June 6, 2008
BRYANT UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
SMITHFIELD, RI - Sixteen NCAA tournament appearances, seven
All-America honors, 15 All-Region selections, 24 Academic
All-Conference and three conference championships are just some of
the many highlights for the Bryant University Athletics Department
as the Bulldogs conclude their final year of Division II. Bryant
will begin its four-year transition to Division I beginning this
fall.
On Monday, May 19 at precisely 5:28 pm, Bryant's days of Division II were in the history books.
Bryant University had etched the final stroke of its storied novel, placed the final period and dotted the final ‘i' of the school's journey to the top of NCAA competition's middle ground. It had completed the final chapter of a history that will long be chronicled in the pages of not just record books, but also in the minds and memories of those who have served as the novel's pen and ink.
All that's left now is the epilogue.
So starting at 5:29 p.m. on that same Monday, May 19, Bulldogs everywhere began to look back, as the journey - a trip that has included a remarkable run of championships and final fours appearances, NCAA berths and All-Americans - came to its end.
But bigger and better things await the Bryant University Athletics program as the Bulldogs wave goodbye to the past and prepare to officially begin Division I competition starting this fall. Not the least of those opportunities includes pitting the best Bryant has to offer against the premier institutions and student-athletes throughout not just the region, but across the nation.
And this is what will drive coaches and student-athletes alike as their new challenge approaches.
Let's take a look back at some of the recent highlights of Bryant's success over the years and how it took the University to where it is right now, as one of the best in the region.
In the Northeast-10 Conference, Bryant established itself as the one to beat. Four Presidents' Cup trophies in the past five years show just how strong an overall athletics program Bryant has built in the Northeast-10. And that was never more true than this year.
Posting a .700 winning percentage in league play, the Bulldogs ran away from the competition with a 24-point victory over Bentley College in the 2008 Presidents' Cup, more than doubling the total points accumulated by AIC and Franklin Pierce.
Ten Bryant teams advanced to NCAA championships - not including cross-country conference champion Nicole Radzik's run to an NCAA regional title last fall or her trip to the NCAA indoor championships this past March.
But Bryant's ascent into the upper tier of Division II didn't just happen overnight. In fact, many can point to the highly successful men's golf program of decades ago as a team that set the foundation for future success.
Led by long-time coach Archie Boulet, the men's golf program has been a consistent qualifier in the NCAA championships and reached its pinnacle with former standout Jim Hallet in the early eighties. Hallet not only reached the semifinals of the 1982 U.S. Amateur tournament, but later captured the low amateur award at the 1983 Master's Tournament in Augusta, Ga. His opening round of 68 set a Master's record for the best opening round by an amateur.
They haven't stopped their dominance since.
Baseball and women's basketball enjoyed postseason success in 1980s as well, while women's volleyball joined the postseason party in the early 1990s, setting off a run of 10 NCAA tournament appearances.
But with the arrival of President Ronald K. Machtley in the mid-1990s, Bryant quickly turned the corner to definitive and permanent athletic and academic greatness. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs started to enjoy success throughout its entire athletic program. Football, field hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, along with men's and women's swimming, were added as varsity sports, increasing co-curricular opportunities in which Bryant student-athletes could participate.
But it wasn't just the coaches, student-athletes or administrators that vaulted Bryant to its current stature. The support from the entire community helped to pave the way for much of Bryant's excellence.
Leading the conference in football attendance nearly every year, the wave of excitement was soon felt by all:
A pair of field hockey final fours; a No. 2 national ranking for women's soccer; three NCAA regional finals in volleyball; a baseball regional championship and trip to the College World Series in Alabama; five-straight NCAA appearances in softball; men's lacrosse knocking its archrival, Le Moyne College, off its pedestal as the best in the Northeast-10; men's and women's tennis becoming the first conference teams in 20 years to win NE-10 titles with undefeated records; football advancing to back-to-back NCAA playoffs just eight years after the program's inception.
However, one of the brightest highlights of all was the remarkable run of the Bryant men's basketball team to the NCAA championship game in 2005. Defeating top-seeded Bentley to claim the regional championship, the Bulldogs danced their way onto the national stage, proceeding to knock off regional champions from the East and South en route to playing for the Division II title.
The end of one era may be bittersweet for many, as we bid farewell to some great memories and heated rivalries that will be talked about for quite some time. But a new challenge awaits.
There are new rivalries to be established, new conference titles to be sought. But while we move down this new road, it's important to remember the great moments in Bryant sports and those individuals who helped pave the way for future athletic success.
