Mooradian and Pineda earn Scholar-Athletes’ of the Year
 
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Army West Point sophomore Lynne Mooradian and Navy junior Stefano Pineda were named the Patriot League Women’s and Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year selections, when outdoor track & field academic honors were announced by the League office on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Voting for the Outdoor Track & Field Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League teams are conducted by the League’s men’s and women’s outdoor track & field sports information directors.
  
Mooradian earns her first Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor and selection to the Patriot League Academic All-League team. The sophomore mechanical engineering major carries a 4.230 grade point average (GPA) along with earning the Distinguished Cadet Award by the U.S. Military Academy. Mooradian earned gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2018 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships last weekend. She earned First Team All-Patriot League honors as a member of the winning 4x100-meter relay team in 45.69-seconds. She placed second in the 400-meter hurdles (1:01.09) to be named to the second-team all-League team and set a personal best record by finishing third in the 100-meter hurdles (14.03-seconds). During the 2017-18 indoor track & field season, she was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team, along with earning second-team all-League honors.
 
Pineda earns his first Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor and second selection to the Academic All-League team. The junior mechanical engineering major carries a 4.0 GPA along with being a five-time honoree to the Commandant’s List and a four-time honoree to the Superintendent’s List by the U.S. Naval Academy. He was also named a USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete award winner in 2017. Pineda earned a silver medal at the Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships by placing second in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 5.16-meters (16’11”). He was also named to the 2017-18 Indoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League team, along with earning second-team all-League honors in February for his performance in the pole vault. 

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Corvias Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.
 
Four members of the women’s Academic All-Patriot League team earned repeat honors. Bucknell senior Christine Bendzinski, a four-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a seven-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree in both track & field and cross country, carries a 3.83 GPA in cell biology and biochemistry. Joining Bendzinski as repeating outdoor track & field honorees are junior teammate Colleen Buckley (animal behavior, 3.60), Army West Point junior Cassie Mundekis (English, 3.868) and Holy Cross senior Zoe Matherne (history, 3.60).
 
American senior Brianna Belo (public health, 3.21); Army West Point sophomore Calli McMullen (environmental sciences, 3.341); Boston University junior Jordan Coverson (health studies, 3.68 ); Colgate senior teammates Tina Bowers (physics, 3.76) and Hunter Filer (psychology & sociology, 3.88); and Lehigh sophomore Ashleigh Crawford (bioengineering, 3.80) all make their first appearances on the academic all-League squad.
 
Joining Pineda making two-consecutive appearances on the men’s Academic All-Patriot League team is Army West Point junior Kenneth Brinson (chemical engineering, 4.025), the 2017 Outdoor Track & Field Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year . The remaining honorees are first-time selections, including Brinson’s sophomore teammates in Benjamin Petrella (chemical engineering, 3.98) and Jackson Sullivan (nuclear engineering, 3.623); a pair of Lafayette honorees in senior David McGriff (government & law, 3.32) and sophomore Tyler Hubeny (anthropology & sociology, 3.84); a trio Lehigh honorees in seniors Patrick Reilly (political science/physics, 4.0) and Victor Yegon (arts & sciences, 3.52), along with sophomore Jeffrey Kirshenbaum (economics, 3.97). Navy junior Benjamin Stewart (ocean engineering, 3.84) and sophomore Jake Brophy (computer science, 3.81), give the Mids a total to three on the academic team with Pineda.
  
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 grade point average 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.
 
Corvias Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete: Lynne Mooradian, Army West Point, (So.)
 
Corvias Patriot League Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete: Stefano Pineda, Navy, (Jr.)
 
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-Patriot League Team *
Brianna Belo, American, (Sr.)
Calli McMullen, Army West Point, (So.)
Lynne Mooradian, Army West Point (So.)
Cassie Mundekis, Army West Point (Jr.)
Jordan Coverson, Boston University (Jr.)
Christine Bendzinski, Bucknell (Sr.)
Colleen Buckley, Bucknell (Jr.)
Tina Bowers, Colgate (Sr.)
Hunter Filer, Colgate (Sr.)
Zoe Matherne, Holy Cross (Sr.)
Ashleigh Crawford, Lehigh (So.)
*11 members of team due to a tie in voting
 
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-Patriot League Team *
Kenneth Brinson, Army West Point (Jr.)
Benjamin Petrella, Army West Point (So.)
Jackson Sullivan, Army West Point (So.)
Tyler Hubeny, Lafayette, (So.)
David McGriff, Lafayette (Sr.)
Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Lehigh (So.)
Patrick Reilly, Lehigh (Sr.)
Victor Yegon, Lehigh (Sr.)
Jake Brophy, Navy (So.)
Stefano Pineda, Navy (Jr.)
Benjamin Stewart, Navy (Sr.)
*11 members of team due to a tie in voting

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.