Jan. 25, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League placed 553 student-athletes on the 2007 Fall Academic Honor Roll, which includes the sports of men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's and women's soccer and volleyball. The League notched 21 more honorees than last year's fall total.

Patriot League football set a record with 123 student-athletes on its honor roll. Two other sports topped 80 honorees, with 89 for women's soccer and 85 for women's cross country. Seventy-six men's soccer student-athletes received recognition, with 67 for field hockey and men's cross country and 46 for volleyball.

Bucknell led all schools with 105 honorees, while American had 79 and Lafayette totaled 72. Bucknell and American each had the highest total of student-athletes in three sports, with the Bison notching the most in women's soccer and women's cross country and the Eagles tallying the largest number in volleyball and men's cross country. Both schools had a League-high 15 honorees in field hockey.

To be eligible for the Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 grade-point average in the fall semester and be awarded a varsity letter in one of the Patriot League's seven fall championship sports.

The 2007 Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners for fall sports were announced in November. That group includes the following:

Men's Cross Country - John Kress, Navy, Sr.

Women's Cross Country - Gillian Nordquist, Bucknell, Jr.

Field Hockey - Kelly Hoffman, Bucknell, Sr.

Football - Kyle Van Fleet, Georgetown, Sr.

Men's Soccer - Daniel Newell, Army. Sr.

Women's Soccer - Krystn Hodge, American, Jr.

Volleyball - Rachel Dougherty, Navy, Sr.

The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its 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.