FALL 2023 | TOWER 27 Golden Bear women’s lacrosse has navigated peaks and valleys in its nearly 50 years since inception in 1976. It took seven years for KU to hoist the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship trophy in 1982, the first ever in any Golden Bear women’s sport. That moment would go on to stand as the peak of the program for the foreseeable future. Nine years later, the program was discontinued and was not sponsored by KU for 16 years. When the program was reinstated in 2008, KU’s ceiling was limited as year-afteryear, it was unable to secure a winning season and return as one of the PSACs premier programs. Following a one-win season in 2021, KU brought in a new head coach to provide a spark to a program in need – that spark ignited in 2023. Coach Kristen Nicholson and her Golden Bears entered 2023 picked last among seven teams in the PSAC East Preseason Poll. The team was motivated to prove the doubters wrong. They did just that, achieving several first-time feats; including tying a program record 13 victories; qualifying for the PSAC and NCAA Championship Tournaments; defeating a nationally ranked opponent; and breaking into the national rankings. In recognition of their performance, six Golden Bears were voted All-PSAC East, the most for the program since reinstatement, including four to the First Team. Five players went on to earn all-region honors, a program record, and two were named AllAmericans, a first for KU women’s lacrosse since 1984. With a majority of its roster returning for 2024, Nicholson and the Golden Bears hope this year’s accomplishments serve as a springboard to becoming a mainstay in the conference and national tournament picture. HISTORIC TURNAROUND FOR WOMEN'S LACROSSE KU adds men’s swimming to its roster Kutztown University will add men’s swimming to its varsity sports roster for the 2024-25 academic year. The sport will support the university’s strategic enrollment efforts while enhancing the Golden Bears women’s swimming roster. Men’s swimming will increase KU’s varsity intercollegiate programs to 23, including 14 women’s programs and nine men’s programs. “We are excited for the opportunity to bring more student-athletes to our campus,” KU president Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson said. “We have been growing our enrollment through athletics for the past few years through the addition of women’s acrobatics and tumbling in 2020, and the commitment to men’s swimming for the 2024-25 season. Our student-athletes continue to persist and retain at a high level, and their grade point averages remain at or above that of the overall student body.”
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