May 14, 2008

2008 Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Center Valley, Pa. - Bucknell's Erin Curatola was voted the 2008 Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday by Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich. The scholar-athlete of the year award is voted on by the Patriot League's softball sports information directors, who can not vote for their own student-athletes.

Curatola holds a 3.37 cumulative GPA, including a 4.0 mark in the fall of 2007. The mathematics major was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine All-District Academic Team. She is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, earning recognition in 2005 and 2006.

The senior designated player batted .314 for the season as the only player to appear in all 52 of Bucknell's games. She earned Second-Team All-Patriot League honors and was a Patriot League All-Tournament Team pick for her third-seeded Bison. She collected a team-high 53 hits, including 11 doubles and two home runs and drove in a team-best 33 runs. The River Edge, N.J. native has played in 114 consecutive games and her 182 total games played are the most in Bucknell history. Her 157 career hits rank seventh on Bucknell's all-time list and her 71 career RBI are 10th.

Curatola is the sixth Bison to be named the Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Past honorees for Bucknell are Lisa Fink (1993), Kristen Sandel (1998), Stacey Waite (1999), Lauren Titus (2002) and Lauren Wible (2005).

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 this honor.

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the 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.