On Friday, June 5, 2009 the Patriot League issued the following statement:
Fordham University notified the Patriot League that it will begin awarding athletic scholarships to its football class entering in the fall of 2010.  As a result, the Patriot League Football Presidents have endorsed an agreement with Fordham wherein the Rams will continue their association with the League but will be ineligible for the Patriot League title and automatic playoff berth beginning that season.  Fordham will remain as an associate member in the Patriot League, and will continue to be eligible for the League title and automatic playoff berth in the 2009 season.  Fordham will still follow the same academic and eligibility requirements as other League members.

Lehigh football season tickets are now on sale to the general public.  During May, season ticket renewal forms were sent out to those who previously held tickets, and now all Lehigh football fans have the opportunity to purchase a package that includes tickets to all seven regular season home games.  New this season, Lehigh Athletics introduces four mini-plan options, each of which guarantees tickets to the 145th meeting between Lehigh and archrival Lafayette.

Seven Lehigh student-athletes were recently recognized as recipients of the 2009 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award.  The seven winners included Quadir Carter (football), Anne Rodriguez (women’s swimming), Marquis Hall (men’s basketball), Jillian Randolph (women’s track and field), Evans Kosgei (men’s track and field), Roxy Jahangeri (women’s soccer) and Shannon Alejandro (women’s track and field).  Hall, Rodriguez and Randolph were First-Team selections, while Carter and Kosgei earned Second-Team recognition, Jahangeri earned a spot on the Third-Team, and Alejandro was an Honorable Mention selection.  The seven selections are the most Lehigh has ever had.

A pair of Mountain Hawks were recently named 2009 preseason All-Americans by Consensus Draft Services (CDS) as rising senior Matt Cohen and rising junior Jarard Cribbs received honorable mention accolades.  Cohen is a two-time All-Patriot League selection, including First-Team recognition in 2008, while Cribbs was a Second-Team All-League honoree this past season.  This marks the second consecutive season Lehigh has placed at least one player on the CDS preseason All-America teams after Brian Jackson ’09 received the honor last year.

Senior Brendan Van Ackeren was recently named to the 2009 National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 grade point average or better.  A total of 564 players from 266 schools qualified for membership in the society’s third year, a 27-percent increase from the 2008 class.