• Bucknell Home >
• Admissions & Aid >
• Admitted Students >
• Athletics

Athletics

Admitted Students

With varsity intercollegiate athletic competition for 27 men's and women's teams, Bucknell's athletic program is one of the most diverse in the nation among Division I schools.

Athletic Facilities
Bucknell's athletic and recreation facilities received a major lift in 2003 with the opening of the Kenneth G. Langone Athletics and Recreation Center. Built at a cost of $46.6 million, the project gives Bucknell one of the nation's finest athletics facilities. Among the center's amenities:

The Gary A. Sojka Pavilion, a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is the home of the Bucknell men's and women's basketball teams. The Pavilion opened in January 2003.

The Arthur J. Kinney Jr. Natatorium, which includes a 50-meter x 25-yard Olympic-class pool to accommodate men's and women's swimming, diving and water polo, as well as increasing the number of recreational water-fitness programs offered to Bucknell students and the community. The natatorium, opened in November 2002, has hosted the 2003 and 2005 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships (and will host again in 2007), the 2003 and 2006 Southern Division Water Polo Championship, and the 2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship.

The Krebs Fitness Center, opened in October 2002, features more than 15,000-square feet dedicated to fitness and weight-training equipment. Including the Berger Family Instructional Weight Training Center, which opened in January 2003, the fitness center has more than 175 equipment stations.

A new Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame area displays Bison memorabilia, and an electronic Hall of Fame showcase.

A new sports medicine center, featuring a hydrotherapy suite and spacious accommodations for taping, treatment, evaluation, and rehabilitation.

Modern new offices for all coaches and athletics and recreation staff.

The 1,000-seat Davis Gymnasium plays a key role in Bucknell's athletics facilities. Davis Gym serves as the home of the Bucknell volleyball and wrestling programs and is used as a practice and intramural facility.

Bucknell's football, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's outdoor track teams call the 13,100-seat Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium home. Named for the noted Bucknellian and baseball Hall-of-Famer, the stadium’s recent upgrades include new FieldTurf, lighting, and track surface.

Graham Field is an artificial turf playing surface located at the Bucknell West complex. Graham Field is the home of the Bison field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, in addition to use for recreation and intramurals. In fall 2005, a new grass soccer pitch was constructed and an additional phase of the West Fields project, completed in spring 2007, includes a stadium complex that services both Graham Field and the Varsity Soccer Field.

Gerhard Fieldhouse features a resurfaced 200-meter track, racquetball, squash and indoor tennis courts, climbing wall, and locker rooms. The Bucknell golf teams utilize the Bucknell Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-70 course that is rated one of the finest in Central Pennsylvania. Other athletics and recreation facilities include 10 outdoor lighted tennis courts and the Bucknell West playing fields for baseball, softball and soccer and plenty of green space for club sports, intramurals, and other leisure activities. The Bison River Complex, which serves as home of the Bucknell Women's Rowing Team, located in Shamokin Dam, just south of the Bucknell campus along the scenic Susquehanna River.

Bison Athletics: A Success Story
Bucknell's athletic program has enjoyed tremendous success – both on the field and in the classroom – and student-athletes frequently rank among the top scholars in the senior class. In 13 of the first 17 years of competition, including nine of the last 10 years, Bucknell has won the Patriot League Presidents' Cup, awarded for overall excellence in the 23 sports sponsored by the conference. In 2006-07 Bucknell won Patriot League titles, coming in women's cross country, women's indoor and outdoor track & field, men's soccer, men's golf, and women's rowing.

Bucknell ranks fifth in Division I in the total number of Academic All-American honorees, having crowned 119 Academic All-Americans since 1970. Bucknell annually finishes in the top 10 nationally in graduation rates of its student athletes, and the federal data released in November 2006 revealed that Bucknell had the nation's highest 4-year graduation rate among student-athletes who entered school between 1996-97 and 1999-2000. Bucknell student-athletes comprised more than one-quarter of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2006-07, and the Bison have claimed 110 Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the year, more than twice as many as any other Patriot League institution.

Through 2006-2007, Bucknell has earned 65 team championships in 17 years in the Patriot League in addition to 442 individual conference championships from sports such as cross country, track and field, swimming and diving, tennis, and golf. Numerous Bison teams and individuals have participated in NCAA championships, most notable the men’s basketball team, which upset Kansas in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and defeated Arkansas in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. In 2006 the Bison became the first Patriot League team to achieve a national top-25 ranking.

Intramural Program
Bucknell is committed to providing programs and activities that contribute to the health and well-being of the entire Bucknell community. We provide 32 hours a week of group fitness activities, 24 intramural sports offerings, and co-recreational programs that emphasize popular lifetime activities. Traditional (i.e., basketball, soccer, football, tennis, volleyball), as well as nontraditional (i.e., kickball, dodgeball and badminton) sports are offered for men, women, and co-rec teams.

Club Sports Program
The Club Sports Program provides a competitive atmosphere for students who are interested in sports that are not part of the varsity program. Each club is organized and conducted by students with a common interest in a particular sport.

Sports clubs bridge the gap between intramural and intercollegiate athletics by providing competition at specialized levels. Last year, 492 students played on 20 Bucknell club teams, competing against other intercollegiate sports clubs. Bucknell Club Sports include baseball, cycling (co-ed), equestrian, ice hockey, men's and women's rugby, men's and women's tennis, roller hockey, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, powerlifting, ski racing, men's and women's volleyball, and men's and women's ultimate Frisbee. Men's crew is offered as a Club-varsity sport.