Bucknell University Athletics
Kristen Erb Receives Senior Athletic Award
6/22/2001 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
June 22, 2001
LEWISBURG, PA --- Bucknell senior Kristen Erb (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), a three-year letterwinner on the Bison women's soccer team, received a special award at the University's annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Bison Club and held at the University in early May.
Erb won the Edward W. Pangburn Award, presented to senior athletes "for sportsmanship, fellowship, and contribution to the University." Erb shared the award with baseball standout Ian Joseph.
In addition to Erb and Joseph, several other student-athletes were honored at the banquet, including the winners of the Christy Mathewson Award, given to the most outstanding athletes in the senior class. All-American football and baseball standout Kevin Eiben won the men's Mathewson Award, while women's swimming standout Molly Lowe won the women's Mathewson Award.
After beginning her athletic career as a basketball player at Bucknell, Erb turned her sites to soccer as a sophomore when head coach Chrissy Findlay asked her to join the squad. She never complained when she was asked to switch positions, and by the time her senior year rolled around she had earned the honor of being chosen as a tri-captain.
Erb saved the best for last, and after taking two seasons to work her way into the starting lineup she was a solid contributor during her final collegiate campaign. She scored the first goal of her career in thrilling fashion, helping the Bison top Lehigh 1-0 in double-overtime. Erb concluded the season with a pair of goals - both of which came in league play as Bucknell qualified for the Patriot League Championship Tournament for the first time since the 1997 season.
Erb's accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that she battled through two bouts with mononucleosis and a stress fracture in her femur.
In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Erb found time to serve on the Bucknell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and work as a student-assistant in the Office of Athletic Communications. She also excelled in the classroom, earning Dean's List and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll citations several times.
Bucknell is a highly-selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 3,650 undergraduate students. Bucknell competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League, along with Army, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Navy. Army and Navy do not compete in the league in football. Fordham and Towson are associate members of the league in football and Georgetown will join as a football-only member in 2001. American University will also become an all-sport member in 2001-2002.
In two of the past nine years, Bucknell ranked FIRST in the nation in the graduation rate of its student-athletes, and in the ten years the NCAA survey has been conducted it has never been lower than seventh. In addition, Bucknell ranks third in Division I in the total number of GTE Academic All-America selections, with 100 national Academic All-Americans since 1970.
