May 17, 2007

LEWISBURG, Pa. - On the strength of six Patriot League championships in 2006-07, Bucknell has claimed its 13th Patriot League Presidents' Cup in the 17-year history of the conference. The Bison racked up 126.25 points in the Cup standings, the most ever for Bucknell and the second most in league history, just .75 points shy of Army's 13-year-old standard.

Navy was a distant runner-up with 103.25 points. The 23-point margin that separated the Bison and Mids was the second largest in the history of the league. Army (99 points), Lehigh (87.25), Colgate (85.25), Lafayette (73), American (64) and Holy Cross (60.25) rounded out the standings.

In addition, the Patriot League awards all-sports trophies for both men and women, and Bucknell swept those, winning the women's trophy for the 13th time and the men's for the sixth time. The Bison women broke their own record margin of victory from last year as they defeated second-place Colgate by 18 points. Their point total of 66 was the second most in Patriot League history, just four shy of last year's record-setting figure. The men posted the fourth-highest point total (60.25) in league annals to claim their first crown since 2003-04, when they shared it with Navy.

The Bison women won their second consecutive "Triple Crown" in 2006-07, sweeping the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field titles.

"Winning the Presidents' Cup for the 13th time in 17 years is a tremendous accomplishment, and we commend Bucknell's student-athletes and coaches for continuing to set the pace for excellence," said Bucknell president Dr. Brian C. Mitchell. "The honor shows the commitment our hard-working student-athletes have made to excel athletically as well as academically. We have a remarkable group of student-athletes, and it has been a pleasure to watch them continue the long history of success to which Bison Athletics has become accustomed."

"Claiming the Presidents' Cup once again is a credit to the outstanding performance of Bucknell's student-athletes, coaches and staff this year," said Bucknell director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. "Our record-setting point total shows how committed Bucknell Athletics is to continued excellence in all sports. It is satisfying to know we can have this remarkable athletic success in such a competitive league while also holding true to our student-athlete model."

In 2006-07, Bucknell captured Patriot League titles in women's cross country, men's soccer, women's indoor and outdoor track and field, men's golf and women's rowing. Additionally, the women's basketball and women's soccer squads won regular-season crowns, while the men's basketball team shared the regular-season title with Holy Cross.

The men's golf team won its second consecutive Patriot League title this spring.

Five of the six teams that earned titles this past year were repeat winners. The women's cross country, men's golf and women's rowing teams each won their second consecutive titles. The women's indoor track and field team claimed its sixth straight championship, while the women's outdoor track and field contingent captured its fourth in a row as the members of its highly decorated senior class finished their careers 8-0 in Patriot League championship meets.

Bucknell has now won 65 championships since the Patriot League's inception in 1990-91. The six championships this year equals the second-best total in Bison history.

In addition to the number of championship programs, plenty of other Bison teams contributed to the Presidents' Cup victory with outstanding 2006-07 campaigns. Women's tennis and volleyball advanced to league championship contests before settling for runner-up trophies. Field hockey, women's soccer, men's tennis and men's lacrosse were all Patriot League Tournament semifinalists, while women's swimming and diving and men's outdoor track and field had strong second-place finishes at their championship meets. Men's indoor track and field, men's cross country and men's swimming and diving each equaled or bettered their performances from 2005-06 and took home third-place showings in their postseason events.

Bucknell in 2006-07 also had four teams that do not compete in the Patriot League perform well. The wrestling team, with roster full of freshmen, celebrated its return to varsity status with a program-record 12 victories and saw three student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships. The women's golf squad placed seventh at the competitive Big South Championship, capping a season in which the Bison won the first tournament in program history. Facing extremely difficult schedules with ranked teams peppered throughout, both the men's and women's water polo teams had strong campaigns. This spring, the women advanced to the Eastern Championship for the sixth consecutive season and finished 15-17 while matching up with a record 11 ranked opponents. The men, who also competed in the Eastern Championship, went 15-13 and finished above .500 for the second time in three years.

The men's soccer team won the Patriot League Tournament and won an NCAA game over George Mason last fall.

Presidents' Cup points are awarded based on a team's performance in the regular-season and postseason PL standings. In cross country, football, golf, swimming & diving, track & field and women's rowing, the points are awarded based on the final team standings. In team sports with post-season tournaments, such as basketball, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and volleyball, points are awarded based on the average of the league championship tournament and regular-season standings.

Bucknell is a highly selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 3,350 undergraduate students. It is a charter member of the Patriot League and is the national leader in graduation rates over a four-year period. Recently, 17 Bison programs - the fifth-most in Division I - earned NCAA Public Recognition for having Academic Performance Rates in the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sport. In addition, Bucknell ranks fourth in Division I in the total number of CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, with 113 national Academic All-Americans since 1970.

2006-07 Patriot League Final Presidents' Cup Standings
Overall Standings
Institution, Points
1. Bucknell, 126.25 (23)
2. Navy, 103.25 (18)
3. Army, 99 (19)
4. Lehigh, 87.25 (23)
5. Colgate, 85.25 (22)
6. Lafayette, 73 (22)
7. American, 64 (15)
8. Holy Cross, 60.25 (23)

Men's Standings
1. Bucknell, 60.25
2. Navy, 56.50
3. Army, 56.25
4. Lehigh, 44.50
5. Colgate, 37.25
6. Lafayette, 37
7. American, 28.50
8. Holy Cross, 25.75

Women's Standings
1. Bucknell, 66
2. Colgate, 48
3. Navy, 46.75
4. Lehigh, 42.75
4. Army, 42.75
6. Lafayette, 36
7. American, 35.5
8. Holy Cross, 34.50

(#) - Number of Patriot League sports