As many of you know, our coach of the last six years, Paul Bugenhagen, recently accepted another coaching position outside of Bucknell University. Paul had tremendous success both on the water and in connecting our alumni group to the team. Paul’s vision and leadership, in partnership with the BCA Board, has shaped our recent successes and grown the program to where it is today. We thank Paul for his time and dedication to Bucknell Men’s Crew and wish him our best in his new endeavors, although of course, we hope he never beats the Orange and the Blue!
During Paul’s tenure, we had many strategic conversations that centered on creating a plan for long term program success – no matter who was in the role of head coach or on the BCA Board. The first priority was to retain a top tier assistant coach who could be relied upon when the time for transition arrived. Now that we are here, the Board of Directors and the administration of Bucknell University have named Al Monte the Head Coach for the 2011-2012 academic year.
The Board of Directors feels that Al is best prepared to lead the program for the upcoming year, and potentially beyond. His success as the freshman coach is evidence of his on the water prowess, and all of the current rowers can attest to his level of professionalism and leadership. Al also has strong connections to many of our alumni and all of our current parents, placing him in a position to continue the efforts to fundraise successfully on those fronts. Finally, and most importantly, Al is a fantastic person who understands the rigors that the team members face both on the water and in the classroom, and he was the leading voice in securing for the team a University supported academic monitoring program for the upcoming year.
We look forward to the upcoming season and wish Al and the team much success on the water and in the classroom.
Also, be on the lookout later this week for our first ever annual report which outlines our team and fundraising efforts in detail. And as always GO BISON!