Athletics trailblazer paves path for administrators to follow

As one of the relatively few female directors of athletics at an NCAA institution, and specifically at the Division I level, Columbia University's M. Dianne Murphy is used to being a trailblazer.

Murphy has taken steps to ensure the path to top leadership positions in intercollegiate athletics is well marked for other women and people of color by establishing her Distinguished Lecture Series in Sport Management at Florida State University.

As part of the series, which was made possible through a $50,000 gift from Murphy to Florida State's College of Education, each spring semester a distinguished speaker will be invited to talk about the role of women and people of color as administrators in intercollegiate athletics. The lecture is open to the public and to students and faculty.

The inaugural version of the series took place last month and featured its namesake as the keynote speaker.

"I think it is so important that we have more women and people of color in top leadership positions, whether it be in coaching or administrative positions, in collegiate sports," said Murphy, who earned a doctorate in administration and curriculum at Florida State in 1980. "I thought this was a way to help."

Future featured speakers will be chosen by the school and could include athletics administrators at conference offices.

"It really doesn't matter to me who, as long as they can provide some insight on what it takes to be a top-level administrator at either a conference office or at a collegiate institution," said Murphy.

Murphy envisions the series as something that will last as long as the sport management program exists at Florida State, and she hopes to be able to add to the initial gift.

"Hopefully, it will show women and persons of color that they can get into top leadership positions in collegiate sport. I want to illustrate to them some of the things they can do to get more people in the pipeline and helping them be prepared once they're there," Murphy said.

Division III athlete makes all-around statement

State University College at Brockport's Carrie Santore made history at the recent National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships by just stepping on the mats, becoming the first Division III gymnast to appear in the meet open to schools from all three NCAA divisions.

Santore, the Eastern College Athletic Conference all-around champion, qualified as an all-around competitor during the Division I Northeast regional April 9.

The senior posted a 9.550 on the vault, scored a 9.300 on the bars, turned in a 9.525 on the beam and posted a 9.725 on the floor exercise to finish 23rd in the all-around contest at the national championships.

"It was an amazing experience and it's an absolutely great way to end my career," said Santore. "I thought competing at the regionals would be my last competition in college, but I was given one more shot, and I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Santore, a psychology major, established school records in the all-around, vault and floor exercise.

Alma pitchers perfect art of saying 'no-hitter'

Alma College's softball team sports a nearly perfect record in conference play this season. Pitchers Leigh Ann LaFave and Melissa Tavidian showed why when the aces hurled back-to-back no-hitters in an April 26 doubleheader against Kalamazoo College.

In the first game, LaFave faced the minimum number of 15 batters and struck out 12 to collect an 8-0 victory. It was the first perfect game tossed by an Alma player since LaFave accomplished the feat on March 31, 2003, also against Kalamazoo. It also was the second no-hitter of the season for the senior, who has four career no-nos to her credit.

Fellow senior hurler Tavidian nearly matched LaFave's perfect effort in the second game when she turned in the third no-hitter of her career. Tavidian struck out 10 and allowed just one baserunner, who reached on a fielding error, in a 19-0 win.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra

Number crunching

Looking back

 30 years ago

Here's what was making NCAA news in May 1975:

• Final Title IX regulations of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 are approved and sent to Congress by President Ford and will become law by July. The final regulations, generally, require equal opportunities for men and women, require equal expenditures in all important areas of athletics programs for each sex and require scholarships be awarded to men and women in the same ratio as they participate in the athletics program. The NCAA attempted to have income generated by revenue-producing sports exempted from the final regulations, but no mention of revenue is made in the latest version.

* The NCAA membership prepares to convene a Special Convention in August that focuses on a number of so-called "economy proposals." One such measure reduces the maximum number of grants-in-aid a Division I institution may award from 340 to 186. Other proposals include the elimination of spring football, reductions in recruiting and the number of official visits by prospects, and cutbacks in administrative services.

• Steve Prefontaine, seven-time NCAA track champion from the University of Oregon, is killed in a one-car accident near Eugene, Oregon, May 30. Prefontaine had established three NCAA meet records and held many American marks.