Kenyon Student-Athletes Organizes Refreshing Fundraiser

Before Saturday's 2 p.m. home women's basketball game against Oberlin, Kenyon Student-Athletes members will be selling 34 oz. water bottles featuring a "H2OPE" logo for seven dollars each. All the proceeds will go to the Interchurch Medical Association's Lifestraw project. Monetary donations also will be accepted, and the fundraiser will continue at Lords' and Ladies' contests on campus as long as supplies remain available.

Sophomore Rachel Goheen, a member of the women's soccer team, classmate Stephanie Caton, a Ladies softball player, were inspired to search for a way to help people in struggling areas of the world after Goheen returned from a summer abroad. They found IMA's Lifestraw emergency water purification initiative, which aims to stem the spread of cholera in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the World Health Organization states diarrheal disease kills approximately 28,000 people annually and is the leading cause of death in the country.

The Lifestraw is a portable water filter about the size of a large kazoo that can be carried easily on a string around a person's neck. According to the product's website, the straw offers relief from common diarrheal disease by effectively removing 99 percent of waterborne bacteria and viruses. Each Lifestraw is capable of filtering 185 gallons of water, enough to last a typical Congolese family the better part of a year.

Goheen and Caton hope sales warrant ordering more water bottles. Their ultimate goal is to increase awareness in the cause and make the fundraiser a regular staple at Kenyon sporting events throughout the year.

For more information on IMA's Lifestraw initiative or to make an on-line donation, visit the organization's website at www.interchurch.org. For more detailed information on the Lifestraw itself, go to www.lifestraw.com.

Denison SAAC Provides Christmas for Area Children

For the second straight year, the Denison SAAC joined with the Licking County Salvation Army to help with the "Adopt-A-Family" program.

The students collected nearly $2,000 - a $500 increase from last year's total.

Click here for more information

Wittenberg Student-Athletes Hand Out Second Annual Tiger Awards

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The second annual Tiger Awards, recognizing excellence in sports and academic performance by Wittenberg University student-athletes, were handed out on during a banquet April 22 in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center. More than 200 student-athletes, representing each of the university’s 23 varsity athletic teams, were in attendance.

The banquet, organized and led by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), included a formal dinner and awards presentation.

Ten different team and individual awards were handed out during the event, encompassing a wide range of athletic, academic and extracurricular achievements during the 2006-07 school year. The goal was to highlight not just the NCAA Division III national tournament participants from the volleyball, football and women’s soccer teams, but to showcase accomplishments across the department of athletics.

“It’s an awesome evening,” said Pat Denbow, a senior basketball player and president of SAAC. "The awards are for the student-athletes by the student-athletes, and any time you can gather so many people for something like this it makes for a pretty special occasion.”

The top male team award was presented to the football squad for Outstanding Men’s Team of the Year. The Tigers finished 7-4 on the gridiron in 2006 and were winners of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and its automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The volleyball team took home the Outstanding Women’s Team of the Year honors. The Tiger spikers put together a second consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament Final Four appearance, finishing the year with the conference coach of the year and newcomer of the year awards, as well as an honorable mention All-America selection. Wittenberg finished with a 35-8 overall record, including a perfect 16-0 record in the first double-round regular season format robin in NCAC history.

Male Athlete of the Year went to senior football standout Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who topped 100 yards rushing nine straight weeks in 2006 to break school records for consecutive 100-yard games and 100-yard games in a season. He finished the 2006 season with 1,517 rushing yards, the third-highest total in school history and sixth-best per-game total in NCAA Division III. He also led the conference in rushing with 137.9 yards per game and in total touchdowns with 20.

Senior Jamie McIntyre (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) of the soccer team was awarded Female Athlete of the Year. McIntyre capped her collegiate career with her third consecutive first-team All-Great Lakes Region selection, and she set a school record by starting all 80 games in her career. She was a two-year team captain and a two-time NCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Male Newcomer of the Year went to freshman Jeff Capella (Columbus, Ohio/WorthingtonKilbourne) who leads the men’s lacrosse team with 27 goals through the first 11 games of the 2007 season. Female Newcomer of the Year went to freshman Erin Slattery (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), a setter and key addition to the Final Four volleyball team.


The Tiger Volleyball Team won the Women's Team of the Year award
Extracurricular Male Athlete of the Year went to senior Jim Martin (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon Area) of the men’s soccer team, and Extracurricular Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to senior Tosha Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/North College Hill), a women’s basketball player. Both Martin and Johnson are involved in numerous organizations and honor societies as well as their respective sports.

The Tiger Spirit Awards, given to one male and female who best support and encourage their fellow student athletes, went to senior Mark Morrell (St. Louis, Mo./C.B.C.) of the men’s lacrosse team and junior Sarah Matesich (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic) of the volleyball team.

