NCAA News Archive - 2001

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Briefly in the News

Jun 4, 2001 10:21:08 AM

The NCAA News

Television coverage will capture contestants 'going yard'

Eight senior student-athletes will be chosen to participate in the Rawlings Home Run Challenge, which will appear live on ESPN2 June 7 in conjunction with opening ceremonies for the NCAA Men's College World Series in Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.

Participants already selected are Ray Danzy of the University of Central Oklahoma; John Stewart of Mount Olive College; Steve Osborne of St. Joseph's College (Maine); Ryan Peters of Wittenberg University; Jason Brooks of Marshall University; and Aaron Clark of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Two of three other possible contestants -- Kevin Mitchell of McNeese State University; Dan Johnson of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and Ryan Brunner of the University of Northern Iowa -- also will be selected depending on the outcome of the Division I Baseball Championship preliminary rounds. Members of the eight teams that qualify for the Men's College World Series are not eligible to participate.

This is the second year for the event, which is presented by Rawlings. Only college seniors who have completed their collegiate eligibility are selected. Four student-athletes are selected from Division I and two each are chosen from Divisions II and III.

Last year's winner was T.J. Soto of Louisiana Tech University.

The participants were selected based on two criteria -- total home runs for the season and the number of home runs hit per game. Participants must have participated in a minimum of 75 percent of the total games their teams played for the season. Totals were computed throughout the regular season, but did not include the regionals or championships of any of the divisions.

The participants will compete this year for a two-year Rawlings equipment and apparel contract; two round-trip tickets anywhere in the continental United States, courtesy of Continental Airlines; a Sony Playstation 2 with game pack; a $500 Sears gift certificate; and a year's supply of Pepsi.

This year's special guests include Tommy Lasorda, Bob Gibson and Ted Sizemore.

Le Moyne webcasts lacrosse championship

The Northeast-10 Conference's men's lacrosse championship was Webcast live in television quality over the Internet last month, marking what is believed to be the first time a conference lacrosse championship game was available in streaming video over the Internet.

Le Moyne College, partnering with i2sports and Telergy, hosted the live Webcast of the game, and more than 500 people tuned in. Le Moyne won, 11-4, over Merrimack College. The game is archived at on the lacrosse page in the athletics section of the Le Moyne Web site (http://www.lemoyne.edu).

An unusual trifecta

Liz McGrail, a three-sport senior standout at the State University College at Oneonta, has put her name in the records books of unusual accomplishments by reaching the NCAA tournament in three sports during the same academic year: basketball, softball and soccer.

Though no statistics are kept on such a thing, McGrail's feat nonetheless is amazing.

McGrail achieved the trifecta when the Red Dragons softball team qualified for postseason play.

Led by McGrail's .462 batting average and .701 slugging percentage, the Red Dragons had the best season in school history, advancing to the regional final, where they lost to Ithaca College, 5-0.

McGrail's previous NCAA appearances were with the soccer team last fall and the basketball team during the winter. All three of her teams are the reigning State University of New York Athletic Conference champions.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawe

Number crunching

Looking back

June 1997 -- Feedback is plentiful and positive after the first NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. About 300 student-athletes attend the inaugural gathering to discuss leadership issues and career planning, among other issues. Ronald J. Stratten, NCAA vice-president for education services, says, "The quality of work these young people created in such a short time in such a unified manner was incredible. It far exceeded expectations, and we had strong expectations." (The NCAA News, June 9, 1997)

June 1991 -- The College Football Association voices its unanimous opposition to legislation the NCAA Council will sponsor to permit football student-athletes to enter the NFL draft without jeopardizing future intercollegiate eligibility. The measure the Council supports came from the NCAA's Professional Sports Liaison Committee and would apply to all sports. Opponents of the legislation told CFA delegates during the association's annual convention that they believe the move would be detrimental to the academic performance of underclassmen, who might be distracted from their studies by the draft. (The NCAA News, June 5, 1991)

June 1978 -- The NCAA establishes a football championship and a statistics program for Division I-AA. A pilot championship will be staged after the 1978 regular season, and a Division I-AA Football Committee is appointed that includes Bob Vanatta from the Ohio Valley Conference, Milton D. Hunter from South Carolina State University, Andrew T. Mooradian from the University of New Hampshire and Lyle H. Smith from Boise State University. (The NCAA News, June 1, 1978)

Who was talking

"The country is looking to us collectively at this time to reaffirm the fact that we are academic institutions that conduct athletics programs, not vice versa. In the long run, that's the only salvation for intercollegiate athletics."