Rollins bestows honorary doctorate on NCAA President

Rollins College honored NCAA President Myles Brand and former Major League Baseball player and manager Davey Johnson at the school's Third Annual Athletics Scholarship Gala last month.

The event honored the academic achievements of Rollins' student-athletes. Rollins President Rita Bornstein awarded Brand with an honorary doctorate.

"Like a world-class athlete, you bring a variety of talents to your new position," she told Brand, who has been president of the NCAA since January 1. "You exemplified the engaged university president, and we anticipate that you will bring that same commitment to the presidency of the NCAA."

The gala featured Johnson's receipt of the Alfond Award of Excellence, which requires that the recipient must have a solid reputation for honesty and integrity, have contributed notably to the welfare of others, believe in the values of education and the intercollegiate athletics experience, and have served as a positive role model for the youth of his or her community and country.

Johnson, a native of Winter Park, Florida, where Rollins is located, spent 27 seasons in Major League Baseball as a player and manager before returning to his hometown. He grew up playing baseball on Rollins' Sandspur Field and was raised just blocks from the college's campus. He went on to 13 seasons as a second baseman for the Orioles, Braves, Phillies and Cubs. During that time, he was a four-time All-Star selection and played on two World Series championship teams.

New York University women wake up from 23-point nap

The New York University women's basketball team learned recently that it's not how you start but how you finish.

New York University overcame a 23-0 deficit in a game against Carnegie Mellon University and converted it into an 81-71 overtime win last month at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

The Violets didn't score their first basket until senior forward Allison Herman converted with 12:48 remaining in the first half.

New York University trailed the entire game before a layup by sophomore center Chantal Kazay tied the contest at 66 with only three seconds left. The overtime began with a three-pointer by freshman guard Jennifer Brajevich, and the Violets led the entire overtime.

Though the comeback from the 23-0 opening deficit is thought to be the largest in NCAA history, the feat just missed setting an NCAA record.

The largest overall comeback in a women's Division III basketball game was a 24-point spread erased by Western Connecticut State University in a 61-58 overtime win over Keene State College on January 9, 2001.

Track and field classroom features online function

High-profile track and field coaches have put themselves a mouse click away from those who aspire to learn from them. The U.S. Track Coaches Association has developed a coaches diploma program that is available on the Internet or on CD-ROM.

The instructional materials are available for coaches and physical education teachers to use in lieu of a textbook in their track and field classes. The coaches diploma course includes course materials as well as an open-book test for each course and a certificate of completion and coaches diploma certification. The testing materials are provided to the coach/instructor. The coach tailors the course to fit the specific needs of the classroom.

"The coaches diploma course allows the instructor to use a computer-driven text book," said USTCA Executive Director James Carnes. "The CD-ROM format can be used at the computer lab, the classroom or the dormitory. In this manner, the student has the flexibility to access the course content without an Internet hookup, and the student merely has to carry a CD and not a heavy textbook around campus.

"The instructor can pick and choose which portions of the text to emphasize and which portions of his own theory to incorporate in his course presentation.The instructor can also decide to edit the prepared test materials to fit the specific course as it is presented in the classroom."

For more information about the program, see the USTCA Web site at www.ustrackcoaches.org.

Number crunching

Looking back

Kenyon College's men's and women's swimming and diving teams are well-known for their dynasties in the pool, but they had to end other schools' dynasties in order to begin their own.

The Kenyon Lords tied for 15th in the first Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in 1975, then placed fifth in 1976. The next three years, the Lords watched from the on-deck circle, finishing third twice and second once as Johns Hopkins University won by comfortable margins.

Kenyon then won its first of 24 straight by dethroning the Blue Jays by 46 points in 1980. Timothy Glasser won three events -- the 500-yard freestyle and the two butterfly events -- to pace the Lords' victory.

Eight different teams have finished second during Kenyon's 24-year streak and only four times has the Lords' winning margin been under 100 points.

Kenyon's Ladies finished a distant second to Williams College in the inaugural Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in 1982, then fell to fourth place in 1983 as Williams won again. But the Ladies took over the event in 1984 with a 24-point win over Hamline University while Williams finished fourth.

The 1984 championship featured Patricia Abt winning the three freestyle sprints and Lori Thompson capturing the 500-yard freestyle. Kenyon also took two of the three freestyle relays.

Abt went on to win a record 11 individual titles and swim on 12 winning relay teams for the Ladies through 1987. She was a four-time winner in two events (50- and 100-yard freestyles), also a record.

Kenyon won 17 team titles in a row before rival Denison University snapped the skein in 2001. The Ladies, however, have begun another streak by winning in 2002 and 2003.