Bucknell University Athletics
From the AD's Desk
3/30/2008 8:00:00 AM | General
March 30, 2008
Greetings Bison Fans!
With a remarkable postseason run by the women's basketball team halted by the powerful North Carolina Tar Heels, the 2007-08 winter season is now officially in the books. As has been the norm during my tenure at Bucknell, whenever we conclude a particular season, there are plenty of wonderful stories to look back upon.
This winter we crowned two more Patriot League champions - hearty congratulations to women's indoor track and field and women's basketball! - and Bucknell has taken a 7.25-point lead in the chase for the Presidents' Cup.
Kevin Donner's women's indoor track and field team graduated one of the program's all-time great senior classes in 2007, and although plenty of talent figured to be returning this season, a seventh straight Patriot League title was hardly a given. But by the end of championship weekend, the Bison had rolled to a 27-point win over runner-up Lafayette, and the trophy remains housed in Lewisburg.
The seven straight Patriot League titles tied the league record for most consecutive championships by a women's program. It was also the 11th overall championship in women's indoor track, a new league record for a women's program. Given the competition from the traditionally strong service academy programs and a much-improved Lafayette team this year, those are incredible records, and we are all very proud of our coaches and student-athletes.
It should also be noted that the men's indoor track and field squad also had a very good showing at the Patriot League Championships. The Bison took second place - their best finish in six years - and had a number of individual champions and school-record performances.
For much of the year the women's basketball team struggled with its consistency, thanks to some key injuries and the ongoing development of a good freshman class. But by late February the team appeared to be running on all cylinders, setting the stage for a remarkable run to the Patriot League championship. It was hardly an easy championship route for Kathy Fedorjaka's team, which had to defeat fourth-seeded Army on its home floor, top-seeded American at a neutral site, and second-seeded Holy Cross at the Hart Center.
The championship game in Worcester was simply one of those special nights. It is uplifting to witness a team play its best game of the season in a championship setting, and that is exactly what the Bison were able to do. The result was the second Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament bid in program history. Bucknell drew the North Carolina Tar Heels - a No. 1 seed and the second-ranked team in the nation - in the first round in Norfolk, Va., and despite a valiant effort by the Bison, UNC prevailed 85-50.
Despite the loss, we are so very proud of the coaching staff and the student-athletes, especially the senior class, for all of their hard work and success.
After three straight 20-win seasons, all of them resulting in Patriot League Tournament and/or regular-season titles, the Bison men's basketball team entered the 2007-08 season with many new faces in prominent roles for the first time, and on top of that came a rash of injuries to veteran players. The result was a wild Patriot League campaign in which every team in the league seemed capable of winning the title. Bucknell ended up in a tie for fifth place, and as the No. 7 seed in Patriot League Tournament produced a victory for the ages in Annapolis in the first round.
John Griffin's buzzer-beating 3-pointer from just inside half-court at the end of the third overtime period gave Bucknell one of its most remarkable victories in the 113-year history of the program. The clip of that miracle shot (and "Voice of the Bison" Doug Birdsong's now-famous radio call) was seen over and over on the national highlight shows. I will personally remember it as one of the best college basketball games I have ever witnessed. It was filled with big shots and big plays from student-athletes on both teams, none of whom wanted to see their season come to an end that night at Alumni Hall.
For the second year in a row, the Bison wrestling program sent three student-athletes to the NCAA Championships. Andy Rendos and David Marble both qualified for the second year in a row, while Shane Riccio made it for the first time.
With all of the success that the wrestling team has enjoyed in the last two seasons, it is easy to forget that 2007-08 was just the program's second year since regaining varsity status, and coach Dan Wirnsberger and his staff were working with a roster comprised almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores. I'd say the future is very bright for Bison Wrestling.
The Bison swimming and diving programs also fared very well at the Patriot League Championships last month. The men's team took home second place, earning Dan Schinnerer Patriot League Coach of the Year honors for the first time. The Bucknell women also performed very well and finished a close third.
Speaking of swimming, I would be remiss if I didn't offer special thanks to our aquatics staff, led by aquatics coordinator Pam Armold, for another very successful hosting of the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships. This is the fourth straight year that our own Kinney Natatorium has been the site of the state championship meet, and each year the venue and the management of the meet has drawn rave reviews from parents, fans and PIAA officials.
While the needs of the Bison student-athletes are always our top priority, we continually seek ways to showcase Bucknell University to the local community and beyond through our wonderful athletics facilities. The PIAA meet is one very good example of that.
While Bucknell's athletics facilities already rate very highly among our peer institutions, there are a number of venues for which we are actively planning upgrades. We are working very closely with the campus leadership on campus master planning. With the stadium venue at Graham Field and Varsity Soccer Field now fully operational, we have turned our attention to Phase IV of the West Fields Project, which will address long-overdue improvements to the baseball and softball facilities. In addition, we have begun working on plans for a varsity golf practice and instructional center, as well as improvements to the Krebs Fitness Center.
We are also working very closely with our colleagues in the Office of Communications on a comprehensive overhaul of the Bison athletics Web site in conjunction with a redesign of the University's site. Both sites are expected to roll out this summer. While BucknellBison.com will continue to be your daily source for athletics news, scores, stats and profiles, the site will get a fresh look, a reorganization of already existing links and some new enhanced features. The most noticeable of those improvements will be a much more visible video presence, as we look forward to supplementing our written pieces with video highlights and interviews.
I am pleased to report that the Bison Club is on pace to reach its goal of $1.75 million, which would be a new record for the fifth year in a row. Through the end of February more than $1.1 million had already been raised, making five straight years over the million-dollar plateau. Your Bison Club donations keep Bison Athletics afloat, and we truly appreciate every cent of support!
Spring sports are now in full swing, and while there is still plenty of competition yet to come, many of the teams are off to great starts. Men's lacrosse and women's water polo are both ranked in the top-20 nationally. Three programs are out to extend Patriot League championship streaks: women's outdoor track and field has won four straight PL titles, while men's golf and women's rowing have both won two in a row.
Women's lacrosse posted a 17-5 victory over Long Island in the Bucknell debut of head coach Caline McHenry, and the Bison already have a signature win over Ohio State. Women's golf is in the middle of its toughest schedule in program history, a testament to the progress the 10-year-old program continues to make. Baseball and softball both have good victories under their belts heading into league play, and the tennis teams both appear strong very early in their spring seasons.
While spring is just underway, before we know it the temperature will be back in the 80s and another class of graduates will march through the Christy Mathewson Gateway. Thank you so much for your continued support of Bison athletics. I hope to see you all out at the games ... and, as always, 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
-- Aug. 8, 2007
-- Nov. 20, 2007
