March 23, 2005
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette junior field hockey player Jenna Bratz will be inducted into the Lafayette College chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest and most distinguished collegiate honorary society in the United States, in April.
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and elects to membership only those students who have demonstrated both breadth and depth of liberal learning and who have established for themselves academic records of unquestioned excellence.
Bratz has compiled a 3.90 grade point average in Mathematics, including a 4.0 in the fall 2003 semester when she was the only field hockey player in the Patriot League to achieve a perfect GPA. She is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and a three-time member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Squad.
The All-Patriot League second team member will be one of three captains next season for the Leopards. Bratz, a midfielder, had two goals and one assist in 2004. All four of her career goals have come in winning efforts.
Off the field, Bratz has been a Peer Mentor for the last two years, working with first-year student-athletes to help them make the adjustment from high school to college. She is a peer tutor and works at the Calculus Cavalry. Bratz is also involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Lafayette Christian Fellowship.
"It's a real honor to have been invited to join Phi Beta Kappa," Bratz said. "But beyond me, I think the honor really demonstrates the high quality of the total learning experience that Lafayette offers.
"Through academics, field hockey and other activities, I've been fortunate to have built some great relationships and be part of a rich learning community. My academic experiences have been second to none, particularly with the professors of the Math Department, who have encouraged me to stretch and be the best I can be."
"We're all so very proud of Jenna. She's the ultimate example of an outstanding student-athlete. She certainly represents what Lafayette is all about," said head field hockey coach Ann Gold, who completed her 23rd season at the helm of the program last fall.
Bratz is a 2002 graduate of Springfield High School in Springfield, Pa.
Paul Fischetti '04, a member of the Leopard baseball team, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa last year.
