A Year-End Message from Jermaine Truax

Dear Bison Athletics Family,

As I reflect on 2022, I can't help but be proud of our accomplishments in the classroom, community, and in competition. Our 750-plus student-athletes represent all that is great about Bucknell and college athletics, and I am excited for what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond. There were so many competition highlights to share from 2022, we created a fan survey to help us narrow down our top plays. I hope you had a chance to vote. We're announcing the top five moments throughout this week on our official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.

From a broader perspective, there are a handful of achievements that stand out that I am confident will help us achieve our goals as we shape the future of Bucknell Athletics & Recreation.

We welcomed to Lewisburg and our Bucknell family new head coaches Dave Brandt (men's soccer), Kelsey Kolojejchick (field hockey), Laura Tyler-Cook (women's golf), and Jason Cohen (men's tennis). All of these talented coaches have shown remarkable progress in their first year, and all of them have quickly established a positive culture within their programs that will be the foundation for future success. I am excited about what the future holds for each one of these programs under their respective leadership.
We installed a turf practice surface and lights in the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex, and we eagerly await the groundbreaking of a new end zone facility at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium — the Michael C. Pascucci Team Center — early this spring. We are beyond thankful for Mr. Pascucci's support and everyone who contributed to the facility, as it will be a game-changer for Bison Athletics and our student-athletes.
Our women's soccer team made Bison Nation proud when they became back-to-back Patriot League Tournament champions in November followed by a highly-competitive, double-overtime battle against Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament. Kudos to head coach Kelly Cook on her excellent leadership and continued success, not to mention the grit and determination of the team.
Other noteworthy team performances in 2022 included women's basketball receiving a bid to the WNIT and then going on the road to defeat Fordham in the first round; the baseball squad sweeping Lehigh and then battling to the third and deciding game of the Patriot League championship series at Army; the rowing team's Varsity Eight turning in a dominant race on the way to a gold medal at the Patriot League Championships; the women's and men's swimming & diving teams finishing second and third, respectively, in outstanding performances at the Patriot League Championships; and the volleyball team winning 15 matches and qualifying for the Patriot League Tournament for the first time in 12 years. Too numerous to list in this space are the many individual on-field awards bestowed upon our student-athletes at the conference, regional, and national levels.
Head coach John McBride (water polo) picked up his 200th win on the men's side to go along with his already impressive 156 wins with the women. John led the Bison men's squad to the MAWPC championship game this fall after winning league titles in 2016, 2019, and the spring of 2021.
Andrew Funk '22 won the highly coveted Patriot League Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in March. While he has moved on to State College for a fifth year with the Nittany Lions, where unsurprisingly he was named a team captain, we are incredibly proud and honored for the lasting impact he made on the men's basketball program and we are cheering for him in his future endeavors as a Bucknellian. Later in the spring, Kate Meerscheidt '22 was named the Patriot League Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year after she helped lead the Bison Varsity Eight to a thrilling gold-medal performance at the Patriot League Championships. Brent Jackson was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the "Academic Heisman", as one of the top scholar-athletes in college football. And wrestler Zach Hartman '22, already a two-time All-American, also earned his second Academic All-America citation.
Bucknell student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, upholding our tradition as a national leader in promoting a true scholar-athlete model. During the 2021-22 academic year, Bucknell placed a league-high 460 student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Lehigh had the next-most with 384. Last month, the NCAA released its annual student-athlete graduation-rate data, and Bucknell had one of its best-ever showings. Under the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula, 24 of Bucknell's 27 varsity programs, including all 14 women's programs, maintained perfect scores of 100 for student-athletes entering between 2012-13 and 2015-16, which led to an overall GSR of 99 percent that ranks second among all Division I institutions. Additionally, according to the U.S. Department of Education's more restrictive graduation-rate standards, Bucknell ranked third nationally with a four-class average of 91 percent, which was up two points from last year's report.
We were all incredibly proud of softball standout Nicole Rivait '22, who in June received the 2022 Patriot League Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character. Not only did Nicole compile a .310 career batting average as one of the league's top hitters, but she was also heavily involved with LGBTQIA+ advocacy on campus. Nicole founded Bucknell Athletics' very first Athlete Ally chapter, which will have a lasting impact on many present and future student-athletes.
We continue to remain a leader among our peers in the important space of community service. As demonstrated in the HelperHelper Service Challenge rankings, we consistently remained in the Top 5 nationally in terms of hours of service. Demonstrating that our student-athletes, coaches and staff truly care about giving back to the local community and those in need.
Thanks to many of you, 3,574 in fact, we raised $2.46 million this past fiscal year. This was fueled by a record-setting One Herd One Day giving challenge in April, which brought in $1.2 million. Every single one of your contributions, no matter the dollar amount, is felt by our student-athletes and teams. We wouldn't be making such important and impactful strides without your support and we aim to raise the bar even higher through our Drive for Five.

These achievements are just the tip of the iceberg, but they share a commonality in that they are a direct result of your support as key members of our Bison family.

We will continue to enhance the overall scholar-athlete experience at Bucknell because of you, and in doing so, we will develop the next generation of leaders.

Please consider a meaningful year-end gift to the Bison Athletics Fund for Excellence or your team of choice. I am readily available should you have any questions about your support.

Again, thank you for all that you do, and Happy Holidays!

Jermaine Truax
Director of Athletics & Recreation
Bucknell University

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