Bucknell University Athletics
Five Bison Greats Elected to Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame
7/22/2026 3:04:00 PM | Football, Men's Track and Field, Women's Rowing, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Track and Field, Bison Club
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame will grow by five this fall, as a quintet of standout alumni have been elected as part of the 48th induction class. The Class of 2026 will be formally inducted on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Terrace Room in the Elaine Langone Center on campus, as part of Homecoming Weekend festivities. The new Hall-of-Famers will be introduced again at halftime of the Bucknell-Lafayette football game on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026:
- Kate Brewster-Duffy '08, an All-America rower who helped lead the Bison to three straight Patriot League championships.
- Leonard Joseph '13, an All-America hammer thrower who won three Patriot League titles in that event.
- A.J. Kizekai '10, a dynamic running back and return specialist on the gridiron, who still owns nearly every kickoff return record at Bucknell.
- Emma Levendoski '16, a first-ballot inductee who became the first Bucknell woman to qualify for the NCAA Swimming Championships while winning Patriot League titles in the 100 and 200 backstroke all four years.
- Chelsey Musante '10, a five-time Patriot League champion thrower on the women's track and field team.
The Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to honor the very best in the history of Bison athletics. The interactive Hall of Fame display is located on the second floor of the Kenneth Langone Athletics and Recreation Center. This year's induction brings to 310 the number of outstanding student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and friends of Bucknell whose contributions are forever preserved in the Hall of Fame.
Below is more information on each member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
KATE BREWSTER-DUFFY '08 became the first All-America selection in Bucknell women's rowing history when she earned CRCA All-America honors in 2007. Brewster-Duffy was also a two-time CRCA First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection and a two-time All-Patriot League honoree.
After joining the team as a novice rower, Brewster-Duffy became a Patriot League gold medalist in the Varsity Eight in each of her final three seasons, leading the Bison to the first three of what became a seven-year run as league champions. She helped power the boat from the 6 seat, and the 1V8+ went 15-2 over her final two seasons. Brewster-Duffy received the Christy Mathewson Award as the top athlete in the Class of 2008, and she becomes just the second Bison rower to be elected to the Hall-of-Fame, joining Sara Den Besten Collins '96.
LEONARD JOSEPH '13 is the most decorated hammer-thrower in the storied history of the Bucknell track and field program. After earning honorable mention All-America honors with a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships as a junior, he jumped to an 11th-place standing and a Second Team All-America citation as a senior. Joseph also won three Patriot League gold medals in the hammer throw and was named Field Athlete of the Meet in 2013. Later that spring, he won the IC4A hammer title to become Bucknell's first Eastern champion in 21 years. Adding to his medal haul were Patriot League and IC4A titles in the indoor 35-pound weight throw in 2012.
As a senior, Joseph broke Hall-of-Famer James Heizman's 17-year-old school record with a throw of 209 feet, 11 inches. That remains the top mark in Bucknell history, and he is one of only four Bison ever to top 200 feet. He also graduated with the school record in the weight throw and now ranks second, and he ranked third at graduation and sixth today in the discus throw. Joseph received the Bison Club Award as one of the top athletes in the Class of 2013, and he was an Academic All-Patriot League and Academic All-District honoree.
A.J. KIZEKAI '10 was a four-time All-Patriot League selection who made headlines as the top kickoff returner in Bucknell and Patriot League history. Three of his all-conference citations came as a return specialist, where he owns nearly every kickoff return record at Bucknell. His 2,725 career return yards are nearly 50 percent more than anyone else in team history. His 1,113 return yards in 2007 and 973 in 2008 are the top two marks in program history.
Kizekai exploded for a 100-yard return against Lafayette, the longest in team history. Against Colgate during his sophomore year, he became the first Bison ever to score rushing, receiving, and kick return touchdowns in the same game, and each of those scores came with Bucknell trailing by seven points in the game. Kizekai's 5,536 career all-purpose yards are second-most in school history behind Hall-of-Famer Rich Lemon, and he broke Hall-of-Famer Ken Jenkins' record with 1,908 all-purpose yards in 2007.
Kizekai was also a four-year starter at running back, and he logged more than 1,600 yards on the ground and 1,200 as a receiver in his career. As a sophomore, he became the first Bison since Jenkins in 1980 to lead the team in both rushing and receiving in the same year. He scored 20 career touchdowns, including five on plays of 70 or more yards. Kizekai received the Bryan-Humphreys Award as the most versatile athlete in his class, and he was named to the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team.
EMMA LEVENDOSKI '16 will be enshrined in the Hall-of-Fame after just one year on the ballot. It is a well-deserved honor for the top backstroker in Bucknell and Patriot League history. Levendoski swept the titles in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke at the Patriot League Championships all four years; no other PL swimmer had ever won the double more than twice. A four-time First Team All-Patriot League honoree, Levendoski graduated with the school records in the 100 and 200 back and the 200 and 400 medley relays. She still holds the backstroke records by wide margins -- nearly a full second in the 100 and nearly three seconds in the 200 – and she also set the Patriot League records in both events.
An 11-time Patriot League Swimmer of the Meet and the 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Meet, Levendoski became the first Bucknell women to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2015. She tied for 40th in the 100 back and placed 44th in the 200 back.
Levendoski was a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, she was named to the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team, and she earned the Christy Mathewson Award as the top athlete in her class.
CHELSEY MUSANTE '10 is another in a long line of sensational throwers in the Bucknell track and field program. She was a five-time Patriot League gold-medalist while competing on six PL championship teams. Her 2010 Patriot League Outdoor performance was one for the ages, as she was named Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the shot put and hammer throw and finishing second in the discus, setting personal bests in all three events. That performance came just two months after she claimed both the shot put and weight throw at the Patriot League Indoor Championships.
As a junior, Musante was named Co-Field Athlete of the Meet at the indoor championships after winning the weight throw and earning silver in the shot put. She also medaled in the discus (second), shot put (third), and hammer throw (third) at the 2009 outdoor meet.
Musante graduated with school records in the indoor and outdoor shot put, and her top mark in the 35-pound weight throw ranked second behind only Hall-of-Famer Marjorie Grap. Musante was the recipient of the Lee S. "Bud" Ranck Award at her Senior Awards Banquet.
