Good sports reap rewards

Mike Newshel, a senior defender on the Haverford College men's soccer team, is the recipient of the first sportsmanship award presented by the Centennial Conference.

The newly created award, instituted by the Centennial Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, honors student-athletes who have, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sport -- including fairness, civility, honesty, selflessness, respect and responsibility.

A four-year defender on the Fords' men's soccer team, Newshel started 69 matches during his career and helped Haverford to a 39-29-6 record and three 10-win seasons. A leader on and off the field, Newshel earned even more respect for his actions after an incident that did not involve him.

A scuffle involving numerous players from both squads broke out during a 1998 Haverford match with Rowan University. When the dust settled, the referee ejected two players -- one from each team. Newshel was the Haverford player ejected from the contest. Even though his teammates protested that he was not even involved in the scuffle, Newshel quietly took a spot on the bench, accepting the official's ruling.

The individual campus winners selected by the Centennial Conference SAAC were:

Beth Varadian, a senior from Bryn Mawr College. Varadian is a three-sport athlete, competing in field hockey, swimming and lacrosse.

Megan McVeigh, a junior from Dickinson College. McVeigh is a goalkeeper on the lacrosse team.

Robert Michel, a junior from Franklin & Marshall College. Michel is a goalkeeper on the lacrosse team.

Andrea Therit, a senior from Gettysburg College. Therit participates in track and field.

Bill Holsinger, a sophomore from Muhlenberg College. Holsinger participates on the wrestling team.

Darren Wood, a junior, and Karen Lloyd, a senior, from Swarthmore College. Wood is a midfielder on the lacrosse team. Lloyd participates in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.

Kevin Greco, a senior from Ursinus College. Greco participates on the wrestling team.

Jon Pitonzo, a senior from Western Maryland College. Pitonzo participates in soccer and wrestling.

Whining or winning?

A new management book features several tips from the athletics department at the University of Dayton. "Stop Whining -- Start Winning," written by Frank Pacetta and Roger Gittines, includes a chapter on how Ted Kissell, Dayton's vice-president and director of athletics, aggressively recruits coaches and staff. Also featured are the recruiting techniques of Oliver Purnell, the Dayton men's basketball coach.

"Recruiting is competing," said Kissell. "It's not passively posting a position and seeing who shows up. We're from an environment where we're always competing for talent. What Frank (Pacetta) is saying is that there's something to learn from that."

Pacetta, who is a Flyers fan and an alumnus of Dayton, is the vice-president of sales and marketing for an Internet start-up company, as well as a sought-after motivational speaker. Pacetta believes work should provide the same emotional highs found on the field or on the court. "There's never a reason to settle for second-best, second place and second thoughts," Pacetta said. "Why can't work be more like sports?"

The book, published by HarperBusiness, is available for $25.

Excellent awards

The Management of Sports Industries (MSI) Program in the School of Business at the University of New Haven is launching a national award program for the sport/athletics business industry. The awards are designed to recognize excellence off the field by sports businesses and their executives. Additional awards will be given for the sport executive of the year, sport risk manager of the year, sport management academician of the year, and sport management student of the year.

Each category will be judged by the 100 undergraduate and 30 MBA students in the New Haven MSI Program. Nominations are accepted throughout the year and can come through self-nomination, submission or documented success highlighted in national publications. The student award is based on a written essay contest further explained on the MSI program's Web page at: www.newhaven.edu/sportsman.

Spearheaded by financial and managerial support from advisory board member Bill Silverman, the UNH-Silverman Group Sports Business of the Year Awards will be named in May 2001.

While no monetary prize is attached to the awards, the winner of the student of the year award can obtain a graduate assistantship at the University of New Haven.

For more information, contact Gil Fried at 203/932-7081, gfried@charger.newhaven.edu, or www.newhaven.edu/sportsman.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Looking back

5 years ago: The NCAA Council places a moratorium on NCAA membership growth until the restructuring of the Association is resolved. The action is in response to concern about the potential for rapid membership growth at a time when the NCAA is focused on restructuring. "The NCAA is not refusing new members," said NCAA President Eugene F. Corrigan. "But time is needed to work through the long-range impact of restructuring and membership growth." (The NCAA News, August 16, 1995)

10 years ago: The NCAA Council agrees to support virtually all of the reform proposals submitted by the Special Committee on Cost Reduction, the Special Committee to Review the NCAA Membership Structure and a group of conference commissioners. Among the cost-reduction proposals are those to establish a restricted-earnings coaching position, reduce the number of coaches that may be used in Divisions I-A and I-AA football and Division I basketball and impose limitations for the first time on the permissible numbers of coaches in all other Division I sports. (The NCAA News, August 15, 1990)

15 years ago: The NCAA places Southern Methodist University on three years' probation because of violations in the school's football program. The school announced that it will not challenge the Association with a lawsuit, as had been rumored. The sanctions include no postseason games in 1985 and 1986. (The NCAA News, August 28, 1985)