Bucknell University Athletics
From the AD's Desk
9/26/2005 8:00:00 AM | General
Previous installments of From the AD's Desk
-- August 15, 2005
-- September 26, 2005
December 1, 2005
Dear Bison Fans,
The holiday season is the time of year when I enjoy taking a step back and reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for in Bison Athletics. Recently, many of those thoughts filled my head while driving home from snowy Syracuse, with the excitement of yet another Bison men's basketball victory over a top-20 opponent still lingering.
It's hard to believe that only a few weeks remain in the first semester - it seems like just yesterday we all welcomed a group of nervous first-year students at an orientation function in Gerhard Fieldhouse. Despite the time flowing by so quickly, there were plenty of wonderful achievements by our Bison student-athletes and coaches this fall.
Most notably, two Bucknell programs brought home Patriot League championships. First, the women's cross country team added another brilliant performance to its wonderful heritage with a dominant showing at the Patriot League Championship. The Bison claimed five of the top 12 runners, and Kevin Donner claimed his 10th "Coach of the Year" citation in only a little more than four years as head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs.
The following weekend, it was the women's soccer team's turn to hoist the Patriot League championship trophy. First-year head coach Ben Landis led a resurgent Bison squad this fall, one that thrilled the home fans with an explosive offense. Bucknell needed to hold off Navy in a 4-3 nail-biter in the final regular season game to earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 4 seed, then they threw all the seeds out the window by knocking out host Lehigh, then overtaking Army, to win the tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
The Bison were paired with top-seeded Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fought valiantly before falling 6-0 to an extraordinarily talented Nittany Lions squad that was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the year.
Bucknell also made Patriot League Tournament appearances in field hockey and volleyball. The Bison field hockey team had a tremendous year, posting a 4-1 conference record and earning a No. 2 seed in the PL Tournament. Senior Liz Jordan was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, and she also earned All-Region accolades for the second time.
The Bison volleyball team qualified for the postseason for the 14th time in 15 years in the Patriot League, and they nearly pulled off a significant upset in the PL semifinals, taking powerful American to five games before the Eagles pulled out the narrowest of victories on their home floor. In addition, senior Chelsea Anderson was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year.
The men's soccer team finished 8-6-4 and defeated three nationally ranked opponents this season, but unfortunately the team just missed a Patriot League Tournament berth. In a wild postseason chase, six of the league's eight teams were alive for playoff spots on the last day of the regular season. Bucknell again had one of the nation's top-ranked defenses. Senior Adam Edwards, who broke the Bucknell career shutout record, was named the league's Goalie of the Year, while senior Tim Faneck was named Defensive Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of 2003 and 2004 winner Michael Lookingland, who played in the MLS with Real Salt Lake this season.
Congratulations also go out to coach John Zeigler and the men's water polo team for an outstanding season. The Bison finished a 14-18, a record that is very misleading considering that 17 of their 32 games came against teams ranked in the top 20. Ranked 17th themselves, the Bison finished a solid fourth at the Eastern Championships. They were one victory away from playing for the Eastern title, and a win there would have meant a berth in the NCAA Championship, which Bucknell is hosting on Dec. 3-4 at Kinney Natatorium, marking the first time a national championship will be crowned on Bucknell's campus.
We all know that it was a tough fall for the Bison football team, who were decimated by injuries early in the season and just could not recover. But I am very thankful to Tim Landis, his staff and the entire team for working as hard as they possibly could every week. A big positive this season was the number of young players that saw significant field time and showed significant promise. The future looks encouraging, despite the disappointing finish in 2005.
As always, I am very thankful that our Bison student-athletes have continued to shine in the classroom, as well as on the playing fields. Six fall student-athletes earned ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District recognition - Shannon Curd and Kerry Fitz-Patrick of women's soccer, Amanda Grossmann of the volleyball team, and football's Michael Boccella, Ryan Bower and David Frisbey.
As the year progresses, there will be plenty more opportunities for Bucknell student-athletes to be recognized for their classwork, with more Academic All-America, Patriot League Scholar-Athlete and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll balloting forthcoming.
I am extremely thankful for the wonderful moments we were able to share this fall with many dear friends of Bison Athletics.
In September, the University was delighted to recognize Dick and Judy Emmitt for their leadership in the Varsity Soccer Field project. The Bison men's and women's soccer teams debuted on the new grass pitch this season, and the field drew rave reviews from players and coaches alike.
In mid-October Bill Graham returned to Lewisburg along with grappling legend Dan Gable to help celebrate the return of Bison Wrestling. Mr. Graham, whose generous gift to the university made it possible to return the sport of wrestling to varsity status, joined many of his former Bucknell wrestling teammates and more than 300 other friends and alumni at a special Friday evening dinner. The following day Coach Gable conducted a wrestling clinic in Gerhard Fieldhouse before more than 500 athletes and coaches. It was certainly one of the most memorable weekends of my tenure at Bucknell.
Earlier this month our guest of honor was Hall of Fame football coach Bob Odell, who led Bucknell to two Lambert Cup titles in the 1960s. Coach Odell and his family were joined by many of his former players for a weekend-long celebration, and prior to the Bucknell-Holy Cross football game a monument was unveiled in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium commemorating his many significant contributions to the Bison football program.
In the coming weeks, we will have plenty more to celebrate. The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship and a home men's basketball game against national power Villanova, coached by Bucknell graduate Jay Wright, will bring standing room only crowds to the Langone Athletics and Recreation Center. We will be dedicating the George McGee Room in Sojka Pavilion, and we will be celebrating the second annual Dirk Sojka Slam Dunk with Bison Basketball, followed by National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
We hope that the big victory at the Carrier Dome is a foreshadowing of another memorable men's basketball season as Bucknell, but don't forget that the Bison are also the defending Patriot League champs in women's indoor track & field and women's swimming & diving. The women's basketball, men's indoor track and men's swimming programs all figure to be in the title hunt as well, making for the potential for another thrilling winter season.
In closing, I am most thankful for all of the support Bison Athletics has continued to receive from our fans and supporters. At Bucknell, we strive to set the standard of excellence in college athletics, and we could not do it with out you.
I sincerely wish you and your family the best this holiday season, and... GO BISON!
John P. Hardt
Director of Athletics and Recreation
