Being a Bison
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BBeingeing a BisonBison mmeanseans The Bison Celebrate their 2014 tthathat yyouou hhaveave pledgedpledged toto bebe a student-student- Patriot League Title aathletethlete iinn tthehe ppuresturest ssense.ense. IInn ddoingoing sso,o, yyouou willwill bebe rewardedrewarded fforor a llifetime.ifetime. 33xx PPLL Scholar-AthleteScholar-Athlete ooff YYearear EEIWAIWA CChampionhampion IIWLCAWLCA DD-I-I Scholar-AthleteScholar-Athlete PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague 33rdrd TTeameam All-AmericanAll-American HHonorableonorable MMentionention 22xx NNCAACAA QQualiualifi eerr ooff YYearear 22xx AAcademiccademic AAll-Americanll-American SScholar-Athletecholar-Athlete ooff YYearear CCampbellampbell TTrophyrophy SSemiemifi nnalistalist LLightweightightweight AAll-Americanll-American AAll-Americanll-American JJOEOE STOLFISTOLFI KKATELYNATELYN MILLERMILLER JJOEOE MMEYEREYER EEMILYMILY WWAKSMUNSKIAKSMUNSKI TTRACEYRACEY SSMITHMITH VVICTORIAICTORIA CCATHARINEATHARINE JJACKSONACKSON PPLACELACE BUCKNELL BISON ATHLETICS SETTING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE Bucknell takes great pride in its commitment to excellence on and off the • 25 of Bucknell’s 27 varsity squads posted team GPAs of 3.0 or better in playing fi elds. From Presidents’ Cups to Academic All-Americans to gradua- the spring of 2014. tion rates that are ranked annually in the national top-10, Bucknell is clearly at the head of the class when it comes to upholding the scholar-athlete ideal. • Bucknell has captured the Patriot League Presidents’ Cup, signifying the league’s all-sports champion, 18 times in the 24-year history of the • According to federal data released by the NCAA each fall, Bucknell’s affi liation, including 14 of the last 17 years. student-athlete graduation rate annually ranks in the top 10 among all Division I institutions. Bucknell has led the nation in graduation rates • Bucknell ranks FIFTH in the nation (to Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn three times, including most recently in the fall of 2013. State and Stanford) in total number of Capital One Academic All-Amer- ica selections with 126. • Bucknell has claimed a league-high 136 Patriot League Scholar-Ath- letes of the Year since the league’s inception as an all-sports conference • A major element in ensuring Bucknell’s commitment to athletics excel- in 1990-91. lence is the Kenneth G. Langone Athletics & Recreation Center, which opened fully in 2003. One of the fi nest collegiate athletics facilities of • A total of 402 Bison appeared on the Patriot League Academic Hon- its kind, the center includes the 4,000-seat Sojka Pavilion, the Olym- or Roll in 2013-14 after recording a GPA of 3.2 or better during their pic class Kinney Natatorium, the Krebs Family Fitness Center and the sport’s competition season. Among all BU student-athletes, 498 made Berger Family Weight Room. A Hall of Fame area, a display of Bucknell’s the Dean’s List with GPAs of 3.5 or better during 2013-14. Medal of Honor recipients, an Academic All-America wall, a sports med- icine suite, modern offi ces for coaches and staff , and locker room and • In addition to the 126 Capital One Academic All-Americans produced classroom space are also included in the facility’s layout. since 1970, Bucknell has also claimed 341 Academic All-District honor- ees over the same span, including three in 2013-14. • Bucknell has earned 98 Patriot League championships in 24 years in the league. In addition, Bucknell has had 125 conference players of the year, 104 PL coaches of the year and a whopping 581 individual league champions from sports such as cross country, track & fi eld, swimming & diving, tennis and golf. PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague AAll-Academicll-Academic CCaptialaptial OOnene AAcademiccademic PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague HHonorableonorable MMentionention 33xx AAll-Conferencell-Conference AAll-Districtll-District RRookieookie ooff YYearear AAll-Americanll-American LLightweightightweight AAll-Americanll-American TThirdhird TTeameam All-AmericanAll-American AAll-CWPAll-CWPA TTeameam LLAURENAUREN BBERNARDERNARD TTREVORREVOR RREITZEITZ CCLAIRELAIRE DeBBOEROER JJACKACK EELSELSE JJENNIFERENNIFER FISHFISH MMAYOWAAYOWA ALLIALLI HHANNAHANNAH SSUNDAYUNDAY PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague PPlayerlayer ooff YYearear PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague PPLL SScholar-Athletecholar-Athlete ooff YYearear HHonorableonorable MMentionention CCapitalapital OOnene PPatriotatriot LLeagueeague OOutdoorutdoor JJerryerry RRiceice AAwardward WWatchatch LListist EECACCAC CChampionhampion PPlayerlayer ooff tthehe YYearear NNFCAFCA AAll-Regionll-Region AAll-Americanll-American AAcademiccademic AAll-Districtll-District TTrackrack AAthletethlete ooff MMeeteet CC.J..J. WWILLIAMSILLIAMS KKELLYELLY PONTECORVOPONTECORVO NNICKICK BBYBELYBEL CCYDNEEYDNEE SSANDERSANDERS CCAMERONAMERON AYERSAYERS HHANNAHANNAH BONOTTOBONOTTO CCHRISTIANHRISTIAN LLUPICAUPICA BUCKNELL BISON ATHLETICS A NATIONAL MODEL IN PROMOTING THE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE IDEAL Bucknell Athletics is fi rst and foremost a student-centered organization, one that strives to be a national leader when it comes to operating by a true scholar-athlete model. At Bucknell, student-athletes’ academic programs are their fi rst priority, and providing a competitive Division I athletics program only advances the mission, values and residential learning goals of the university. To that end, the Department of Athletics and Recreation proactively seeks ways to assist student-athletes in their daily academic pursuits. Below are just some of the student-athlete support programs currently in place. BUCKNELL BISON LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: In 2011-12, the Department of Athletics launched the Bucknell Bison Leadership Academy. This program is designed to help student-athletes learn how to be eff ective leaders on and off the playing fi elds. The Leadership Academy features programming and instruction that bridge theory, development and real experiences in an interactive learning environment. Through this endeavor, team leaders can enhance their impact on their teammates’ and their program’s performance immediately and for years to come. FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE: The faculty athletics representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty or administrative staff who is designated to represent Buck- nell in its relationships with the NCAA and the Patriot League. Bucknell’s FAR is Mitch Chernin, Professor of Biology. The FAR can enhance the student-athlete experience by promoting a balance between academics, athletics and the social lives of student-athletes, which aff ords them opportunities to enjoy a full range of collegiate experiences. SIDELINE COACH PROGRAM: This program is a truly unique initiative in Division I college athletics, and it involves the invitation of a member of the faculty, administration, staff or community by one of Bucknell’s 27 varsity teams. The participant has the opportunity to discuss the overall program with the respective coaching staff , including practice preparation and strategy for the upcoming contest. The sideline coach attends a practice session and an actual intercollegiate competition, where he/she is intro- duced to the team and gains rarely seen insight into the relationships that exist between player-coach and player-player. The purpose of the Sideline Coaches Program is to foster a better understanding by the faculty and administration of the roles played by coaches and athletes in the university’s competitive intercollegiate athletic arena. ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT CENTER: In the Fall of 2005, the Department of Athletics opened a study/computer lab for student-athletes on the concourse level of Sojka Pavilion. The center is outfi tted with computers, a laser printer, four television monitors and a projection unit with computer, VCR and DVD player. Additionally, the