A Letter from Jermaine Truax

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY COVID-19 UPDATES & RESOURCES

Dear Bison Nation,

Jermaine Truax

My role as director of athletics and recreation at Bucknell takes me down many different avenues. In my first 20 months here in Lewisburg, I have enjoyed building relationships with our coaches, staff, parents, alumni, community leaders, and colleagues across campus. But among the myriad of duties that the job entails, nothing beats my interactions with student-athletes and the excitement of "game day."

As you know by now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bucknell has moved to a remote learning model, and all remaining practices and competitions have been canceled for the remainder of the academic year. As painful as that may be, I fully support this difficult decision as health and safety is our top priority.

Last night, the governor of Pennsylvania ordered all non-life sustaining businesses to close their physical locations, and the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization continue to implore individuals to practice social distancing. We are doing our part by mandating that all Athletics personnel work from home until further notice.

There is still plenty of work to be done, but a significant portion of our daily lives is missing. Our primary purpose is to help our student-athletes reach their fullest potential, on and off the field. It is that on-the-field piece that is absent right now, and it has left a gaping hole in all of our hearts.

I will miss spending a few hours during the evening or on a weekend at a field or an arena cheering on our student-athletes, who have worked so hard to prepare for that moment. I want to applaud our teams for their outstanding performances, but I especially want to acknowledge the accomplishments of those teams and individuals who lost opportunities this winter and spring.

What a season for the Bison women's basketball team, led by senior Ellie Mack, who was the Patriot League Player of the Year! A 24-6 record, including a 16-2 mark in Patriot League play; winning the regular-season title by four games; a 26-point victory in the PL Tournament quarterfinals. They were the favorites to win another Patriot League Tournament title and get another crack at an NCAA win after coming up just three points short against Florida State a year ago. It was not going to be easy, but I am 100-percent confident that this team was going to find a way to get it done.

Congratulations to Drew Phipps and Zach Hartman, who qualified for the NCAA Championships for a second year in a row. Drew earned a semifinal victory over the No. 1 seed to advance to the EIWA final at 197. Drew would have had a chance to make a run at All-America status as a senior, but his accomplishment at the EIWAs was one of the best highlights of the year for Bison Athletics, and one I am sure he is proud of. Zach is a national-caliber wrestler, and I am confident that he will be on an NCAA podium before he graduates.

Men's lacrosse was off to an excellent start. A 5-1 record and a top-20 ranking with Patriot League play set to begin. Senior Will Yorke scored 25 goals in the first six games, which ranked No. 3 in the nation before play was stopped. This team was poised to compete for a Patriot League championship.

Women's lacrosse and women's tennis both transitioned to new head coaches. Women's lacrosse was on pace to finish with its best season since 2016-17, and women's tennis was off to a strong 6-3 start. The future is very bright for both programs under new leadership.

Congratulations to Jeff Brown and Katie Salisbury for winning the Patriot League indoor titles in the 60-meter dash! Both will go down as two of the fastest Bucknellians in history. While the outdoor season will be missed, they both finished their senior year strong.

Women's golf and men's tennis teams missed an opportunity to host the Patriot League Championships this spring. It was set to be exciting back-to-back weekends with the two championships here on campus. We should know more soon on whether the hosting rotations will carry over into 2021.

Men's golf set numerous records during the fall and spring seasons, and they were well-positioned to contend for this year's Patriot League title. Peter Bradbeer is the only senior. Thanks, Peter, for all that you have done. You leave behind a strong program.

Women's water polo was off to a great start at 15-4 with a national ranking to boot. Congratulations to junior Ally Furano for breaking the Bucknell career goal-scoring record.

To the rowing seniors, you leave us after one of our best seasons in many years, culminating with a runner-up finish at the 2019 Patriot League Championships. You were a major part of last year's success, and I know you relished another opportunity to be crowned champions in 2020.

Baseball's Tyler Wincig is a shining example of a Bucknell scholar-athlete. Tyler was one of the best hitters in the Patriot League, and he was well on his way to Academic All-America honors and a repeat as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Softball senior Raeanne Geffert became Bucknell's career leader in wins and strikeouts. Senior Halie Mariano served as Bucknell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President and as the Patriot League's representative on the NCAA Division I SAAC. Halie's leadership on and off the field has been exemplary.

I hope this gives you a sense of our outstanding teams and student-athletes. While it hurts that these teams and seniors do not have the opportunity to finish their seasons, I take solace in knowing that the seniors left their respective programs in good shape and with tremendous potential for years to come.

To our seniors, once a Bison always a Bison! You will always have a support system in place here at Bucknell, and please lean on your Bison family for any assistance that you need in your future endeavors.

To our supporters, during this time of uncertainty, you should know how much I appreciate your continued philanthropic commitment to our programs as we seek to build champions in the classroom, community and competitive arenas. These wins and the collective success of our student-athletes are made possible through your support. On behalf of all of our student-athletes and the Department of Athletics, THANK YOU!

Across the globe, these are unprecedented and continually changing times. As a campus community, I feel strongly that what has been taken away from us will only serve to bring us closer together. The current situation requires that we look out for our families, our friends, our teammates, our co-workers, our neighbors, and even the stranger down the street.

In closing, please support each other, please abide by the directives from health professionals, and please stay strong.

Go Bison!

Jermaine Truax
Director of Athletics and Recreation

Bucknell University Athletics

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