National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

November 8, 1999

Athletes help in Floyd's wake

Student-athletes and staff at Coastal Carolina University turned into an ad hoc emergency rescue team in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd.

Located in Conway, South Carolina, the school is in an area where many homes flooded after the hurricane.

The efforts began when Gina Markland, assistant director of athletics at Coastal Carolina, got an urgent call requesting assistance in evacuating an elderly woman.

"After speaking with a few of our student-athletes, I quickly found that we had a lot of strong backs to offer the community," she said. "Now that people know we have young men and women who are willing and able to assist them, more phone calls have been coming in."

Markland worked with Linda Vereen, the city administrator for Conway, in scheduling Coastal Carolina's student-athletes in the relief efforts.

The first victims rescued were 89-year-old Bernice Vrooman and her 88-year-old sister, Eleanor Green. In the week after the hurricane, the two women nervously watched as the Waccarnaw River came closer and closer to Vrooman's home of the last 30 years. It finally became apparent they could not stay, but by then it was impossible for them to leave on their own.

So many people were in a similar situation that the community's emergency services couldn't assist all of them. That's when the Coastal Carolina student-athletes entered the picture.

"I'm really glad that we are doing this," said Kit Kadlec, a member of the Chanticleers' baseball team. "We had heard about some of the flooding, but I don't think that any of us realized how immediate the situation was. When we got to Ms. Vrooman's house and saw all of the water in the back yard, we quickly knew that this was a very serious situation for many people."

The student-athletes -- who lent a hand before and after their classes and practices -- came to assist the community from all 15 of Coastal Carolina's athletics programs.

"We are happy that we are able to help people who are in a very bad situation," said Cheri McNeil, a women's basketball student-athlete. "Lisa O'Connor (women's basketball), Ken Cole (men's track and field) and I helped an elderly couple this morning move out of a house that was built in the 1940s.

"To see that there are people in this community who could lose everything really makes you think about how lucky you are. But at the same time, it makes you want to help them that much more."

Justus honored for service

Janet Justus, former NCAA director of education outreach, recently was named National Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA).

Now an attorney with Verrill & Dana in the firm's new office in Kansas City, Missouri, Justus was chosen from seven district winners who were nominated and selected by their peers. Justus was recognized for her outstanding achievements in and contributions to women's athletics.

A member of the NCAA staff for 14 years, Justus played a key role in initiating numerous services to the membership, including the formation of the education outreach department, the development of Title IX seminars for member institutions and the implementation of national NCAA student-athlete advisory committees.

Overtime times four

For the fourth season in a row, Juniata College and Moravian College had their football bragging rights decided in an overtime. On October 16, it was Moravian, 38-37.

The Eagles and the Greyhounds have ended regulation in a tie every year since 1995.

In 1996, the NCAA instituted the overtime rule for regular-season football games, and there has been an overtime needed between these two teams ever since. So far, the overtime series stands at 3-1 in favor of Moravian.

Score one for the goalie

Fort Lewis College men's soccer goalie Steve Berglund became the answer to a trivia question when he scored the first goal of his collegiate career recently.

Just after Fort Lewis midfielder Josh Veryser had given the Skyhawks a 2-0 lead over the Colorado School of Mines, Berglund punted a goal kick the length of the field. The ball bounced over the head of the Orediggers' backup goalie and into the net, giving the Skyhawks a 3-0 lead and an extremely surprised crowd.

Looking back

5 years ago: Tanya Hughes, a four-time NCAA high-jump champion from the University of Arizona, is selected as the 1994 NCAA Woman of the Year. Hughes, a three-time Pacific-10 Conference high-jump champion and a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, is the third person to win the award, which was established in 1992. (The NCAA News, November 14, 1994)

10 years ago: The Supreme Court of Kansas rules that the Association is exempt from paying the state sales tax. The court agrees with the NCAA that it is an extension of its member institutions and therefore is an educational institution entitled to an exemption from the 4.25 percent tax. The decision will save the Association about $200,000 per year. (The NCAA News, November 6, 1989)

15 years ago: The NCAA Football Television Committee decides not to pursue the development of a future NCAA television plan for football unless requested to do so by the membership. In the meantime, committee members will assess the interest level among member institutions in their respective geographic areas regarding NCAA involvement in televised football. The decision is in the wake of a federal judge's clarification that the NCAA could participate in the football television market. The judge had been requested by the NCAA to define any future role it might take in televising football after the U.S. Supreme Court voided the 1982-85 Football Television Plan on an appeal by the NCAA from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. (The NCAA News, November 5, 1984)