Most Improved Men’s Team of the Year was given to the swimming and diving squad, whose strong freshman class and solid upperclass leadership helped turn a 5-8 dual meet record from the previous year into a successful 7-4 campaign in 2006-07.

Most Improved Women’s Team of the Year went to the soccer squad, which posted a 15-3-4 record that was good for the first NCAC championship and first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in school history.

Senior Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) was named Record-Breaking Male Athlete. He holds the NCAC men's basketball tournament record for rebounds in a game at 20, ranks among the school leaders in career points, rebounds, blocks and games played, and he capped his collegiate career with first-team All-Great Lakes Region and third-team All-America honors following the 2006-07 season.

The Record Breaking Female Athlete award went to Lindsay Smith (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) after she broke two individual school records (in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events), and was a part of three relay school records (in the 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle relays).

A pair of career achievement awards were also distributed. Andy Karcher (Oceola, Ohio/Bucyrus Wynford) won the men's award for his work in track and field. He won the NCAC indoor title in the hammer throw to go along with multiple top-five finishes in indoor and outdoor conference meets in the hammer and shot put in the last four years. Karcher has set and re-set the school record in the hammer three times, improving it by more than 20 feet.

The Female Collegiate Achievement Award honor went to senior Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), a four-year starter for the Tiger field hockey and lacrosse teams who earned second-team All-NCAC honors in 2005 and honorable mention in 2006. She has 100 career lacrosse goals, good for ninth in school history.

Joe Fincham (Ohio University 1988), who led the football team to the NCAC championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament bid, took home Men’s Coach of the Year honors. Women’s Coach of the Year was awarded to Pam Smith (Wittenberg 1982) of the women’s basketball team after she earned her 400 th career victory while leading the Tigers to a 15-11 record.

The top athletes academically in each of the fall, winter and spring seasons were also recognized. The fall season honors were given to Jim Martin and volleyball junior Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee). Basketball players Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky/St. Xavier) and Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), both seniors, took home the winter season awards, while spring season athletes Matt Steinke (Wapakoneta, Ohio/St. Mary's Memorial), a junior on the baseball team, and Sarah Fetters (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee), a junior on the softball squad, were recognized for their academic achievements.

By: Ryan Maurer and Pat Denbow '07

Hiram SAAC

Hello everyone, just thought I'd post alittle bit about what Hiram has been doing, and what we are planning on doing this spring.

Hiram College Student-Athletes and Community Raise Money for Local Charity Organization
HIRAM, OHIO -- The Hiram College Student Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) along with help from the entire College community, made the holiday season more memorable for local area families by raising money for the People Tree Sharing Program in Garrettsville, Ohio.
The Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce founded the People tree program in 1981 and have since then been helping the less fortunate by providing toys, food, toiletries and other miscellaneous items to 130 families and 189 children in local area communities such as Garrettsville, Nelson, Freedom, Hiram and Windham. The program also assists seniors with prescriptions and gathers household items including furniture and appliances.
Donations have been made from individuals, schools, churches, clubs and other organizatinos to assist those around the holidays and throughout the year.
For one week, members of the Hiram S.A.A.C. gathered meal "swipes" using his or her college I.D. that amounted to $2.85 per swipe. Together the students accumulated over 550 meal donations and generated in incredible $1,618. Nearly 60 percent of the Hiram College community participated in the event.
"The campus responded very well," said S.A.A.C. co-advisor Bob Dean. "And, our student-athletes went above and beyond the call."
"You know, we are very proud of them. But, the reality is, this kind of reaction and move on their part has become 'normal' for our student-athletes....they just do these things."
On Thursday, Dec. 14, members of the student organization presented a check for $1,618 to the coordinators of the People Tree Sharing Program to help the organization continue its work in helping those in need.

• Read Across America Program on February 26th & March 1st. In honor of Doctor Suess's Birthday Hiram College Student Athletes will take to the schools and read to area youths grades K-4. Hiram College Athletes typically participate with Garfield, Crestwood, and Aurora school Districts to promote the importance of reading. The SAAC Committee is looking for 100% participation of our sport teams in this program.
• Student Athlete Appreciation Day- Thursday April 19 SAAC Members will be asked to recruit SA's to participate in the planning of our annual studant athlete recognition day, the event will recognize all of our student athletes, Male and Female Team GPA award winners, the Female Athlete of the Year, Male Athlete of the year, and Junior Scholar Athlete of the year, along with the NCAC male and female Scholar athlete of the year award winners. Also included in this celebration will be the unveiling of the new Championship Banners in Price Gymnasium.

Alright, that's alittle bit of what's going on in little Hiram, Ohio. Hope everyone else is doing well and I look forward to seeing more posts about what is happening on other campuses within our conference.

