Aug. 6, 2013
This summer, GoTerriers.com is counting down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes in 2012-13. Check back each Tuesday and Friday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.
Coming in at No. 2 in this year's Terrier Twelve is Boston University beginning a new era in the world of collegiate athletics with its official entrance into the Patriot League.
When the clock struck midnight on Monday, July 1, the Terriers and Loyola University Maryland increased the Patriot League's membership to 10 schools by becoming partners with American University, Bucknell University, Colgate University, The College of Holy Cross, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy.
To commemorate the Terriers' official entrance into the conference, the Mayor of the City of Boston Thomas Menino declared July 1 "Boston University and Patriot League Day".
One year prior when BU accepted an invitation to the conference, Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike Lynch stated, "This is a really unique opportunity for us to challenge ourselves. We will be entering a league that embodies the ideal of valuing academics as the highest priority while sponsoring very competitive athletic programs."
In the classroom, the Patriot League's members consistently rank among the top Division I programs in the NCAA Graduation Rates Report. Since 1998, the Patriot League has ranked first among all Division I conferences offering scholarships in student-athlete graduation rates according to the NCAA Graduation Rates report.
On the field, championship teams from 15 sports sponsored by the Patriot League are guaranteed advancement into the NCAA postseason. In 2012, two current members made national news with Loyola capturing the men's lacrosse title, and Lehigh men's basketball shocking No. 2 seed Duke in the second round of the NCAAs.
The conference is also at the forefront in the digital media world, recently announcing the creation of the Patriot League Network. Available to fans in mid-August, high-quality PLN content will be accessible on multiple devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets. Each of the league's institutions will have its own individual school-branded channel, while the Patriot League will offer a Conference-wide channel featuring all available digital content.
Every Boston University athletic team in the Patriot League that competed on Terrier TV last year will now have their games streamed for free through the network. The women's soccer team will be the first to appear on the new platform when it hosts Dayton on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m.
Besides placing 20 sports under the Patriot League banner, many other exciting stories will be taking place this year as BU Athletics enters a new era. For the first time since 2001, the field hockey team will compete on campus, as the Terriers open New Balance Field on Tuesday, Aug. 27 in an exhibition game against Toronto. Later that Saturday (Aug. 31), they will host Ohio University, who will be joined by assistant coach and former BU three-time All-American Pam Spuehler ('07).
The new 110,000 square-foot field effectively doubles the athletic field space for the university and was made possible by the support of generous donors and New Balance, which donated $3 million towards the estimated $24 million dollar facility.
When BU officially announced the project back in the winter of 2012, the school also informed fans that it would be adding men's lacrosse to its offering of varsity sports. Later in the summer, Mike Lynch tabbed former Yale associate head coach Ryan Polley to take the reins and help lay the foundation for its inaugural season in the Patriot League. Polley and his staff recently announced the program's first recruiting class, and they will begin preparing this fall for the first game in February 2014.
Another sport will also be ushering in a new era, as David Quinn replaced 40-year men's ice hockey head coach Jack Parker, who retired at the end of the 2012-13 season. A former Terrier who served as associate head coach on the 2009 NCAA champion squad under Parker, Quinn joined BU this summer in welcoming Notre Dame as a new member to the Hockey East.
With the increase in conference membership and decrease in league games to just 20 contests, the men's ice hockey team has the opportunity this year to face half of the 18 other schools who have claimed an NCAA title, highlighted by a weekend in Michigan and games at Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park.
With all of the changes being implemented over the past few months, the 2013-14 academic year will prove to be quite memorable in the annals of BU Athletics.
The Terrier Twelve
No. 3 - Track & Field Teams Shine on National Stage
No. 4 - Women's Soccer Wins Terrier Cup
No. 5 - Women's Basketball Earns Postseason Win
No. 6 - Women's Rowing Wins CAA Championship
No. 7 - Two Wrestlers Reach Top of CAA Podium
No. 8 - Golf Team Completes Best Season in Program History
No. 9 - All-Americans, Save % Champ Pace Field Hockey
No. 10 - Third Place Finish at Eastern Sprints Highlights Men's Rowing Season
No. 11 - Parker Era Closes with Hockey East Run
No. 12 - Men's Basketball Develops Into Postseason Squad
