Bucknell University Athletics
From The AD's Desk
11/28/2011 7:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 28, 2011
Greetings Bison Fans!
It is hard to believe we have reached Thanksgiving Weekend already! The fall seasons have flown by, the winter campaign is well under way, and before you know it the calendar will be flipping to 2012. It has been an action-packed fall semester, with many impressive performances by Bison student-athletes both on and off the playing fields, the opening of two wonderful new athletics facilities, and the launching of a new leadership initiative that we are planning to grow significantly in the near future.
As we look back on the fall season, perhaps the biggest highlight was the football team's resurgence in head coach Joe Susan's second year back at Bucknell. The Bison posted a winning record at 6-5, and the five-win improvement over 2010 equals the biggest one-year turnaround in program history. The resounding victory over Lafayette in the snow in Easton is a game that will be remembered for a long time, and the Bison also posted victories over a nine-win Duquesne team and an eight-win Georgetown team.
Under the direction of defensive coordinator Clayton Carlin, the Bucknell defense was as good as it's been in many years, as the Bison led the nation in turnover margin and ranked among the best in the FCS in rushing defense. Led by stalwart defensive linemen Josh Eden and Robert De La Rosa, and an incredible 13-interception season from Bryce Robertson, the Bison defense was terrific all year. Kudos also go out to running back Tyler Smith, who turned in back-to-back 200-yard rushing games against Lafayette and Fordham and broke Hall-of-Famer Richie Lemon's school record for most yards in back-to-back games.
Last week we learned that 12 Bison earned All-Patriot League honors, tying a school record. Coach Susan should be commended for instilling the right amount of toughness and pride within the program, and through his continued strong recruiting efforts, the future of the football program looks very bright.
Elsewhere around the department, it was a bit of a tough fall, something that we are unaccustomed to at Bucknell. We stand in fifth place in the Patriot League Presidents' Cup standings, and even though the points are fairly tightly bunched, we have some ground to make up in order to win our 18th Cup.
That's not to say there weren't some outstanding performances this fall. The Bison men's water polo team, under the direction of first-year head coach John McBride, was nationally ranked for most of the season. They finished 15-10 after coming in fifth at the Eastern Championship.
Jeremy Cook's field hockey squad not only defeated annual Patriot League power American for the first time in 10 years, but they did it again in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals on the Eagles' home field. That put the Bison in the league championship game, but they fell just short in a 3-1 loss to Lafayette in the final.
The men's soccer team was coming off back-to-back Patriot League titles, and the Bison got off to a strong start in 2011. But men's soccer is one of the Patriot League's strongest sports, and a handful of narrow one-goal losses in league play prevented a chance at a three-peat. The women's soccer team made a nice late-season push for a playoff spot, but a 1-0 loss to Navy on the final day of the season ended a run of five straight postseason appearances.
The Bison women's cross country team turned in a very determined effort in horrible racing conditions at the 2011 Patriot League Championship in Bethlehem. Plodding through a freak October blizzard, Bucknell finished in second place, just three points in back of favored Navy. The men's team finished fifth.
The Bison women's golf team started its fall season with a bang, repeating as champions at the Bucknell Invitational with a one-stroke victory over Rutgers.
As we move into the winter season, the men's basketball team has begun its defense of its 2011 Patriot League championship. After a couple of competitive losses to Minnesota and 18th-ranked Vanderbilt, the Bison have bounced back with five straight wins to improve their record to 5-2. It was a basketball fan's delight at Sojka Pavilion this past weekend, as Bucknell hosted a total of six games in three days as part of a subregional of the TicketCity Legends Classic. Princeton and Morehead State - two other 2011 NCAA Tournament teams - were at Sojka Pavilion along with West Alabama. Of course the weekend was made even better with the Bison finishing 3-0!
The Bison women's basketball team is building around some younger players this season. After an opening-night win over St. Peter's, the team has dropped six in a row, but four of the losses came right down to the wire. Bucknell was picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, and the team is working toward peaking in league play.
The swimming and diving teams have already competed in four meets, including a big three-day invitational at Kinney Natatorium last week. School records from freshman diver Katie Hetherington and sophomore Mike Nicholson have highlighted the teams' strong performances so far.
The wrestling team opened up the 2011-12 campaign with a home dual in Sojka Pavilion against Nebraska, and a very young Bucknell squad held its own against the former Big 12 - and now Big Ten - power. The Bison then had a good showing at the Navy Invitational last week, where they had six placewinners, including 157-pound champion John Regan. On Dec. 3 another Big Ten program comes to Lewisburg, as Bucknell will host Michigan State in Davis Gym at 7 p.m.
