For Jack Roberto, remaining devoted to a task will be one of the defining qualities of his time at Bucknell.
The Howell, New Jersey native is one of only three still standing from the men’s soccer team’s 2021 recruiting class, and now he has rehabbed from a major injury and is one of the leaders on a squad that has high hopes for a resurgence in 2024. Jack joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a team representative at the start of his sophomore year, and now he is serving as the SAAC president this year. Last summer, he interned with Ares Management Corporation in Los Angeles, and just last week he accepted a full-time position as an analyst at Ares, which will start after he graduates from Bucknell. He knows all about following through.
Soccer has been a big part of Jack’s family life for as long as he can remember. His father, Stephen, captained the soccer team at Kean University in the mid-1990s and has coached soccer in the area for the last 25 years. Jack started playing soccer at the age of four and was coached by his father in club soccer up until the age of 12, and both of Jack’s younger siblings also play the sport. Luke is a sophomore on the Scranton men’s soccer team, and Madelyn has committed to play at Gettysburg next year.
Jack flourished at the youth levels and eventually decided to forego high school soccer to play with the MLS Philadelphia Union Academy, where he captained the team for three seasons, led the squad in scoring three times, and had the opportunity to hone his game against high-quality competition.
While Jack was fully immersed in high-level soccer, he also stood out academically. He was the valedictorian of his class at Howell High School, and he completed the rigorous International Baccalaureate program. Players in the U.S. Developmental Academy system who are ready to graduate from high school typically have to choose between turning pro or playing college soccer. For Jack and his parents, who are both public school teachers, the college path was the clear choice.
Jack committed to former head coach Brendan Nash fairly early, in June of his junior year in high school. He recalls being worried that he committed too early and might miss out on some opportunities, but today he has no regrets.
“I always tell people that every day that I have spent on this campus has reaffirmed my decision. Playing a college sport is such an awesome experience, and now I’ve gotten to live that in addition to getting a high-level education at a school like Bucknell. It’s one of the greatest gifts that anyone could ever have.”
Jack is the first to admit that his soccer experience at Bucknell has seen some bumps in the road. Nash stepped down just before the start of his freshman year, assistant coach Matt Brown led that team in an interim role, and then Dave Brandt took over with a whole new staff in 2022.
The turnover in staff and some roster flux contributed to a few down years record-wise, but after a 5-1 spring and a nice 2-0 road win over Robert Morris in the season opener last week, Jack echoes the popular belief that the 2024 Bison squad is on the ascendency. And while others might have left, Jack’s perseverance has been gratifying.
“In my recruiting class of 10 kids, there’s only three of us left, and we are the three longest-tenured people in the program. So in terms of personal growth and working through adversity, these are some of the hardest experiences that I’ve ever had to deal with. But these are also experiences that are going to help me in life more than anything else. One of the best pieces of advice that I received in the recruiting process was not to commit to a coach or a style of soccer or a stadium. Anything that could be taken away at a moment’s notice with an injury or a coach leaving. That definitely played out with me. I was fortunate that I absolutely love Bucknell and love Lewisburg. I made a four-year commitment to play soccer here, to go to school here, and get a degree. I think that pushing through all those obstacles that have occurred over the last three years have made me a well-rounded person who has already experienced a lot of the stuff that I think I'll encounter in the professional and personal world.”
Jack has been a key contributor in each of his first three seasons, and he was enjoying his best soccer at the college level late last season. Utilized in a defensive role, he played all 90 minutes in consecutive October games against St. Bonaventure, Boston University, and Lafayette. The Bison allowed only one goal in those three games, but in the final minute of the Lafayette game in Easton, Jack got tangled up on the touchline and suffered a serious lower-leg injury that ultimately required ankle reconstruction surgery last January.
Jack was in a cast and on crutches until mid-March, but once he was weight-bearing again, his rehab progressed quickly. He was doing light soccer-related drills by the time the team’s spring season ended in April, and by June he was essentially back to full speed. His internship in Los Angeles did not allow him to play full-time club soccer, but he worked out twice daily and found a group of Southern California college players, including some from UCLA, to play pick-up. He returned to campus in August fully fit and ready to contribute on a back line that is the team’s most experienced unit. Aidan Lawlor and Nick Prime, the other of the last three originals from the Class of 2025, and juniors Ben Sheffield and Jackson Sullivan have all returned in front of junior goalkeeper Freddie Lapworth.
“I am ready to play 90 minutes, and as a group we are ready to shut teams out. We let up one goal in our two preseason games and in our first game against Robert Morris. We have a lot of things coming together at the right time, but we know we have to keep proving ourselves. When we start winning and putting shots away and keeping the back clean, that’s when we will start proving everyone else wrong and proving ourselves right.”
