Bucknell University Athletics
From the AD's Desk
8/7/2007 8:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 7, 2007
Greetings Bison Fans!
Well, another busy and productive summer is just about in the books, and this weekend's return of the Bison football team to campus means it is time to "kick off" another successful year at Bucknell. This is always an exciting time of the year for our staff. Everyone's record resets to 0-0, and with August comes that nervous anticipation of what the days and months ahead will bring.
As you make plans to return to campus this fall to catch our teams in action, you will notice several significant enhancements among our indoor athletics facilities. Perhaps the most striking are a series of improvements to Gerhard Fieldhouse, including a gleaming orange and blue paint job and a brand new playing floor and track surface, all of which nicely complement the new netting system installed just a year ago. The fieldhouse not only serves as the competition venue for our indoor track and field teams and an important indoor practice facility during periods of inclement weather, but it is also our largest indoor recreation space. Scores of Bucknell community members visit every day to engage in activities such as racquetball, tennis, pickup basketball, aerobics and dance classes and numerous organized intramural programs, so it is important that all types of visitors feel some school pride when they enter this important space.
It will be hard not to notice the latest enhancement to Davis Gym when you walk through the entrance for the first time this fall. Most likely your eyes will instantly gravitate toward the large new scoreboard/video system now located on the north wall. The state-of-the-art Daktronics board will be utilized for both volleyball in the fall and wrestling this winter, in addition to other special events in Davis Gym. In addition to standard score and time outputs, the new system will also be able to handle real-time statistical updates as well as colorful graphics and video.
The new Davis Gym scoreboard was made possible by the continued generosity of Bill Graham `62. In this regard, one of my biggest thrills this summer was traveling to Orlando to help honor Bill as the National Association of Athletic Development Directors University Division "Donor of the Year." He is more than deserving of that high praise.
Also this summer we have completed the design of a permanent tribute to Bucknell's 114 (and counting!) Academic All-Americans. The Lee Idleman Academic All-America Wall, which will soon be located in the corridor just outside Kinney Natatorium, honors one of Bucknell Athletics' most loyal supporters who vigorously championed the scholar-athlete concept.
We all got our first look at Phase III of the West Fields Project this spring during women's lacrosse season, and now three of our fall sports - field hockey and men's and women's soccer - are counting down the days until they get to make full use of the wonderful new facility for the first time.
To recap the progression of the West Fields enhancements, the installation of the artificial playing surface at Graham Field and the adjacent natural grass Varsity Soccer Field represented the first two phases of the project, and now a support facility has been built between the fields, including covered grandstand seating, public restrooms, ticket and concession areas, team rooms, an athletic training room, a viewing suite and a press box area.
I am excited to report that designs have been completed and fundraising has begun for Phase IV of the West Fields Project: The renovation and improvement of the baseball and softball facilities.
None of these facilities enhancements would be possible without the generous support of our alumni and fans. I am thrilled to announce that 2006-07 was another record-breaking year for the Bison Club, with gifts totaling over $1.71 million. Your support is the lifeblood of Bucknell's successful varsity athletics program. Annual giving to the Bison Club helps fund each team's operating budget. So when you make a donation to the Bison Club, you can be assured that you are making a direct impact on our student-athletes' success!
Along with the Bison coaches and student-athletes, each and every one of our supporters should also take a measure of ownership in our 13th Patriot League Presidents' Cup, captured last season in record-setting fashion. Our 126.25 Presidents' Cup points were a new school record and missed the league record by a mere 0.75 points. Bucknell teams have won 14 Patriot League titles over the last two seasons, including six more last year.
Three of those 2006-07 championships went to the women's cross country/track and field program, which captured the prestigious "Triple Crown" by winning the cross country, indoor and outdoor titles in one year. Head coach Kevin Donner and his staff deserve many kudos after what could only be described as an awesome showing last year.
Brendan Nash's men's soccer team knocked off the top two seeds to win the Patriot League title as the No. 4 seed last fall. As if the two shootout victories over Lehigh and Lafayette weren't thrilling enough, the Bison then knocked off George Mason in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, giving them their first NCAA win since 1974.
