CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Patriot League will celebrate its 25th Anniversary throughout the 2015-2016 school year, and the coverage begins in August with the announcement of 25-member anniversary teams for each of the sports that have been in competition in the league's tenure as an all-sport conference. The College of the Holy Cross is one of the founding members of the Patriot League, and Holy Cross' President, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., is serving as the Chair of the Patriot League Council of Presidents in 2015-2016.
The teams will be announced in a three-week period from Aug. 10-28, with squads for the following sports: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field and men's golf. Each school who participates in a sport cast a vote for the teams, selecting 25 former student-athletes to fill out each list of honorees. A football team was selected in 2011 when that sport celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
The Patriot League has also unveiled a commemorative logo to celebrate the 25th Anniversary throughout the season. The 25th Anniversary logo will be used on the league's website and social media platforms as well as in publications throughout the year.
In addition, the Patriot League will continue the celebration throughout the season with coverage on its website and social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the new Patriot League Instagram account. Website coverage will feature stories on former student-athletes who excelled in the Patriot League and in their professional careers as well as pieces that chronicle 25 topics covering the history of the Patriot League and its member schools. Fans can follow and participate in social media coverage throughout the season by using the hashtag #PL25.
Now in its third decade as an all-sport conference combining academic and athletic excellence, the Patriot League sponsors championships in 24 men and women's sports. Initially started as an NCAA Division I-AA football conference in 1986, the Patriot League became an all-sport conference in 1990 and includes American, Army, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola University Maryland and Navy as full members, as well as Fordham, Georgetown, MIT and Richmond as associate members. These institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation and their alumni have and continue to play key professional leadership roles.
