Aug. 1, 2005

WASHINGTON - Twelve of American University's seventeen men's track athletes were named to the Patriot League Honor Roll, league officials announced Monday. Nine of the athletes selected earned above a 3.65 GPA, with exercise physiology major Chris Repka garnering top honors for the Eagles with a 3.90 GPA.

Other seniors making the list were Patriot League 10-K third place finisher Matt Barresi (Laurel, Md./Atholton) and PL 5-K champion Pat MacAdie (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxboro Regional).

Junior Phil Gaeta, the PL 1500 meter bronze medalist (Herndon, Va./Oakton), Will Knox, the PL 10-K runner-up (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney), and cross country specialist Philip Turner (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg Area) also made the honor roll list.

Highlghting the underclassmen nominations were PL scores Dan Beardslee (Cambridge, Mass./Newton South) and Conor Lanz (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream Central). Political Science major Rob Hofmann (Wantagh, N.Y./W.C. Mepham) and journalism major John Riley (Providence, R.I.) were also nominated by way of their outstanding 3.80 and 3.74 GPAs respectively.

The lone Eagles freshman representative was Pittsburgh native Derek Heiss (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) who amassed a 3.43 GPA for the spring.

The PL Honor Roll distinctions cap off the most successful year in Men's track and cross country history. In the fall, the Eagles qualified for the NCAA meet in cross country meet, finishing 20th in the country. In the indoor and outdoor campaigns the Eagles notched numerous PL individual titles, while also claiming third-place in the team competitions even though AU does not compete in field events. The classroom yielded similar results as 24 athletes in total were named to the PL honor roll.