Beyond the Scoreboard: Excellence in Bison Athletics

For Bucknell student-athletes, excellence is not defined by what happens on game day alone. It is built in the classroom, strengthened through leadership and character, and carried into competition.

Across 27 Division I varsity programs, Bucknell student-athletes turned in a remarkable 2025-26 season, led by a league-high 569 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections — nearly 15% of the conference’s 3,900 honorees.

The numbers tell a powerful story of a culture that prepares Bison student-athletes to excel long after their playing careers are over.

Women’s track and field led the Patriot League with 78 Academic Honor Roll selections, while football placed a league-best 65 student-athletes on the Fall Academic Honor Roll. Men’s lacrosse saw 43 honorees — accounting for more than 90% of the team’s roster — and women’s soccer had 25, including nine with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Women’s lacrosse added 33 honorees and a 3.6 team GPA, and women’s swimming and diving had 28 selections, including eight with 4.0 GPAs. Softball’s 18 honorees also reflect a conference high.

Bison athletes were also recognized for their broader impact on campus, as men’s soccer senior Freddie Lapworth ’26 received the Patriot League Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character, becoming the 10th Bucknell student-athlete to earn the honor.

Men’s tennis senior Amar Tahirovic ’26 became just the fourth player in Patriot League history to earn multiple Player of the Year awards, repeating as Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Baseball senior Hadley Maxwell ’25 earned the same Scholar-Athlete distinction, giving Bucknell consecutive baseball recipients after Tyler Dunn ’25 won in 2025.

Across programs, Bison teams made their mark. Baseball shared the Patriot League regular-season championship. Men’s soccer produced six All-League selections, including Offensive Player of the Year Drew Roskos ’28 and Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Sullivan ’26. Women’s golf celebrated Rookie of the Year Joelle Johnson ’29 and Coach of the Year Laura Tyler-Cook. Women’s lacrosse captain Megan Krestinski ’26 broke Bucknell’s single-season points record and helped lead the Bison to the Patriot League semifinals. Bucknell Wrestling provided another glimpse of what is possible, setting a program record with six NCAA Division I Scholar All-Americans while finishing third at the EIWA Championships. Myles Takats ’27 and Dillon Bechtold ’28 became the first pair of Bison to win EIWA individual titles in the same season.

Bucknell’s varsity eight and second varsity eight both medaled at the 2026 Patriot League Rowing Championships, leading the Bison women to a second-place team finish. In addition, the men’s club-varsity crew team won its fifth straight Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference championship and then finished third at the ACRA National Championship Regatta in Tennessee, its best-ever national placement.

These accomplishments signal what Bucknell can achieve when we invest in our student-athletes. The Be the ’ray Campaign will create opportunities that elevate the whole student-athlete experience, and success — on and off the field — will follow.