In A League of Their Own

Imagine taking up a sport on a lark, just for fun, only to discover that you are more than good; you are great. So great that before long, you are traveling the world, climbing podiums and winning championship titles. That’s what happened to these Bucknellians. Each carved a niche for themselves in a sport that went from casual hobby to serious endeavor. They may not be Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famers, but we think you’ll be impressed by their achievements — and perhaps even glean insights to advance your own game.

by Katie Neitz

photograph by Emily Paine

In A League of Their Own title; silhouettes of people performing different sports

Harvey Edwards ’78, founder of the Bucknell Mudsharks Ultimate Frisbee team, was inducted into the Ultimate Frisbee Hall of Fame in 2007.

Harvey Edwards ’78, founder of the Bucknell Mudsharks Ultimate Frisbee team, was inducted into the Ultimate Frisbee Hall of Fame in 2007.

In A League of Their Own

Imagine taking up a sport on a lark, just for fun, only to discover that you are more than good; you are great. So great that before long, you are traveling the world, climbing podiums and winning championship titles. That’s what happened to these Bucknellians. Each carved a niche for themselves in a sport that went from casual hobby to serious endeavor. They may not be Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famers, but we think you’ll be impressed by their achievements — and perhaps even glean insights to advance your own game.

by Katie Neitz

photograph by Emily Paine

Photo: FinisherPix

Ava Warfel ’22 demonstrated her mastery of three sports at the ultra-prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in 2023.

The Ironwoman

Ava Warfel ’22

Photo: FinisherPix

In October, just two years after taking up the sport of triathlon, Ava Warfel ’22 won first place in her age group at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Beyond the baseline challenge of needing to cover an imposing distance — 140.6 miles (a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride followed by a 26.2-mile run) — athletes contend with Kona’s triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds. Warfel’s 9-hour, 45-minute, 27-second finish time was the fastest among 18- to 24-year-old women and placed her 53rd overall among more than 2,000 world-class athletes.

Warfel’s meteoric success is stunning but perhaps not surprising to former classmates. After all, she graduated from Bucknell in just three years — balancing a demanding student-athlete life as a biology major and cross-country runner while working full time as a night-shift paramedic in Lewisburg.

Photo: FinisherPix

Post-Bucknell, Warfel pursued a nursing career and started swimming early-morning laps. Her two-hour workouts caught the attention of a triathlon coach. He recruited her, convinced she’d be a quick study. He was right. “I don’t like to be complacent,” she says. “If I’m going to do something, I want to do it to the best of my ability.”

That’s why Warfel’s alarm beeps at 2 a.m. on weekdays. Before she heads to Alvernia University’s health center where she works as a nurse, she does a double or triple workout (an hour swim followed by a 90-minute ride followed by a 40-minute run, for instance).

This year, Warfel will transition to elite status. Becoming a professional triathlete isn’t lucrative. It won’t allow her to quit her job. But sponsorships help cover race entry, travel and gear.

“My coach says that I like to suffer,” she says. “I think that I like to suffer with purpose. I like when it hurts, and when you think you can’t do something, but then you push through it. The more I put into this sport, the more I get out of it. That’s the essence of it for me.”

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure

“I approach each race as a series of smart, tiny decisions. If something goes wrong, I stay in the moment and focus on making a smart decision. During Kona, my bike chain jammed. I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to panic. I’m going to pause, assess the situation and think.’ I fixed the chain and didn’t focus on the time I was losing. Taking things to the micro-level and focusing on the next step can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.”

The Disc-throwing Icon

Harvey Edwards ’78

Photo: Emily Paine

Ultimate Frisbee was in its infancy in 1974 when 18-year-old Harvey Edwards ’78, a first-year Bucknellian and Brooklyn native, watched discs whisk around New York’s Central Park. The game had attributes that appealed to the basketball player. It was fast paced and competitive. It required precise passing and catching skills and defensive strategies. But more than anything, it looked fun.

Although he was recruited to play for the Bison, Edwards wasn’t getting much court time. So for fun, he started organizing games of Ultimate Frisbee on campus. Before long, he had a team of athletes from a mish-mash of sports who, like Edwards, were craving a change of pace. He ended up quitting basketball and founded the Bucknell Mudsharks (named for a Frank Zappa song).

black and white polaroid of Bucknell students playing frisbee

Photo: Courtesy of Harvey Edwards ’78

Harvey Edwards ’78 (center right) led his team to great heights: “By the end of our first year, we were seeded No. 1 on the East Coast,” he says.

Edwards says at its core, Ultimate Frisbee is about sportsmanship. “There are no officials, so you are refereeing yourself, and that makes it a game of honor,” he says. “You have to respect the rules and each other. The Mudsharks had a good reputation. People wanted to play us not only because we were competitive, but because we played honorably — and we’d throw a good party afterward.”

After graduating with an English degree, Edwards took a job as a preschool teacher and spent his weekends advancing his Ultimate Frisbee career. Over the next three decades, Edwards accumulated accolades and credentials, including three world championship titles. In recognition of his accomplishments, Edwards was inducted into the Ultimate Frisbee Hall of Fame in 2007.

