May 4, 2005

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette senior Stephen Bono (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional), a co-captain on the Leopards' 2004 Patriot League championship football team, has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Bono, who will graduate from Lafayette on May 21 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, will pursue a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering. Two weeks ago, he was named one of two recipients nationwide of a $5,000 Division I-AA Athletic Directors Association Postgraduate Scholarship.

The NCAA annually presents up to 174 postgraduate scholarships, each of which is a one-time, $7,500 award. The scholarships are divided evenly among the three sports seasons (fall, winter, spring), with 29 men and 29 women from each season receiving scholarships.

Bono was a four-year starter at right guard and All-Patriot League First-Team honoree in 2004. He also earned All-Atlantic Region Second-Team accolades as part of an offensive front that helped the Leopards rank second in the league in rushing (212.8 yards per game).

The only two-time winner of Lafayette's Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, Bono was named the Patriot League's 2004 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is a recipient of the Marquis Scholarship, Lafayette's most prestigious academic scholarship, and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team in 2004. He is also a three-year member of the Division I-AA Athletic Directors Academic All-Star Team.

Lafayette (8-4 overall, 5-1 Patriot League) earned the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs by virtue of its 24-10 win over Lehigh in the regular season finale at Fisher Field. The Leopards, ranked No. 19 nationally at the conclusion of the 2004 season, open their Patriot League title defense with a non-league contest at Marist on Sept. 3.