Patriot League

The Patriot League was founded in 1986 and provides students with the chance to compete in NCAA Division I level intercollegiate athletics programmes. The league also ensures education is at the forefront. By doing so the student-athletes involved are expected to maintain high academic standards and represent their intuitions well. In return they are given the chance to grow both academically and personally. As a result, participants are prepared to become leaders and to make meaningful contributions to society.

The Patriot League consists of 10 core members. American University, the United States Military Academy Boston University, Bucknell University, Colgate University, College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Loyola University, Maryland and the United States Naval Academy.

Four other private institutions are Patriot League members only for specific sports and are referred to as ‘Patriot League associate members. They are Fordham University and Georgetown University who are associated members in Football. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a member through women’s rowing and the University of Richmond is associated through women’s golf.

Student-athletes have plenty of sports to choose from with 24 different sports in total including wrestling and boxing. That number is split between sexes, with 11 sports available to men and the other 13 to female athletes.

In the Patriot League’s brief history, up to 250 student-athletes have been recognised as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans. While more than 15,000 have qualified for the League’s Academic Honor Roll. Dozens have received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Also, Patriot League student-athletes have earned Fulbright Scholarships, Rhodes Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Victory Scholarship and NACDA/Disney Scholarships.

The League is clearly enjoying great success and hopefully will do for years to come. Today’s Scholar-Athletes, Tomorrow’s Leaders is the mantra which they abide by. All the evidence points towards the Patriots League being the place to create great athletes, leaders and academics. It is an athletic-academic programme that is unrivalled anywhere else in the world.