
The winner of each sport’s Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is eligible to collect the end of the year honor. The 2018-19 men’s field also included Gabriel Carlsson (Loyola Maryland, men’s soccer); Conor Gaffney (Lehigh, men’s lacrosse); Kimbal Mackenzie (Bucknell, men’s basketball); Benjamin Petrella (Army West Point, men’s cross country); Zach Piedt (Navy, men’s swimming & diving); Stefano Pineda (Navy, men’s indoor/outdoor track & field); Andrew Ton (Navy, men’s tennis); Nick Turner (Army West Point, men’s golf) and Tyler Wincig (Bucknell, baseball).
 
To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.
 

Year	Male Scholar-Athlete	Sport	Cl.	GPA	Major
1992	Bob Kelly, Bucknell	Track and Field	Sr.	3.90*	Electrical Engineering
1993	David Berardinelli, Bucknell	Football	Sr.	3.80	History/Political Science
	Ray Appenheimer, Colgate	Cross Country/Track and Field	Jr.	3.74	English
1994	Ray Appenheimer, Colgate	Cross Country/Track and Field	Sr.	3.75	English
1995	Toby Moore, Navy	Baseball	Sr.	3.30	Marine Engineering
1996	Adonal Foyle, Colgate	Basketball	So.	3.52	History/Sociology
1997	Darrin Hinman, Army	Track and Field	Sr.	3.52	Mathematical Science
1998	Steve Haley, Army	Swimming and Diving	Sr.	3.98	Mathematical Science
1999	Nick Martucci, Lehigh	Football	Sr.	3.40	Accounting
2000	Ron Hess, Bucknell	Track and Field	Sr.	3.70	Electrical Engineering
2001	Brendan Skoniezcki, Colgate	Soccer	Sr.	3.84	Chemistry
2002	Dan Conti, Holy Cross	Track and Field	Sr.	3.83	Mathematics
2003	Dan Conti, Holy Cross	Track and Field	Sr.	3.86	Mathematics
2004	Billy Hurley, Navy	Golf	Sr.	3.71	Quantitative Economics
2005	Trevor Thompson, Navy	Baseball	Sr.	3.95	History
2006	Mike Tortora, Lafayette	Soccer	Sr.	3.95	Economics/Business
2007	Chris Renninger, Navy	Golf	Jr.	4.00	Chemistry
2008	Jason Buursma, Bucknell	Baseball	Sr.	3.64	Economics
2009	A.J. Glubzinski, Army	Soccer	Sr.	4.00	American Politics w/Honors
2010	Andrew Maisano, Army	Lacrosse	Sr.	4.00	System's Engineering
2011	Nick Birger, Navy	Tennis	Sr.	4.00	Political Science w/Honors
2012	Brendan Buckley, Army	Lacrosse	Jr.	3.99	Engineering Management
2013	Brendan Buckley, Army	Lacrosse	Sr.	3.987	Engineering Management
2014	Joe Fletcher, Loyola	Lacrosse	Sr.	3.812	Accounting
2015	Tom Buffone, Navy	Track & Field	Sr.	4.00	Physics
2016	Franz Rassman, Loyola	Basketball	Sr.	3.941	Business Administration
2017	Ryan Bailey, Navy	Swimming & Diving	Sr.	3.98	Operations Research
2018	Jeff Gottesman, Bucknell	Baseball	Sr.	4.0	Accounting/Financial Management
2019	Alex Pechin, Bucknell	Football	Sr.	3.93	Biomedical Engineering/ Management for Engineers

 
 
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.