July 2, 2009

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Eight Navy men's track & field student-athletes have been named to the 2009 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Led by rising senior Tim Gruber's perfect 4.0 grade-point average, six of the Midshipmen honorees posted marks of 3.5 or higher during the spring semester.

Gruber, a javelin thrower, was one of three second-time honor roll recipients, a group which included classmate Tyrell Arment, who posted a 3.82 as a mechanical engineering major, and distance runner Matthew DeVillers.

Rising senior and 2009-10 indoor team captain Mark Van Orden (Morris Plains, N.J.) garnered his third career honor roll nod. Van Orden, who posted a 3.60 GPA while majoring in English, is coming off a banner year in which he captured the Patriot League weight and hammer throw titles and was named a Third-Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA - just the fifth member of the Navy men's track program to earn the prestigious honor.

The list of the first-time recipients included recent Academy graduates Bill Prom and William Sims, as well as a pair of talented freshmen in all-league thrower Chris Ricks and distance runner Cody Rome.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have both earned a varsity letter during the 2008-09 season and attained a minimum 3.20 grade-point average for the 2009 spring term.

Navy's 2009 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll Selections
Tyrell Arment 	        Jr. Mechanical Engineering 	3.82 Wamblee, S.D.
Matt De Villers 	So. Mathematics 		3.53 Menomonee Falls, Wis
Tim Gruber 		Jr. Ocean Engineering 	        4.00 Grove City, Pa.
Bill Prom 		Sr. History 			3.67 New Berlin, Wis.
Chris Ricks 		Fr. Mathematics 		3.63 Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Cody Rome 		Fr. Mathematics 		3.61 Eagle, Idaho/Eagle
William Sims 		Sr. Engineering 		3.39 Houston, Texas
Mark Van Orden 	        Jr. English 			3.60 Morris Plains, N.J.