AMCC STUDENTS EXPERIENCE NCAA CONVENTION FIRSTHAND
2/2/12

For the fourth year in a row, the AMCC has used NCAA conference grant funds to send four student-athletes to the NCAA convention for an up close and personal look at how their school, the conference, and the NCAA does business.  The contingent included (pictured L-R) D'Youville College softball player Gabrielle Lathrop, Hilbert Collect soccer player Rebecca Elensky, Franciscan University cross country runner Joey Schlueter, and Penn St. Behrend cross country runner Alex Myers.  The students arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday, January 12 and had their first taste of the size and scope of the NCAA membership when they attended the opening business session that included representatives from all three divisions.  The following day's agenda included the Division III Issues Forum, lunch with the Division III SAAC, the AMCC administrator's meeting, and finally the NCAA Honors Celebration.  Events wrapped up on Saturday with the Division III business session where delegates voted on legislative proposals.

"I loved the convention and thought it was beneficial for a student-athlete to see how everything goes on behind the scenes," said Elensky.  "The best part for me was the conference meeting because I got to hear from each school their opinions on how things should happen."
"The NCAA convention was a wonderful learning experience," commented Lathrop.  "I wish more students could go because you learn so much.  I had no idea what goes into NCAA legislation. As athletes we feel that everything should just happen instantaneously and that is not true.  there is so much that goes into Division III athletics that we do not know about and I wish more students could see all the hard work being done on our behalf"

PITT-BRADFORD ATHLETICS LAUDED FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE
2/1/12

The athletic department at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford received the Jostens Community Service Overall Winner Award from the National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators (NADIIIA) for its longstanding relationship with the CARE For Children program and other service projects.  The award was presented to Lori Mazza, director of athletics, at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.
In 2001, then-UPB head women’s basketball coach Daly Ann Fuller approached CARE with the idea of collaborating on an adaptive basketball camp to give children with motor and learning deficiencies the opportunity to play basketball. The initial camp had 20 participants. Now, 10 years later, the basketball mini camp has grown to more than 100 participants, who learn from the coaches and players on to dribble, pass and shoot.  Since then, more than 230 student-athletes in all 14 sports have offered their time and support to the CARE organization.

In addition to its work with CARE, the athletics department has taken part in many other community service projects, including serving food to needy families at the Friendship Table, participating in reading programs at local Bradford schools, raising $600 for local veterans and assisting with a veterans breakfast to honor all veterans in the campus community.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 30
1/30/12