ANNUAL REPORT: BRYANT ATHLETICS COMPLETES FIRST YEAR OF DIVISION I

May 16, 2009

BRYANT ATHLETICS COMPLETES FIRST YEAR TRANSITIONING TO DIVISION I 

Download 2008-09 Annual Report (pdf)

Heading into the school's first season competing at the Division I level, Bryant University's coaching staff and student-athletes had no idea what to expect.  They knew that new opponents from different schools awaited, and oh yes, the competition would be unlike any they had seen before.  But what they didn't realize was the fact that all 22 intercollegiate sports program proved they belonged on the same field as their counterparts.

Women's soccer got things rolling right away, defeating Northern Colorado 3-2 in overtime for what will be long remembered as Bryant's first Division I victory.  But not soon thereafter would volleyball defeat South Carolina Upstate, men's soccer would defeat Richmond and football came away from Staten Island with a 24-14 win over Wagner College.  The Bulldogs were off and running in the program's first of a four-year reclassification period before officially becoming a Division I program.

NCAA provisions state that schools are not eligible for postseason play or statistical awards during reclassification, but the Bulldogs went about their business knocking off teams from the Big East, Ivy League, America East Conference, Patriot League, Colonial Athletic Association, Atlantic-10, and ACC Confererence enroute to a truly amazing year. 

Baseball recorded more than 30 victories including a 2-1 record against teams from the ACC Conference while sweeping the season series from in-state rival University of Rhode Island.

Football, in addition to the win over Wagner, posted strong victories over Robert Morris, Duquesne, Iona and Saint Francis (PA) on the road.

Men's lacrosse went 10-5 including 2-1 against Ivy League teams behind wins over Dartmouth and Penn and 2-1 against the Patriot League after victories over Holy Cross and Lehigh.

Men's golf captured another New England Championship, though this year won the title out-right, defeating more than 30 programs from throughout the region in all Divisions, including URI, Yale, UConn, Hartford, Harvard and Boston College.   The team would finish second in the Northeast Conference Championships in the spring. 

Upon completion of the transition period, Bryant will become a full-time member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in 2012-13).

Timeline: 
1. 2007-08    Exploratory Year -
2. 2008-09    First Year of Reclassification
3. 2009-10    Second Year of Reclassification
4. 2010-11    Third Year of Reclassification
5. 2011-12    Fourth Year of Reclassification
6. 2012-13    Eligible for NCAA Division I Championships