BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy senior Stephanie Lee and Loyola Maryland Carlo Pizzano were selected 2024 Patriot League Women’s and Men’s Golf Scholar-Athletes of the Year when the League office announced academic honors on Friday.
After winning individual medalist honors at their respective championships, Lee and Pizzano earned the League’s highest academic honors for golf, in addition to claiming spots on the five-member Women’s and Men’s Academic All-Patriot League Teams.
Boston University placed two student-athletes on the women’s squad, with Bucknell, Lehigh and Navy earning one apiece. The Greyhounds had two student-athletes recognized on the men’s team, with Colgate, Lehigh and Navy each receiving one selection.
Voting for Patriot League Women’s and Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Team is conducted by the League’s golf athletics communications contacts.
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year winner for each sport comprised a pool of nominees for the Patriot League’s Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, presented annually at the conclusion of the academic year.
2024 Patriot League Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Stephanie Lee, Navy, Sr., Southlake, Texas/Carroll Senior
*Lee shot an 8-over par 218 to earn individual medalist honors at the 2024 Patriot League Women’s Golf Championship and a spot on the All-Patriot League First Team.
*The senior operations research major holds a 3.71 cumulative GPA and is the fifth three-time Academic All-Patriot League selection in League history.
*She is a three-time All-Patriot League selection and ranks fourth in Navy program history with a 77.18 career scoring average. She tied the Mids’ program record with two individual titles, helping the team to Patriot League team titles in 2021 and 2024.
*The Southlake, Texas native received an early service assignment as a submarine officer. She is a three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Scholar All-American honoree.
2024 Patriot League Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Carlo Pizzano, Loyola Maryland, Gr., College Park, Md./St. Anselm’s Abbey
*Pizzano was voted Patriot League Most Outstanding Men’s Golfer of the Year in addition to claiming individual medalist honors at the 2024 Patriot League Men’s Golf Championship by shooting a 2-over par 218.
*The two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree is carrying a 3.726 cumulative GPA while pursuing his Master’s of Science in data science. He earned his Bachelor of Science with a 3.429 cumulative GPA with a double major in mechanical and materials engineering.
*The two-time All-Patriot League First Team selection led the Patriot League in scoring average (72.13) and recorded three top-10 finishes this season to earn Patriot League Men’s Golfer of the Week three times.
*The College Park, Md. native served as Loyola Maryland’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Co-President, in 2022-23 in addition to interning as a mechanical engineer for a construction management firm in North Carolina.
2024 Women’s Golf Academic All-Patriot League Team
Stephanie Lee, Navy (Sr.) – Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Christy Chen, Boston University (Jr.)
Annika Manjunath, Boston University (So.)
Paige Richter, Bucknell (So.)
Madison Pineda, Lehigh (Jr.)
2024 Men’s Golf Academic All-Patriot League Team
Carlo Pizzano, Loyola Maryland (Gr.) – Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Robbie Herzig, Colgate (Jr.)
Sam Barton, Lehigh (Gr.)
Mike Crowley, Loyola Maryland (Sr.)
Benjamin Valdez, Navy (Jr.)
Six Patriot League Golfers Become Multi-Season Academic All-League Selections
Navy’s Lee became the fifth Patriot League women’s golfer to capture Academic All-League honors for the third time, joining Boston University’s Emily Tillo and Adela Cejnarova, Lehigh’s Reagan Jahn and Navy’s Renata Bucher.
Boston University junior Christy Chen (economics and mathematics, 3.81 GPA) and Lehigh senior Madison Pineda (engineering, 3.67 GPA) earned a spot on the academic team for the second consecutive season. Loyola Maryland’s Pizzano and senior Mike Crowley (finance, 3.91 GPA) and Lehigh graduate student Sam Barton (finance, 3.71 GPA/technical entrepreneurship, 4.0 GPA)
Nine All-League Honorees Receive Academic All-Patriot League Recognition
All five women’s Academic All-Patriot League selections earned All-League honors at the conclusion of the League championship at Bucknell Golf Club. Lee, Chen and Boston University sophomore Annika Manjunath (computer science, 3.86 GPA) collected first-team accolades. Pineda and Bucknell sophomore Paige Richter (economics, 3.46 GPA) were second-team finishers.
Four of the men’s Academic All-League members made one of the two All-Patriot League Teams following the championship at Saucon Valley Country Club. Pizzano, Colgate junior Robbie Herzig (economics and Chinese, 3.83 GPA) and Navy junior Benjamin Valdez (quantitative economics, 3.82 GPA) claimed first-team honors. Crowley and Barton were recognized on the second team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth 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 who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.