Led by arguably the finest player in program history in senior Charlie Waddell, the Bison men's golf team repeated as Patriot League champion in 2007. Jim Cotner's team came from behind on the final day to win the league title, then made a fine showing at Arizona State in the NCAA West Regional.
And finally, it was also a repeat performance for coach Steve Kish and the women's rowing team, which captured all three events to run away with its second straight Patriot League championship. Later in the spring, Bucknell's lightweight eight captured a national championship at the IRA National Championships on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J. The Bison boat knocked off powers such as Princeton and three-time defending champion Wisconsin to win its very first title at that prestigious event.
Bison student-athletes also once again produced impressive academic performances in the classroom. A record total of 360 Bison made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll by earning a minimum 3.20 GPA during his/her sport's competition season. Among all Bucknell student-athletes, 243 made the Dean's List with a 3.50 or better GPA in the spring 2007 semester.
To put it another way, about 36% of all varsity student-athletes made the Dean's List in the spring 2007 semester. Of all the Bucknell students on the spring 2007 Dean's List (a total of 1,401), about 17% were varsity athletes.
Shannon Curd (women's soccer), David Frisbey (football) and Melanie Buczko (women's track & field) were all named national ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans, bringing Bucknell's total to 114 since 1970. We also had 20 Academic All-District selections, a new school record.
These numbers demonstrate that Bison student-athletes continue to excel both on the playing fields and in the academic arena!
Optimism is high for each of Bucknell's fall teams as they prepare for the coming season. After producing one of the biggest victory improvements in the nation last season, the Bison football team is looking to continue its upward trend. A strong senior class, led by captains Ryan Slater and Jonathan Grainger, is backed by a host of talented young players. Tim Landis' squad received significant contributions from first-year players en route to last year's 6-5 record, and those youngsters should only be better now with a year invested in the program.
The season opener is set for Sept. 1 at Duquesne, with the home debut to follow a week later against Stony Brook. That is just one of six home games on the docket this fall. We are looking forward to seeing large crowds at every game at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, and in particular we are targeting a big gathering for the Sept. 22 game against national power Richmond. As part of Community Day festivities, there will be free admission for that game, and the renowned Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps will perform throughout the day. Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 20 against Georgetown, with Family Weekend to follow just a week later against Holy Cross.
In other Bison sporting competition, both Bison soccer teams have reason to be excited about the coming season. The men's team graduated only one senior from last year's championship squad, while Ben Landis' women's team returns nine of its top 11 scorers as well as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year from last year's squad that finished 12-5-1 (6-1 PL) and captured the Patriot League regular-season title.
Heather Lewis has high hopes for the Bison field hockey team this fall, particularly with a strong defensive nucleus returning. Cindy Opalski's volleyball team, which is coming off a 20-win season and a berth in the Patriot League championship match, figures to compete for the title again in 2007 despite graduating five seniors.
Matt Forys and Leanna Nastase earned berths in the NCAA Cross Country Championship as seniors last season. Their presences will obviously be missed this fall, but Kevin Donner believes that the Bison women have what it takes to win a third straight Patriot League championship, while the men can improve upon last year's third-place finish.
And finally, John Zeigler's men's water polo team should be well-prepared for the 2007 fall season on the heels of last month's two-week tour of Hungary and Slovakia. The journey not only afforded the Bison the chance to compete against top-notch competition in a part of the world that is fanatical about the sport of water polo, but it also provided a team-building opportunity and a cultural learning experience.
As you might gather, optimism is running high in the department as we prepare for another successful year. We recognize that to a large degree our continued success depends on you, and we thank you so much for your support of Bucknell Athletics. We are extremely proud of our success both on and off the field, but we couldn't do it without you.
Please enjoy the remainder of summer, and I hope to see you on campus this fall!
GO BISON!
John P. Hardt
Director of Athletics and Recreation
Previous installments of "From the AD's Desk"
-- August 15, 2005
-- September 26, 2005
-- December 1, 2005
-- April 6, 2006
-- August 3, 2006
-- August 28, 2006
-- October 22, 2006
-- March 26, 2007
-- May 25, 2007
