Bucknell University Athletics
Bison March for Excellence a Tremendous Success
4/6/2018 2:20:00 PM | Bison Club
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Alumni, parents and friends of the Bucknell University athletics program came together and showed their true dedication and loyalty during a 24-hour period on March 20-21 in support of the second annual Bison March for Excellence. A total of 2,174 unique donors made gifts to Bucknell's varsity athletics program, accounting for more than $545,000 in financial support.
"The Bison March for Excellence was a great example of the tremendous pride and passion our alumni, parents and friends have for the institution and in particular for our athletics programs," said interim director of athletics Tim Pavlechko '91. "Members of our athletics development team, our Bison Club Board of Directors, our head coaches, and those who signed on as "Captains" worked hard to promote the day, and it really showed once the final numbers were tallied. The additional funding will go a long way in helping us surpass last year's record-setting fundraising mark of $2.6 million. On behalf of our coaches and student-athletes, thank you for such great support."
The Bison March for Excellence was introduced in 2017, and this year's version topped that successful debut by more than $20,000.
"The concept of a giving challenge has been extremely successful for our programs over the past few years," said Todd Newcomb '88, the director of the Bison Club. "In addition to the tremendous support we received from our donor base, the event could not have been the success that it was without the assistance of the Bison Club and several departments on campus, most notably development and alumni relations and its gift processing team."
Members of the Bison Club Board of Directors, as well as some select very supportive athletics donors, came together and donated nearly $85,000 to be used as challenge funds. The challenge money was awarded to programs based on their total number of donors throughout the 24-hour window. For the second straight year the cross country/track & field program (Spiked Shoe Club) took top honors with 307 donors, followed by football (242) and men's lacrosse (142).
For the second year in a row the football program garnered the top spot in terms of dollars raised, finishing at $77,046 with an average gift of $318. The men's lacrosse ($44,943) and Spiked Shoe programs ($42,268) rounded out the top three.
A portion of the $85,000 challenge pool was also used to fund a series of coach/program incentive awards for their use of social media during and leading up to the event. A dollar-for-dollar matching gift was also offered for gifts to the Bison Club Area of Greatest Need, immediately doubling the support of this fund.
If you missed the opportunity to support Bucknell's athletics program during the challenge, you can make a gift on-line HERE. Be sure to select "other" and then type in a sport name if you wish to designate your gift to your favorite athletics program.
Final Program Rankings – Total Countable Donors
- Spiked Shoe Program 307
- Football 242
- Bison Club Area of Greatest Need 207
- Men's Lacrosse 142
- Men's Soccer 123
- Women's Basketball 94
- Baseball 89
- Men's Basketball 89
- Wrestling 89
- Field Hockey 77
- Volleyball 71
- Women's Soccer 62
- Women's Lacrosse 61
- Men's Golf 59
- Women's Rowing 58
- Women's Tennis 58
- Men's Tennis 56
- Softball 49
- Men's Swimming & Diving 48
- Men's Water Polo 45
- Women's Swimming & Diving 39
- Cheerleading 34
- Women's Water Polo 33
- Women's Golf 30
- Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute 12
Final Program Rankings – Total Dollars Donated
- Football $77,046
- Men's Lacrosse $44,943
- Spiked Shoe $42,268
- Men's Soccer $29,435
- Bison Club Area of Greatest Need $26,453
- Baseball $24,226
- Women's Rowing $24,036
- Men's Golf $23,274
- Men's Basketball $19,043
- Volleyball $17,587
- Men's Tennis $16,364
- Women's Basketball $12,861
- Field Hockey $11,635
- Women's Water Polo $11,400
- Men's Water Polo $11,190
- Wrestling $10,356
- Women's Tennis $8,270
- Men's Swimming & Diving $7,311
- Women's Soccer $7,210
- Women's Golf $6,915
- Women's Lacrosse $5,965
- Women's Swimming & Diving $3,615
- Cheerleading $3,580
- Softball $3,115
- Bucknell Athletic Leadership Institute $2,775
Results are not considered final until all pledges are paid by fiscal year end.
Challenge dollars will be distributed after June 30.
