Jun 30, 2010 8:44:05 AM

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius swore in Gallaudet baseball coach Curtis Pride and 10 other members of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on June 23 in Washington, D.C.

Pride is the only current NCAA coach, staff member or student-athlete to be named to the Council, which includes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and three-time Olympian gymnast Dominique Dawes as co-chairs.

"It is truly an honor to be appointed to serve and to promote a healthier lifestyle for children and adults throughout the country," Pride said

The Council is composed of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about opportunities to develop accessible, affordable and sustainable physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition programs for all Americans regardless of age, background or ability. For more information about the Council and its members, visit www.fitness.gov.

Pride just completed his second season at the helm of the Gallaudet baseball program. The Bison posted a 4-34 record this past season but ended one of the longest conference losing streaks in the nation as GU won its first Capital Athletic Conference game in 13 years with a 5-3 victory over Stevenson on April 1.

Pride played for six Major League Baseball teams during his career, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos and Atlanta Braves. Pride, who has been deaf from birth, batted .250 and hit 20 home runs and knocked in 82 RBIs in 421 games.

Poignant picture: One of Messiah's most poignant sports photos has earned national acclaim. ESPN The Magazine awarded a Messiah field hockey photo first prize in The Shot Sports Photography Contest, a national competition of more than 2,500 entries. Cory Furman, Messiah assistant athletics director for public relations and marketing, took the picture.

"I'm not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but when I looked at the camera to see what I had captured, I knew it was pretty good," Furman said. "You just don't replicate that kind of emotion."

The winning photo depicts then-junior Elizabeth Ziegler crying after scoring the game-winning goal against Rowan in the third round of the 2008 Division III championship, sending the Falcons to their 12th semifinal appearance in school history.

Ziegler scored the sudden-death tally with just 31.1 seconds remaining in double overtime. Then-senior Beth Sandowich was shown kissing Ziegler on her forehead, as Ziegler cried tears of joy.

Those emotions helped the photo win first prize in the "Faces Of The Game" category. The photo will be featured in an upcoming edition of ESPN The Magazine, as well as in an exhibition at the 2010 PDN PhotoPlus Expo in New York City.

"To have this photo appear in ESPN The Magazine, you never know who will see it and want to learn more about this place," Furman said. "Messiah athletics is obviously extremely special. I'm just glad I was able to snap the button at the right moment to capture a little part of that."

DIII diversity: The Midwest Conference hosted its first Diversity Summit focusing on the recruit­ment and retention of ethnic minority student-athletes and staff at MWC member institutions.

The Summit, funded by a Division III Strategic Initiatives Grant, was a continuation of a two-year study of ethnic diversity within the league that included surveys of coaches, data collection, outside consultant reviews and a league-first Diversity Report.

"We are proud of the attention and commitment we have brought to this subject, but we still have much work to do," said MWC Commissioner Chris Graham. "We have identified many key issues across our predominantly white institutions and believe there are actions our athletics departments can make to improve our inclusive environments."