DSAAC assists Salvation Army with Toy Drive

GRANVILLE- The Denison University Student Athlete Advisory Committee (DSAAC) teamed with the Licking County Salvation Army to assist with their annual "Adopt-A-Family" initiative last week and thanks to their generosity 30 local children will have something special under their tree on December 25.

Nearly $1,500 was collected on campus by members of DSAAC. The student-athletes involved with the committee took the donations and purchased gifts for the 30 children allotted to Denison by the Salvation Army.

DSAAC President Alison Teopas was thrilled with the enthusiasm and support displayed by the Denison community.

"The student advisory committee made it a goal this year to give back to the local community," stated Teopas. "We would like to thank the Salvation Army for organizing this program and allowing us to bring some joy into the homes of area children this Christmas."

The Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program matches impoverished families with individual or group sponsors to provide for their tangible needs at Christmas. Without the benefit of an adoption, these families would be looking forward to a very grim holiday. Being adopted is designed to be a once or, on very rare occasions, twice in a lifetime event for recipient families.

The mission of The Denison University Student Athletic Advisory Council is to work with the university administration and student-athletes to build positive relationships, develop unity, and increase involvement in the campus community. The council promotes communication and offers feedback and insight into departmental issues. The council also incorporates student-athlete opinions about proposed NCAC and NCAA legislation and encourages athletic teams to support one another. The council fosters and upholds programs to achieve these goals and works to fortify a positive student-athlete image on Denison University's campus.

Hey guys,
Just wanted to see what was going. Is there anything we should caucus about (hahaha)? Well if any news or info becomes available please let me know so i can pass word along to some ppl here...

Marcus

Division III SAAC Announces Community Service Initiative with Habitat for Humanity

INDIANAPOLIS---The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is leading a division-wide community service initiative with Habitat for Humanity International.

Division III SAAC’s goal is to engage 60 percent of Division III membership in at least one Habitat for Humanity service project in the next three semesters (September 2006 through December 2007) in the areas of building, fundraising, advocacy and education.

“The Division III SAAC has taken a leadership role by asking Division III student-athletes to integrate their athletic involvement into an academic lesson, the importance of social involvement,” said Sarah MacInnis, assistant director of Education Outreach and NCAA staff liaison to the Division III SAAC. “Division III student-athletes are already frequently involved in community service activities. The Division III SAAC recognized this and is asking their peers to focus their efforts to effect change on a larger scale.”

In July the Division III SAAC voted to formally support the already-established partnership between the NCAA and Habitat for Humanity by beginning a movement within Division III which focuses on civic responsibility. Division III student-athletes are commonly involved in community service, but SAAC agreed their efforts would be more powerful by focusing SAAC’s energies toward a unified goal.

Jessica Huntley, basketball student-athlete at York College (Pennsylvania) and member of the Division III national SAAC, spearheaded the partnership with her colleagues on the Community Outreach Project Team (a subcommittee of Division III SAAC).

“We organized this subcommittee last summer and we were reminded of the NCAA partnership with Habitat for Humanity,” Huntley said. “We wanted to try to get a partnership with Division III started this year, though we weren’t sure how realistic that would be. But this is my last year on the national SAAC, so I really wanted to be a part of it. It was more difficult than we imagined it would be, but with the help of the people from Habitat and NCAA staff, we were able to make the plan a reality in a very short time. Without all of their hard work, this partnership would have never happened.”

A tool kit is provided for Division III members on the NCAA’s website, www.ncaa.org/saac.

“I congratulate the Division III SAAC and Habitat for Humanity on the development of this important program,” said Dan Dutcher, vice president for Division III. “It will reinforce the educational values that are at the heart of Division III athletics, both for the participating student-athletes and for members of the affected communities.”

The Division III SAAC recognizes that many conferences and institutions have established relationships with other community agencies; however this initiative offers an additional opportunity to join a national effort, MacInnis said. In no way is involvement mandated; rather it is encouraged as a means to provide life-skills education, to enhance institution and community relations, and create positive change on a national scale.

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the NCAA partnered with Habitat for Humanity International in outreach and volunteer efforts. The “Home Team” partnership began in September 2005 with a $1 million lead gift from Division II and a $500,000 matching gift from the Association and the national office. In January, Association leadership pledged an additional $1 million for a total of $2.5 million.

In an effort to rebuild the Gulf Coast, the NCAA partnered with Habitat for Humanity in pursuing its goal of building simple, decent, affordable houses for those in need.

There have been NCAA Home Team build sites at several NCAA Championships, including the 2006 Men’s Final Four (Indianapolis), the 2005 Division I-AA Football Championship (Chattanooga), the 2006 Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships (Indianapolis), and a build in Knoxville, Tennessee, in April in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction weekend. A six-home build will take place at the Division II Sports Festival in Pensacola, Florida, in November, while another build is planned for the 2007 NCAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, in January.