William D. Dearstyne (1982) - Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame

William D. Dearstyne

Induction:
1982
Class:
1962

Twice a co-captain of the Bison swimming team, Bill Dearstyne won Middle Atlantic Conference 100 and 200-yard backstroke championships for three straight years. Dearstyne was the Eastern 100-yard backstroke champion in 1960 and placed in four other Eastern backstroke events during his career. He led the Bison to their first-ever MAC championship in 1960, then runner-up finishes in each of the next two seasons. A winner of 30 consecutive 200 backstroke races, Dearstyne also won two MAC titles with the 400 medley relay. He held every Bucknell and MAC backstroke record at graduation and was Bucknell's most outstanding senior athlete in 1962. Dearstyne was the first Bucknell swimmer to compete at the NCAA Championship. A member of the Bucknell Board of Trustees and a tremendous friend to Bison Athletics, Dearstyne helped establish the Robert A. Latour Swimming & Diving Endowment in 2002. He was presented with the Bucknell Athletics Alumni Achievement Award in 2018.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 1982)