While cross country season ended just last week, head coach Kevin Donner and his staff will quickly be transitioning into indoor track and field, and they will be hosting their annual Bison Opener on Dec. 3 at Gerhard Fieldhouse. That will be the first of eight home track meets during the 2011-12 indoor and outdoor seasons. Bucknell will host the Patriot League Indoor Championships Feb. 17-19.
In October, the NCAA released the latest round of student-athlete graduation rate data, and once again Bucknell fared exceptionally well in both the U.S. Department of Education formula and the NCAA's own Graduation Success Rate (GSR) findings. In the federal survey, Bucknell placed No. 4 in Division I with a 90-percent graduation rate, considering student-athletes who entered school between 2001-02 and 2004-05.
Our graduation rate of 90 percent is identical to that of the entire Bucknell student body over that four-year period, and our most recent single-year rate of 97 percent eclipsed the university-wide rate of 92 percent.
In the GSR rankings, which differ from the federal rate in that schools are not penalized for transfers who leave in good academic stranding, Bucknell's 97-percent rate ranked No. 10 nationally.
The latest graduation-rate figures help confirm the findings of Bucknell Professor of Economics Tom Kinnaman, who recently completed an academic performance study of Bison student-athletes. Prof. Kinnaman's research found that student-athletes are performing at the same level academically as the rest of the Bucknell student body. While these findings are extremely satisfying, they are hardly surprising. At Bucknell, our coaches are recruiting true student-athletes. They have come to Bucknell not only to compete at the highest level of Division I athletics, but also because they want to receive the world-class education that Bucknell provides.
One of our major priorities in Bison Athletics is to enhance the academic mission of the University, and to that end, I am very excited about the launching of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Academy. In this new endeavor, we have begun providing our student-athletes with formal leadership training, which we hope will not only translate into success within their teams, but also in all walks of life. Already this semester, each of our varsity programs have identified student-athletes who either "veteran" or "emerging" leaders. Each of those student-athletes attended an introductory seminar conducted by the Janssen Sports Leadership Center, a highly respected organization that specializes in leadership training for athletes. In addition, Bucknell coaches have held small group sessions focusing on various elements of leadership. In addition to year-round resources that are now available, there will be another Janssen presentation for both coaches and student-athletes in the spring, and a wealth of other programming is currently being planned.
Even though it is still in its formative stages, so far the Leadership Academy has been a hit with both our student-athletes and coaches, and I am very excited about what the future holds as we look to grow the program.
Related to the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Academy is a brand new, visually appealing addition to the lobby area of the Kenneth Langone Athletics and Recreation Center. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of Bill and Tockey Dearstyne, we have constructed a "Leadership Wall," featuring photographs of Bucknell's head coaches and team leaders.
The Leadership Wall is not the only enhancement to the KLARC this fall. In September we opened a brand new "erg" room for our rowing teams. Located in what was formerly the grandstand for the old Freas-Rooke Pool, this much-needed venue provides valuable dryland training space for our rowers.
Also debuting this fall was the new Instructional Golf Center, located just across Smoketown Road from the 11th fairway at the Bucknell Golf Club. The facility features both indoor and outdoor practice space for our varsity golfers, as well as locker rooms, coaches offices, meeting/study areas and social space. The facility arrived just in time, too, as record-setting rainfall in August and September meant that the indoor hitting bays and putting green received plenty of use.
Finally, as this holiday season serves as a time of reflection and thanks, let me say a big THANK YOU to all who have donated to the Bison Club in the past year. Your support is greatly appreciated, and please know that your contributions are having a direct impact on the success of our programs.
If you have not yet made your gift to the Bison Club, please call Todd Newcomb, Associate Director of Athletics/Director of the Bison Club at 570-577-1771, or donate online at BucknellBison.com.
Thank you so much for your continued support of Bucknell and Bison Athletics, please have a safe and joyous holiday, and as always ... GO BISON!!!!
Sincerely,
John P. Hardt
Director of Athletics & Recreation
Bucknell University
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
-- Dec. 19, 2008
-- Apr. 3, 2009
-- June 18, 2009
-- Aug. 21, 2009
-- December 21, 2009
-- April 1, 2010
-- June 15, 2010
-- April 15, 2011
Players Mentioned
