Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2010
- Class:
- 1986
Sports: Swimming, Water Polo
Jeff Hilk was a standout for both the Bucknell water polo and swimming and diving teams in the mid-1980s. During the water polo circuit he posted 334 goals and 460 points in his career, totals that ranked second on Bucknell's career charts at the time, behind only fellow Hall of Famer and All-American Scott Schulte '81. A four-year starter, Hilk scored 108 goals as a sophomore and 104 as a senior, making him one of only a handful of players in program history with multiple 100-goal seasons.
In 1985 Hilk co-captained a Bison squad that finished 25-9, won the Mid-Atlantic Conference title, was runner-up at the Eastern Championship and placed seventh at the NCAA Championship. That was the last Bucknell team to win a league title or qualify for the NCAAs until 2016, and the last to win a game at NCAAs until 2019. Hilk was a three-time All-MAC and All-East honoree, and as a senior he was an Honorable Mention All-American. He was later picked to play on the East team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1985 and 1986, and in 1983 he was a member of the National Junior Development Team.
As a four-year swimming letterman, Hilk graduated with school records in the 200-yard freestyle and 400 and 800 freestyle relays. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was a top-eight finisher in five freestyle events at East Coast Conference Championships and was on two gold-medal relays in 1985. Hilk won the Scott Schulte Award as the water polo team's MVP in 1985 and was also the co-recipient of the Christy Mathewson Award as the top senior athlete in his class. After graduation, Hilk coached dozens of alumni in the New York Athletic Club program, and in 2017 he was inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame.
