BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior Thomas Johnstone (Los Gatos, Calif.) was named the 2021 Patriot League Men's Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Johnstone highlighted six Navy track and field student-athletes who were named to the men's and women's Academic All-Patriot League teams.
 
Navy placed three men – Johnstone, Ashwin Briggs (Pickerington, Ohio), and Sean Casey (Vienna, Va.) – and three women – Katie Halbert (Keller, Texas), Molly Mangan (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and Sam Orie (Greensburg, Pa.) – on the teams.
 
The men's and women's Academic All-Patriot League Teams featured 10 men and 10 women. Three Navy student-athletes made the men's squad with two from Army and one apiece from American, Boston, Bucknell, Lafayette, and Lehigh. The Navy and Army women's squads each placed three student-athletes on the academic team. Boston, Bucknell, Colgate, and Loyola all earned one spot on the women's team.
 
Johnstone is a senior mathematics with economics major with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. The three-time All-Patriot League selection won the gold medal in the decathlon (6,854 points) and the pole vault (4.98m / 16-04.00) at the 2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Johnstone is second of 1,115 in overall order of merit at the Academy; first in academic order of merit; and second in military order of merit. He was one of 13 seniors chosen to the Medical Corps following commissioning. In addition, Johnstone is a seven-time member of the Superintendent's and Commandant's Lists at Navy.
 
Halbert (mechanical engineering), Mangan (robotics and control engineering), and Orie (chemistry) are three of the nine members of the women's academic squad previously received All-League honors at the 2021 outdoor championship. Halbert won the heptathlon and claimed second-team accolades in the 100m hurdles, while Mangan was a Patriot League champion in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay. Orie earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors in the shot put, while breaking the Navy school record in both the shot put and the hammer throw.
 
On the men's side, Briggs (operations research) and Casey (aerospace engineering) were members of the 4x800m relay team that claimed second-team distinction, while Johnstone won the pole vault and the decathlon at the 2021 Patriot League Outdoor Championship.
 
Orie received Academic All-Patriot League honors for the fifth time, including being named the 2020-21 Patriot League Women's Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Briggs and Casey are all three-time academic team members.
 
Voting for the Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Men's and Women's Scholar-Athletes of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Teams are conducted by the League men's and women's indoor track and field sports information directors.
 
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each 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.
 
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 GPA 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.
 
 
2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Thomas Johnstone, Navy, Sr., Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos
 
2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Anna Tovkach, Army, Sr., Gainesville, Fla./Eastside
 
2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Men's Academic All-League Team
Russell Sullivan, American, So.
Tyrese Bender, Army, Sr.
Ryan Hogan, Army, Jr.
Chiebuka Onwuzurike, Boston, Gr.
Connor McMenamin, Bucknell, Sr.
Ryan Branch, Lafayette, Sr.
Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Lehigh, Sr.
Ashwin Briggs, Navy, Jr.
Sean Casey, Navy, Jr.
Thomas Johnstone, Navy, Sr.
 
2021 Women's Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-Patriot League Team
Hannah Blakey, Army, So.
Bonvie Fosam, Army, Sr.
Anna Tovkach, Army, Jr.
Andrea Claeson, Boston, Jr.
Alex Butz, Bucknell, Sr.
Rachel Schaaf, Colgate, Jr.
Senna Ohlsson, Loyola, Sr.
Katie Halbert, Navy, Jr.
Molly Mangan, Navy, So.
Sam Orie, Navy, Sr.