Today, Edwards is enjoying his newfound retirement from a 44-year education career (after 29 years of teaching English at Selinsgrove Area High School, he joined the English faculty at Susquehanna University) — and a new pair of knees. Decades of athletic wear and tear caught up with him, he says, requiring double knee replacement surgery in October. Yet he remains active with the sport, working to introduce new generations to the game. “I think there is no sport more American than Ultimate Frisbee,” he says. “It’s inclusive, it’s accessible and it’s all about the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

How to Improve Your Throw

“You might know the basic backhand throw, where the Frisbee rests on your index finger, and you hold it with your thumb. But the throw I think is important to learn is called the ‘flick throw.’ Start by making a peace sign. Then insert the Frisbee between your index and middle finger so the Frisbee rests on your middle finger. Then, flick the Frisbee. It’s a simple snap that helps the disc go far and fast.”

The Paddling Powerhouse

Nathan Humberston ’08

Photo: Schonna Lind-Schenk

Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, Nathan Humberston ’08 has made big waves in competitive sprint kayaking. Since picking up a paddle just six years ago at 32, Humberston has collected hardware at races around the world. The most recent: He earned a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, in November.

That prestigious international, multi-sport competition was an important stepping stone to an even more prestigious international, multi-sport competition: the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris.

In March, as this issue was going to press, Humberston was competing in the U.S. National Team Trials and vying for a spot on Team USA. Competing in Paris would be kismet for Humberston, who majored in French at Bucknell and taught French after graduation. It’s also the 100th anniversary of his sport’s Olympic debut; canoe sprint, which kayaking is part of, was introduced at the 1924 Games in Paris.

Nathan Humberston with his team during a kayak race

Photo: Schonna Lind-Schenk

Nathan Humberston ’08 competes in four-seat (K-4), double-seat (K-2) and single-seat (K-1) kayak races.

But if Paris doesn’t pan out? Humberston says with a relaxed confidence that he’ll simply adjust his focus forward — to the 2028 Summer Olympics. “I’ll be 42 by then, which would make me a bit of an outlier,” he says. “But it’s definitely achievable.”

Humberston’s optimism isn’t foolhardy. It’s rooted in a relentless work ethic, a fierce competitive drive and genuine love for his sport.

He dove into water sports at age 8 when he joined his hometown swim team. Swimming was his athletic focus for the next decade, including during his first year at Bucknell. But the rowing team made a convincing argument for him to transition to crew. He already had endurance, speed and power. Over the next three years, he developed technical skills while learning how to navigate water and weather conditions on the Susquehanna.

After graduation, he continued to seek athletic challenges. In 2014, his New Jersey ocean lifeguard squad won the U.S. Lifesaving Association’s National Lifeguard Championships. In 2018, he paddled 40 miles nonstop around Bermuda to see how fast he could do it (just under six hours). It was around that time when a seasoned world-class kayaker took notice and offered to coach him.

Now, Humberston is all-in on his Olympic dream. In 2021, he moved to San Diego where he can kayak year-round and work a fully remote job for a tech startup that affords him flexibility to train. “I enjoy challenges and figuring out how to deal with them,” he says. “I’m always looking forward, always trying to improve. I haven’t hit my limit in this sport yet, so I’m going to keep pushing. It’s fun to chase a big goal and see what you can get out of yourself.”

How to Paddle With Power

“It’s a misconception that a kayaker’s arms power the boat. The real power comes from the legs and core. Instead of ripping the paddle through the water just using your arms, you need to hold the paddle in place, then activate your core to stabilize you, and then press one leg down at a time and use that power to rotate the body and propel you forward.”

Photo: Brian Wood/Passing Shot Photography

Kent Lindeman ’92 says he’s relied on finesse — not power — to be successful on the pickleball court.

The Pickleball Master

Kent Lindeman ’92

Photo: Jenna Lindeman

Kent Lindeman ’92 has been an avid tennis player for most of his life. But it wasn’t until he switched his focus to pickleball that he started dominating the court. Lindeman has won three consecutive gold medals at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships (the men’s 50+ doubles category in 2023 and the men’s 45+ doubles category in 2021 and 2022). The U.S. Open is the largest pickleball tournament in the world; a record 3,043 players from all 50 states and 29 countries competed in 2023. In April, Lindeman will compete in the 2024 tournament with the goal of earning his fourth consecutive gold medal.

Lindeman progressed from novice skeptic to national champion in just three years. “When a friend introduced me to the game in 2017, I initially dismissed it. I thought pickleball was a hobby better suited for people at a retirement community,” says Lindeman, who majored in political science at Bucknell and owns HollandParlette, an association management company. “But I started playing and discovered it’s truly addictive.”

Lindeman isn’t alone in that discovery, of course. Pickleball, a cross between table tennis, badminton and tennis, is one of America’s fastest-growing sports with a growth rate of more than 158% over the past three years, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

While his tennis background equipped him with some carryover skills, Lindeman says pickleball is an entirely distinct sport that required a rewiring of his instincts and mechanics. “It’s a finesse game,” he says. “High-level pickleball players execute delicate dinks and well-calculated, angled shots. It’s a different approach than hitting a tennis ball with power and topspin.”

As the executive director of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Lindeman espouses the physical and mental health benefits of his sport at national conferences. “Developing new skill sets and friendships, especially as we get older, is just so positive. It helps your overall well-being, mental health and quality of life,” he says. “Pickleball has that kind of impact.”

How to Develop Finesse

“New players often try to overpower their opponent. While it’s easy to swing big, pickleball is more about touch and precision. Focus on hitting consistent, well-angled ‘dink’ shots. Give yourself enough margin to clear the net, but don’t make it too high. The more you can execute these shots, the more pressure is placed on your opponent to pop a ball up, which you can then put away to win the point.”

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