Jack Roberto, midfielder and captain for Bison Men’s Soccer has been awarded The Bucknellian’s Excellence in Athletics Award for 2025.
Roberto is a finance major from Howell, N.J. He started playing soccer at four years old and fell in love with the game. As he got older and became increasingly passionate for the sport, he planned on playing at the higher level, which brought him to Bucknell.
When asked why he chose Bucknell, Roberto shared, “my parents are both teachers, so I always wanted to go to somewhere that was really good academically and really good for soccer. Bucknell, in my opinion, is one of the top schools in the country that kind of marries both a high academic and a high athletic environment. I also loved the campus, they had my major, they were a good distance from home, so Bucknell kind of fit perfectly for me when I was looking at schools, and I’ve loved everything since.”
Roberto and the men’s soccer team won the Patriot League Championship this past season. “I think one of the coolest things about it was that it took a full team,” Roberto shared. “I think that every single person on our team was deserving of winning. Bucknell has been such a special place to me, to leave the school and the program with a championship and to do it on our home field, I think was one of the most special things. That’s one of the other moments I’ll never forget— winning at home in front of over I think, like 15,000 fans and students and everything, and then having everyone rush the field afterwards. Memories like that and being able to not only have that for myself and my team but also for the University and the broader community is something that is really valuable for me, and again, something that I’ll definitely remember forever.”
Roberto has learned a lot through his experience as an athlete. “My experience as an athlete has taught me so much, a lot about resilience. Our team won the championship this past year, but after a pretty unsuccessful first three years. But the ability to not give up and keep going and work through hard things and see the reward at the end of the tunnel is really fulfilling.”
In addition to being a team captain, Roberto has held other leadership positions on campus such as being the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which was another one of his most fulfilling and rewarding experiences as a student athlete.
After winning the John F. Zeller award for consistent excellence at the 2025 Buckys, Roberto expressed his gratitude. He is grateful to give back to the Bucknell and Lewisburg community. “I think to be recognized for an award like that is just special. I’m super honored to be named along with countless other athletes and alumni who have won other awards, so just to be mentioned in the same conversations as some of those people is really a privilege for me.”
After graduating, Roberto plans to move to Los Angeles and is excited to work for ARES Management on their Opportunistic Credit Team. Although he likely will not be playing organized soccer, he says soccer “will be a part of my life for the rest of my life.”
Roberto is grateful for all of the relationships he has made at Bucknell. He is going to miss living with friends and being with his teammates. He is grateful for all of his professors, athletic staff, teammates and friends that have supported him throughout his Bucknell career. “The people that are here at Bucknell really make it special, and I think that’s what’s going to stay with me.”
Roberto shared, “I wouldn’t trade my Bucknell experience for the world.”