Heading into Jack’s sophomore year, a teammate suggested he get involved with the Bucknell SAAC. He was always involved in clubs and extracurriculars in high school, so SAAC seemed right up his alley. The group has reps from every Bison team, and the work ranges from community service and campus engagement to working with Athletics leadership on policies and issues.
“Something that I wanted to do at Bucknell was get involved through the athletics community, and SAAC seemed like the premier opportunity. It’s a great way to make an impact in the community, but what I didn’t expect was just how much I would learn from connecting with other athletes from a variety of sports. It’s easy to get immersed in your own sport all day, but to be in a room with leaders from every Bucknell sport has been very rewarding.”
Jack applied for a SAAC executive board position at the end of his sophomore year, and he was selected to be the organization’s director of initiatives. Among the group’s many activities, he helped spearhead a Halloween event at a Lewisburg High School football game, and in the spring, SAAC organized an Easter egg hunt in downtown Lewisburg.
“There’s such a great atmosphere in SAAC right now. Eline Vermeulen does a great job supporting us with everything from resources to leadership, and we’re now in a great spot with great buy-in from all the SAAC reps. Maybe in the past it was something that people did as a resume builder, but now I really think that it’s something that everyone looks forward to and enjoys doing because they know they are making a meaningful impact.”
With about 750 varsity student-athletes at a University of about 3,800 undergraduates, nearly one in five students on campus is on a varsity team. Jack says that makes SAAC’s voice even more important.
“I think President Bravman and Jermaine Truax and the entire University staff do a great job hearing our voices and making sure that we feel like what we’re saying matters. We have faculty advisors and deans come in and talk to us, and they are willing to listen to us and hear our perspectives. We’re one-fifth of the Bucknell population, so that makes us feel valued. Of course there are going to be issues that are not easy to resolve, class scheduling being one that always comes up, but at least the conversations are being had and we have an avenue to voice our perspectives.”
Jack was elected president at the end of the spring semester, and he will be looking to build on SAAC’s successful 2023-24 agenda. At the same time, he will be working with teammate Freddie Lapworth, who succeeded him as director of initiatives.
“Of all the great things that Bucknell has to offer, some of the best things I’ve taken out of my experience here have come from SAAC and the [Bucknell Athletics] Leadership Institute. These are programs that allow you to not just learn leadership skills but also practice and hone them. I’m a firm believer that the more involved you are, the more rewards you will reap.”
Jack has thrived academically at Bucknell, where he is a Dean’s List student in finance within the vaunted Freeman College of Management. He recalls always being good with numbers -- no surprise with a parent who is a math teacher – and his interest in business led him to the finance major. Of all the benefits he has received during his time as a student-athlete at Bucknell, Jack says none have been more impactful than the university’s vast alumni network.
“I’ve been fortunate enough over my three years to connect with numerous Bucknell alumni, including many men’s soccer alums who have been absolutely phenomenal and instrumental. In the Freeman College of Management you are paired with an alumni mentor, and my freshman year it was Beau Standish, who played lacrosse. Our relationship started out just for class, but now Beau and I are in constant contact, at least once a month for the last three years. He’s been a mentor figure for me in terms of bouncing off questions. The Bucknell alumni network is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. I think I’ve talked to probably 40 men’s soccer alumni, and every single conversation has been great. They all want to talk about Bucknell and the soccer team, and also reflect on all the great times that they had.”
The impact of those conversations means that Jack will be the first one to pick up the phone when the next generation of Bison calls to connect.
“I’ve gotten so much value out of those relationships that when I graduate and someone calls me, it will be the same thing. That’s something special and unique about Bucknell. When new generations and new classes come in, you feel that responsibility to give back in the way that you were provided for while you were in their shoes.”
Last summer, Jack interned with Ares Management Corporation in Los Angeles, and he will be headed back to the West Coast after graduation for a full-time job in the firm’s Opportunistic Credit group. The connections he made at Ares, including one with another former Bison athlete, and the experience he gained made the decision a no-brainer. Craig Snyder ’03, who played baseball at Bucknell, is now a partner at Ares and is co-head of the Opportunistic Credit division.
“Craig has been awesome. I found out he was a Bucknell grad after applying to the company, and since then it’s been great just talking about Bucknell. Even though he graduated about 20 years ago, we have so many shared experiences. Moving to a new area and starting a new profession can be daunting, so it’s been awesome to have someone like Craig to prepare me for the professional world and just be a sounding board in a super casual and informal way.”
Having that first job locked up in August heading into his senior year has Jack in a position to focus on finishing strong academically, having a great year on the soccer field, and leading his peers in SAAC. Seeing tasks all the way through, indeed.
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