May 14, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior co-captain Erin Curatola (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) was named the Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday. A Second Team All-Patriot League selection, Curatola is the sixth Bison softball player to earn the award, while she is the 112th Bucknell student-athlete to be honored in the 18 years of the Patriot League.

Curatola, who carries a 3.37 grade-point average in mathematics and posted a 4.0 GPA last fall, is the first Bucknell softball player to be named Scholar-Athlete since Lauren Wible in 2005. She joins Gillian Nordquist of the women's cross country team, Kelly Hoffman of the field hockey team and Jason Buursma of the baseball squad as Scholar-Athlete winners for the Bison in 2007-08.

A two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and a two-time Academic All-District II choice, Curatola recently completed her senior campaign during which she hit .314 and was the only Bison to appear in all 52 games. She concluded her career with a 114 consecutive games played streak intact.

First on the team, and tied for fifth in the Patriot League, in runs batted in with 33 this spring, Curatola wrapped up her four-year career with 71 runs batted in, good for 10th on the Bucknell career list. She was also seventh on the career hits list (157) and first in career games played (182).

Named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team after going 6-for-12 in the double-elimination tournament last weekend, Curatola led the Bison with a career-high 11 doubles and recorded 53 hits as well.

Primarily a designated player as a senior, Curatola tied for the team lead in total bases with 70 and slugged .414 while striking out just 11 times in 169 at-bats.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, 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 are not eligible for the honor. Previous Bucknell softball players to earn the award are: Lisa Fink (1993), Kristen Sandel (1998), Stacey Waite (1999), Lauren Titus (2002) and Lauren Wible (2005).

Bucknell concluded the 2008 campaign with a 23-29 record, the fourth-most wins in program history. It finished in a tie for second place in the Patriot League with a 13-7 mark and qualified for the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2005.