Bucknell University Athletics
From the AD's Desk
12/19/2008 7:00:00 AM | General
Dec. 19, 2008
Greetings Bison Fans!
On behalf of the entire Bucknell Department of Athletics & Recreation, we wish each and every one of you a safe and joyous holiday season. This time of year provides us all a few moments to take pause from our busy schedules and reflect on all that we have to be thankful for.
At Bucknell, this has certainly been another year to remember. In the 2008 calendar year we …
And those are just some of the highlights. All in all, it was another wonderful year for Bison athletics, and if this fall is any indication, 2009 could be just as good.
Through the fall season, we are just a quarter-point behind Colgate in the overall Presidents' Cup standings, and we hold the lead in the race for the Women's Cup.
The Bison football team got out to a 3-1 start and finished the season with a spirited comeback victory over defending Patriot League champion Fordham. The Bison finished 5-6 overall, a two-win improvement from 2007. Not bad considering that the starting quarterback (Marcello Trigg) and one of the best defensive players in the league (linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam) were both lost in the middle of the year due to injury. Wide receiver Shaun Pasternak captured team MVP honors after an amazing sophomore season that saw him break the school records for receiving yards (1,083) and touchdowns (12). With only two senior starters on both sides of the ball, the Bison will have many familiar faces next year.
The Bucknell field hockey team had a fine first year under new head coach Jeremy Cook. The Bison hit the 10-win mark for the first time since 1999 and for the fifth time in program history, and they advanced to the Patriot League championship game after a big win over Lafayette in the semifinals. The Bison then led powerful American at the half before the Eagles rallied to take the win. Senior Amanda Faust broke the Bucknell career assists record earlier this season, and she is now the No. 3 all-time scorer in program history. Faust and Trina Boyer both earned all-region honors at the end of the year.
Despite a heartbreaking loss to Army in penalty kicks in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals, it was another very successful year for the women's soccer team. The Bison have now won at least 11 games and advanced to the four-team tournament in each of coach Ben Landis' four years at Bucknell. The Bison earned an impressive 3-2 road win over Maryland early in the year, and they won their final four Patriot League games to finish second in the regular-season standings. Jennifer Dervarics won the league scoring title, captured Patriot League Player of the Year honors for the second straight year and was a second-team all-region pick. With teammate Christa Matlack just behind her in the PL scoring race, the Bison were the highest-scoring team in the league this season.
The men's soccer team finished 8-8-3 overall but fell just one win short of a postseason berth. There were plenty of highlights for the Bison this fall, most notably their championship at the Penn State Classic in September. Bucknell played No. 10 Ohio State to a 1-1 tie and beat Penn State (2-0) for the first time since 1975 to win the title. Bucknell also won its own tournament, the Days' Inn Classic, a week later. Junior Conor O'Brien was the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, while senior Chris Hennings, who tied the school and league record with a four-goal game against Canisius, earned national Academic All-America honors.
The men's water polo team finished the regular-season ranked No. 20 in the nation. They went on to finish fourth at the Southern Division Championships and fifth at the Eastern Championships. John Abdou, in his first full season as head coach, guided the Bison to a winning record (17-16), and of those 33 games, 17 came against ranked teams. The highlight of the year was an 11-6 rout of No. 12 Princeton before a standing-room-only crowd at Kinney Natatorium. Richie Hyden had a fantastic sophomore season. The Australian finished with 138 points, the most by a Bison this decade, and earned first-team all-conference honors.
The volleyball team was youth-laden in 2008, yet still managed to make yet another Patriot League Tournament appearance, its 16th in 18 seasons in the conference. Kudos to senior setter Shannon Pitsch, who earned All-Patriot League and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors after becoming the program's all-time assists leader.
The women's cross country team finished second to Navy at the 2008 Patriot League Championship. The Bison were led all season by a pair of freshmen in Stephanie Fulmer and Caitlin Cavanaugh, who finished second and 12th, respectively at the league championship. The men's cross country team took fifth at the Patriot League meet, led by junior Conor McNamara in 15th place.
The Bison golf teams both had noteworthy fall seasons. The men won the Bucknell Invitational for the fourth time in the last six years, with junior Jeff Pike finishing at 4-under-par (67-69) to claim the individual title. The women's golf team also fared well even with three freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup most weeks. One of those freshmen, Minjoo Lee, became the first player in program history to record a round of even-par or better when she posted an even-par 72 at the Rutgers Invitational in October.
While the fall season is in the books, the winter campaign is well underway, with all seven teams in action already.
The men's basketball squad has had a tough start, but promising at the same time. Under new head coach Dave Paulsen, the Bison were ravaged by injuries in the preseason, including an unfortunate season-ending injury to reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Stephen Tyree. The team started the year 2-6, but of those six losses, two came in overtime, two others were by four points or less, and the other two came on the road against teams from the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference. Despite the frustrating record, the team has improved significantly already, and many believe that the Bison squad will be a serious contender when the Patriot League season rolls around.
Elsewhere, the women's basketball team jumped out to a 3-0 start before dropping its next three in a row. The men's swimming & diving team is 4-1 in addition to a win at the Bucknell Invitational, and sophomore Gonzalo DeLeon already broke a school record in the 200-yard backstroke. The women are 5-1 in duals, with the lone loss a close one to Navy. A school record also fell in track & field, with Timothy Medlock shattering the mark in the shot put at the team's successful opening meet.
And finally, the wrestling team has had an exciting start with spirited home crowds coming to Davis Gym for home meets against No. 5 Missouri and EIWA foe Army. The highlight of the year so far was junior 165-pounder Andy Rendos defeating the nation's top-ranked wrestler in his class in the Missouri meet. Rendos and David Marble, both two-time national qualifiers, are nationally ranked themselves.
As we head into the holiday season I would be remiss if I did not send along a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who supported Bison Athletics in 2008. in the face of these challenging economic times, the Bison Club topped the $1 million mark in giving for the fifth straight fiscal year. Your continued loyal support is tremendously appreciated!
Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous holiday and New Year … and GO BISON!!!
John P. Hardt
Director of Athletics & 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
-- August 8, 2007
-- November 20, 2007
-- March 30, 2008
-- June 10, 2008
-- June 12, 2008
-- Aug. 18, 2008
