July 2, 2008
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Sixteen Navy men's track & field student-athletes, including nine recent graduates and seven first-time members, have been named to the 2008 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, it was announced by the league office Wednesday. Led by rising senior Gavin MacGarva's perfect 4.00 GPA this spring, 10 of the 16 Midshipmen honorees posted a GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Recent graduate Ben Kozy (Houston, Texas) led the cast of nine graduating men's track and field honorees, earning league honor roll status for the fourth time in as many years. Kozy, a systems engineering major, maintained a 3.27 grade-point average during the spring semester. Fellow Class of '08 graduates Kraegen Bramer (Auburn, Calif.) and John Kress (Colorado Springs, Colo.) made their third appearance on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in their respective careers, after posting GPA's of 3.91 and 3.20, respectively.
A total of six Midshipmen were selected to the league's academic honor roll for a second time, a list highlighted by recent graduates Craig Meekins (Baldwin, N.Y.) and John Olsen (Staten Island, N.Y.). Meekins, Navy's indoor team captain, posted a 3.73 GPA this spring as an international relations major, meanwhile Olsen, one of the Mids' top distance runners throughout his Navy tenure, produced a 3.67 GPA while majoring in history. Fellow graduates Matt Fischer (Bridgeport, W. Va.) and Will Ricks (Hopewell, Va.), along with MacGarva (Bellevue, Wash.) and rising junior Mark Van Orden (Morris Plains, N.J.), also received the academic distinction for a second time.
Recent graduates Lucas Burke (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Paul Harris (Fairburn, Ga.) head the seven-member list of first-time academic honor roll recipients. Burke, Navy's outdoor captain, posted a 3.33 GPA this spring as an international relations major, while Harris, a 2007 NCAA Indoor All-American at 800-meters, posted a 3.25 GPA for the semester as an ocean engineering major. Joining Burke and Harris are rising junior Tim Gruber (Grove City, Pa.) and rising sophomores Robert Alvarado (San Francisco, Calif.), Tyler Arment (Wamblee, S.D.), Matthew De Villers (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Ricky Griffith (Piedmont, Calif.).
To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a varsity letter while maintaining at least a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester. A total of 134 student-athletes were recognized on the men's track & field academic honor roll this year.
Navy on the 2007-08 Patriot League Men's Track and Field Academic Honor Roll
Name Cl. Major GPA Hometown/High School
Robert Alvarado Fr. English 3.25 San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep
Tyrell Arment So. Mechanical Engineering 3.86 Wamblee, S.D./Kadoka
Kraegen Bramer Sr. Aerospace Engineering 3.91 Auburn, Calif./Placer
Lucas Burke Sr. International Relations 3.33 Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale
Matthew De Villers Fr. Mathematics 3.83 Menomonee Falls, Wis./Brookfield Academy
Matt Fischer Sr. Ocean Engineering 3.53 Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport
Ricky Griffith So. Systems Engineering 3.85 Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont
Tim Gruber So. Ocean Engineering 3.85 Grove City, Pa./Grove City Area
Paul Harris Sr. Ocean Engineering 3.25 Fairburn, Ga./Woodbury (Minn.)
Ben Kozy Sr. Systems Engineering 3.27 Houston, Texas/Jersey Village
John Kress Sr. Aerospace Engineering 3.20 Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty
Gavin MacGarva Jr. Aerospace Engineering 4.00 Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue
Craig Meekins Sr. International Relations 3.73 Baldwin, N.Y./Chaminade
John Olsen Sr. History 3.67 Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis
Will Ricks Sr. Mechanical Engineering 3.44 Hopewell, Va./Sussex Central
Mark Van Orden So. English 3.79 Morris Plains, N.J./Delbarton School
### Go Navy ###
