On Campus -
Stories
December
13, 2002 Vol. 55, No. 25
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED FOR COMMITTEE ON JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH
Faculty and staff are invited to join the Drake University Planning Committee
for the Support of Juvenile Diabetes Research. The committee, which also will
include students, will organize the Drake community's efforts to raise funds for
juvenile diabetes research and to participate in the Walk to Cure Diabetes on
Saturday, March 1, 2003
"We welcome anyone who's interested in helping with this effort," said
Don Adams, chair of the committee and executive assistant to the president for
community and alumni affairs. "Drake is proud to be supporting the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation, which has provided more than $500 million to diabetes
research worldwide."
Approximately 16 million Americans suffer from diabetes, including hundreds of
thousands of children affected with this lifelong disease.
Faculty and staff members interested in serving on Drake's committee should contact
Adams at x2191 or don.adams@drake.edu.
The first meeting of the committee will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23,
in room 132 of Olmsted Center.
DRAKE
HOPES TO PACK THE POUND TOMORROW
Pack the Pound offers a day of food, basketball and family fun with the Drake
men's and women's basketball teams this Saturday, Dec. 14.
The women's basketball team will take on the University of Wisconsin at 2:05 p.m.
in the Drake Knapp Center.
Following the women's game, Dinner with the Dogs will be held at 4:30 p.m. in
the Bell Center gym. The event will feature Drake coaches and athletes, food and
festivities for children.
After the dinner, the men's basketball team will play Western Illinois University
at 7:05 p.m. at the Drake Knapp Center.
A ticket to a game or the dinner costs $5 if purchased before 5 p.m. today (Dec.
13). Children under 15 are admitted free to the games. To order tickets, call
xDOGS. After 5 p.m. today, tickets to the games are regular price and the dinner
tickets are $10.
ADAMS
JOINS DES MOINES OPERATION WEED AND SEED COMMITTEE
Don Adams, executive assistant to the president for community and alumni affairs,
has been appointed to serve on the Des Moines Operation Weed and Seed Committee,
as the program recently was expanded to include the Drake neighborhood.
Weed and Seed, which was initiated by the United States Department of Justice
in 1991, works to help communities reduce negative elements and increase positive
influences through a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to crime prevention,
law enforcement and community revitalization.
In July of 2002, Weed and Seed extended its boundaries to include nine new neighborhood
associations in Des Moines, including Carpenter, Drake, Drake Park and Kirkwood
Glen. The new Des Moines borders are the Des Moines River on the east, Hickman
Road on the north and Interstate 235 on the south. The western boundary is 28th
Street south of University Avenue and 30th Street north of University Avenue.
The program's strategy is to "weed" out problems such as violent crime,
gang activity and drug trafficking in designated areas, and "seed" the
areas through provision of human services and initiation of neighborhood revitalization
projects. Weed and Seed has four components: law enforcement; community policing;
prevention, intervention and treatment; and neighborhood restoration.
"The program plays an important role in building our community," said
Adams. "I'm pleased that the University is involved with it."
SPONSOR
ANNOUNCED FOR MVC TOURNAMENT AT DRAKE
Drake University athletics director Dave Blank disclosed Thursday that the Greater
Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau will serve as presenting sponsor for
the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament that will
be held at the Drake Knapp Center March 13-15.
"There are a lot of positive things happening in Des Moines," said Greg
Edwards, president of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitor's Bureau "Drake
University is such an economic generator for the community that it is time that
we step us to the plate and support Drake.
"We're impressed with the leadership of Drake athletics under Dave Blank
and we want to be a big partner. This tournament should bring in three to four
thousand people outside of the Des Moines area and that is huge."
This will mark the third time the Drake Knapp Center has been the site of the
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Drake served as host of the 1996 and 1999
MVC Tournaments.
"This is an exciting day for Drake women's basketball and the Missouri Valley
Conference," said MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. "We're excited about
this partnership and the vision Greg Edwards has to help make this tournament
successful.
The tournament consists of seven games featuring the top eight teams in the Missouri
Valley Conference. Four quarterfinal round games will be played on Thursday, March
13 followed by two semifinal round contests March 14 with the championship game
March 15.
Tickets for the three-day tournament are $30 for all seat locations. Individual
session tickets are $15 and sold only on the day of the session. For more information,
call the Drake Athletic Ticket Office at xDOGS.
