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The crew program at Bucknell University was established in 1982 by Randall Leavitt '85,
and the women's program was added a year and a half later. In the fall of 1990 the program
went varsity, and only a year later, the team medalled at the Dad Vail Regatta. Since then,
it has achieved success in everything from the men's open four (Dad Vails silver and bronze),
to the men's novice lightweight eight (Dad Vails silver). Success at the Champion Regatta, now
renamed the ECAC Championships, can be seen in the form of a gold (1995) and silver (1996) in
the men's lightweight eight event. In 1995 the men's lightweight eight competed in the Royal
Henley Regatta in Henley, England. In 2001, the men's pair earned a silver at Dad Vails,
and then went on to win the petite finals at IRAs. In terms of success for the women's
program, the open four won bronze at the Champion Regatta in '95 and in 1999 the lightweight
varsity eight won gold at Mid-Atlantics and Patriots. In 2000, the varsity four took silver at
the Champion Regatta and Dad Vails, while the pair earned Bucknell's first Dad Vail gold. The four
went on to be finalists at the Women's Henley Regatta. In 2001, the women's varsity and novice
lightweight eight took the gold at Mid-Atlantics, and the pair grabbed the bronze at Dad Vails.
The Bucknell crew program was firmly established in the 1980's, yet Bucknell's crew history goes
back to 1873 when the first crew club was founded by David Jane Hill. Hill would later become
President of the University. This first venture in rowing was unsuccessful as the team was forced
to dissolve after two years because of the river conditions near Bucknell. Revived by Randall
Leavitt in 1982, the Bucknell crew program found a suitable spot for rowing down the river from
campus, near Sunbury. The opportunity to row in this area was due to the support of Tedd Skotedis
and his family, owners of Tedd's Landing Restaurant. Skotedis allowed the program to use the
Northumberland Boat Club's waterfront.
During the 80's and early 90's the team was coached by John Skotedis and James King '90 took over
the reigns in the mid 90's. When Stephen Kish '92 was named head coach in 1996, the program underwent
a number of important changes. Coach Kish introduced three home events to the schedule, initiated a
winter training trip, and led the construction of a boathouse.
In 2002, the men's program was reclassified as a club-varsity program in response to the
University's commitment to achieving gender equity requirements in athletics. Longtime
volunteer Derek Updegraff '93 was tapped for the new head coaching position. Under Derek's
guidance and with the help of committed alumni and team members, the men's program had an
extremely successful inaugural season, capturing Mid-Atlantic regional championships in the
varsity light eight as well as the novice eight. The men's program continues to grow in
numbers as well as in its level of competition. In November 2003, The Bucknell Crew Association
launched the Campaign for Men's Crew: Owning the Dream. This campaign successfully raised $285,000 over 3 years to support the needs and operation of the team, including providing the means to hire a new head coach, Paul Bugenhagen.
Paul joined the team in August of 2005 and set exciting new goals for the men's team that have inspired the rowers and alumni and led to increases in the team's size and success on the water. In '06 - '07, Coach Bugenhagen recruited his first freshman class, coached them to row as a team, and guided them to a victory at the Dad Vail Regatta--the first for Bucknell Men's Crew! These 9 student-athletes achieved what no other Bucknell men had before, Dad Vail Gold!
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