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The NCAA News - Briefly in the NewsJuly 5, 1999Millersville helps East meet West
The Chinese found Millersville because of Trevor Hershey, the university's women's soccer coach who is very involved in U.S. Soccer. "When I found out that the Women's World Cup was coming to the U.S. beginning June 19, I realized that teams would be looking for venues to practice," Hershey said. The Chinese team came to Millersville to train after their tournament in Portugal and before their exhibition matches against the U.S. team (which they split -- winning one and losing one). "Millersville is close to two of the stadiums where some of the (World Cup) games will be played -- Jack Kent Cooke (in the Washington, D.C., area) and Giants Stadium (in New Jersey) -- so I offered our facility," Hershey said. The Chinese team, which won the tournament in Portugal -- beating the U.S. team, 2-1, in the finals -- went into the World Cup as one of the favorites. "They were awesome players," said Millersville soccer student-athlete Nicki Wimar. "Their technical skill was so much better than ours. We learned a lot, drill-wise, just by watching them warm up, cool down and play. "Having their team here got us more motivated to work harder. We could actually see what happens if you work really hard because that's the level we could achieve. It was a definite highlight of my life; it was the opportunity of a lifetime." Yet another opportunity of a lifetime was the chance to scrimmage against the Chinese team. "The scrimmage was a great honor for us," said Linda Lee Hershey, assistant women's soccer coach at Millersville. "The Chinese team took it very seriously; they weren't holding back, which was good. We wanted them to take it at us, and we wanted to see what we could do against them." While the Chinese team stayed on the Millersville campus, many different groups from the university lent their time and expertise to make them feel at home. The students and student-athletes made sure their guests were comfortable, and they assisted with rides to go do laundry, see the sights and have fun. The Millersville faculty got involved as well, and several Chinese professors assisted with translation duties. "The team was really appreciative of everything that we did for them," said Linda Lee Hershey, who also served as the day-to-day liaison with the Chinese team. "For being world-class athletes, they were very open and willing to get to know us. They had all their practices open, so people could come and watch, which was really nice. The Hempfield Girls Soccer Team came to watch and the Chinese team took a picture with them. They were very generous with their time." Should the U.S. team meet the Chinese in a World Cup final, there may be loud cheers for both teams -- many of them coming from Millersville, Pennsylvania. Leaders are CHAMPSLooking for an opportunity to provide your student-athletes with the incredible experience of the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference? (See the article on the conference in the June 21 issue of The NCAA News). In order to take part in the conference, your institution must be a participant in the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program. It's not too late to apply for entry into the CHAMPS/Life Skills Orientation Class of 2000. Because of the NCAA's upcoming relocation to Indianapolis, this year's application date for the CHAMPS/Life Skills program has been extended to August 30, 1999. For an application, contact Michael Gant, NCAA education outreach program coordinator, at 913/339-1906. Football official honoredDavid M. Parry has received the Outstanding Football Official Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The award is designed to honor an outstanding official who has demonstrated sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of college football. Parry has officiated football games for more than 29 years, including 14 years at the college level. In addition to officiating for the Mid-American Conference and the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference, Parry has been the supervisor of Big Ten Conference football officials, a position he still holds. In 1996, he was named the first National Coordinator of Football Supervisors, a position that oversees 20 Division I-A and I-AA conferences and more than 1,000 college officials. Parry also officiated in the National Football League for 15 years, and he has revised several football officiating manuals as well as the NCAA Football Rules Book. --Compiled by Kay Hawes Looking back5 years ago: The NCAA Presidents Commission chooses to stay the course on new Division I initial-eligibility standards, but it also recommends several major changes designed to allay concerns about educational access for minorities. The Commission proposes a partial-qualifier status that would allow prospective student-athletes with an SAT score as low as 600 to receive athletically related financial aid, providing he or she has a corresponding grade-point average of 2.750. The Commission also proposes that partial qualifiers would be able to practice with the team as a freshman and could earn back a fourth year of eligibility by meeting satisfactory-progress standards. (The NCAA News, July 6, 1994) 10 years ago: The NCAA's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports recommends year-round drug testing and a ban on smokeless tobacco at all NCAA championships. The committee recommends that the Association's drug-testing program be expanded to include year-round, short-notice testing for anabolic/androgenic steroids and drugs associated with steroid use. (The NCAA News, July 5, 1989)
15 years ago: Delegates attending the first Division I-A midyear legislative meeting indicate strong opposition to the concept of establishing a Division
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania has played an unusual role in this year's FIFA Women's World Cup of Soccer. This spring the university played host to the Chinese national women's soccer team, which hopes to contend for the world title later this month.