May 13, 2002
Bucknell University reached triple digits for the third-straight year, finishing with 112 points, to capture the 2001-02 Patriot League Presidents' Cup for the fifth-straight year and the ninth time in the 12-year history of the League.
The Bison edged Army (103.50) by just 8.50 points to win the overall title, followed by Lehigh (91.50), American (87.00), Colgate (77.50), Lafayette (71.50), Navy (63.50) and Holy Cross (61.50).
Army finished second in the overall standings for the fourth time in five years since winning the Presidents' Cup championship in 1996-97. The Academy is the only team besides Bucknell to win the PL overall crown, taking home the trophy in 1994, 1995 and 1997, and has now finished second six times.
Bucknell's overall points total was the highest since Army won the overall crown in 1995 with 124.00 points and the fourth-highest in the history of the League.
BU won five of the 11 women's championships this year, including soccer, cross country, basketball, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field, and finished second in swimming & diving, on the way to compiling 60.50 points to gain the women's crown for the fifth-straight year. The Bison set a Women's Presidents' Cup record for most points in one year.
Army (50.50) and American (45.50) were Bucknell's closest competitors in the women's standings. The Black Knights won the softball championship and finished second in cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and tennis. In its first year as a member of the Patriot League, American captured top honors in volleyball and tennis, second in lacrosse and third-place points in swimming & diving, field hockey and soccer.
Lehigh placed fourth in the women's standings with 41.50 points, followed closely by Lafayette (37.00), Colgate (36.00), Navy (33.00) and Holy Cross (31.50).
On the men's side, the Black Knights' men's program captured top honors for the eighth time in the last 10 years with 53.00 points, thanks in part to championships in cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, golf and lacrosse.
The Bison shared the men's lacrosse championship with Army and Hobart and placed second in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field to accumulate 51.50 points and finish a close second behind the Academy.
Lehigh also challenged on the men's side, finishing third with 50.00 points. The Mountain Hawks posted first-place points in football and swimming & diving and finished among the top three teams in baseball, golf and soccer.
American (42.00) squeaked by Colgate (41.50) for fourth-place in the men's standings, followed by Lafayette (34.50), Navy (30.50) and Holy Cross (30.00).
Presidents' Cup points are awarded based on a team's performance in the final PL standings. In football and individual sports, such as cross country, swimming & diving and track & field, the points are awarded on the final team standings. In team sports, such as basketball, field hockey, soccer and volleyball, points are awarded based on a combination of the League championship tournament and regular-season standings (for those that do not qualify for the League championship tournament).
2001-02 Presidents' Cup Overall Final Standings
Institution Points
1. Bucknell (22) 112.00
2. Army (19) 103.50
3. Lehigh (22) 91.50
4. American (18) 87.50
5. Colgate (21) 77.50
6. Lafayette (22) 71.50
7. Navy (13) 63.50
8. Holy Cross (20) 61.50
2001-02 Final Women's Standings
1. Bucknell (11) 60.50
2. Army (9) 50.50
3. American (10) 45.50
4. Lehigh (11) 41.50
5. Lafayette (11) 37.00
6. Colgate (11) 36.00
7. Navy (6) 33.00
8. Holy Cross (10) 31.50
2001-02 Final Men's Standings
1. Army (10) 53.00
2. Bucknell (11) 51.50
3. Lehigh (11) 50.00
4. American (8) 42.00
5. Colgate (10) 41.50
6. Lafayette (11) 34.50
7. Navy (7) 30.50
8. Holy Cross (10) 30.00
(#)-number of Patriot League sports