SAHAG
NAMED TO COLLEGIATE SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Drake senior defender Matt Sahag (Caledonia, Ill./Boylan Rockford) has been selected
to the third team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas
Men's Collegiate Scholar All-America Team.
To be considered for the team, athletes must be a junior or senior with at least
a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and start in at least 50 percent of the
team's matches.
This marks Sahag's fourth academic award this season. He was named to the second
team of the Verizon Academic All-America Men's Soccer University Division Team,
the Verizon Academic All-District VII Men's Soccer Team, and the Missouri Valley
Conference Scholar Athlete Team.
Sahag, a finance major, scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory at Evansville Oct.
18, which vaulted the Bulldogs to a school record seven-game undefeated streak
and earned him MVC player of the week honors.
BENNETT
EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION AS 'PLAYER TO WATCH'
Drake senior center Carla Bennett (Omaha, Neb.) has been identified as a "Player
to Watch" for the second annual Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented
annually to the nation's senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men's and
women's basketball.
The list of women's "Players to Watch" include representatives from
15 conferences, eight of which have multiple players on the list.
Selection criteria is based on a number of factors, the most important being that
the recipient must have exhausted his or her four years of eligibility and have
fulfilled his or her commitment to the university they attend. In addition, the
recipient must be working toward a degree, be in good academic standing and be
of sound moral character.
The performances of the "Players to Watch" for both men and women will
be tracked during the season. From that pool of players, a national committee
of sportscasters and sportswriters who cover college basketball on the Division
I level will select 10 finalists.
The names of these finalists will appear on the official ballot during the national
voting process in March. The selection of the men's and women's award winner will
be based on the cumulative ballots of the national media committee and Division
I college basketball coaches. The winner will be announced during the respective
NCAA Final Four events in March.
Bennett, a three-time first team all-Missouri Valley Conference performer, is
averaging team-highs of 15.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. She also was named
a preseason high honorable mention All-America pick by Street & Smith's this
season.
WOMEN'S
SOCCER NAMED NO. 1 FIRST YEAR DIVISION I PROGRAM
The Drake women's soccer team has been named the No. 1 first year program in Division
I soccer by Soccer Buzz magazine. The Bulldogs were also highlighted by Soccer
Buzz pre-season, being chosen as the No. 15th ranked recruiting class in the Great
Lakes Region.
The Bulldogs top the list of seven first-year programs, followed by Gardner-Webb,
IPFW, Austin Peay, Prairie View A&M, Delaware State and Jackson State.
"It's very nice to be honored with such an award," said Drake head coach
Corbin Stone. "Everyone, players and staff alike, worked very hard to make
this a successful first year. Our 15 freshmen will look back on this year and
this award as recognition of their efforts, but more importantly as an indication
of their potential."
Drake finished its inaugural season with an 8-8-4 overall record, including a
2-3-2 mark in the MVC to earn a sixth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference
for a spot in the MVC Tournament. Drake fell to 2001 MVC tournament champion Evansville
in the quarterfinal round, 1-0.
Freshman forward Andrea Schmitz (Englewood, Colo.) was selected as the MVC Freshman
of the Year after leading the league in goals (10) and assists (eight) to become
only the second freshman in MVC history to lead the league in scoring (28 points).
OVERTON,
VANDEVER EARN 1ST ALL-AMERICAN GRID HONORS
Drake senior quarterback Ira Vandever (Florissant, Mo/McCluer North) and senior
receiver Aaron Overton (St. Louis, Mo./Principia) head The Sports Network 2002
I-AA Mid-Major All-American Team selected by NCAA I-AA media and sports information
directors covering the MAAC, NEC and Pioneer Football Leagues.
Vandever, a two-time first-team All-Pioneer Football League performer, threw for
3,239 passing yards and 32 touchdowns.
Overton, on the receiving end of Vandever's passes, totaled 1,180 yards with 68
receptions and 12 touchdowns. Overton also was named to the All-Pioneer Football
League team.
Vandever, a four-year starter, set 15 records this past season, while Overton,
another four-year starter, set nine school marks this past season.
All 26 players selected for the Sports Network 2002 I-AA Mid-Major All-American
team are automatically nominated for the NCAA I-AA-wide All-American team, to
be disclosed Dec. 13.
CORRECTION
The two men's basketball players pictured with Earvin "Magic" Johnson
in the Dec. 6 issue of On Campus should have been identified as Marcin Konarzewski
and Shaun Wumkes.
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