Four schools in the University Athletic Association have been honored by the National Soccer Coaches of America Association for having men's and women's teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
The schools are: Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve, the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester.
The Brandeis women's team also was honored.
Complete list of teams honored.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Holiday Greetings From Honey and Me
Monday, December 20, 2010
Soccer Honors for UAA Players
Brandeis: Four players from Brandeis' women's soccer team have been named to the All-New England soccer team. Taryn Martiniello earned second team honors, and Sofia Vallone, Tiffany Pacheco and Alanna Torre were named to the third team. Read more.
Carnegie Mellon: Elsa Wu was named to the All Great Lakes Region soccer team, and three men's players were honored. Matt Betzig and Zach Stahl were named to the second team, and Moni Sallam was named to the third team. Read more.
Case Western Reserve: Forward Vinny Bell was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more.
Emory: Sophomore Andrew Natalino was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more. Freshman Lauren Gorodetsky was named to the second team. Read more.
NYU: Men's soccer players Nick Coulson and Kyle Green were named to the second team of the All East Region. Read more.
University of Rochester: Ellen Coleman was named to the second team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Women’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more.
University of Chicago: Senior defender Claire Denz Ellen Coleman was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Women’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more.
Washington University: Senior Harry Beddo was named a first team All-American on the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III team. Read more. Emma Brown and Lee Ann Fielder were named to the second team All-Central Region. Read more.
Carnegie Mellon: Elsa Wu was named to the All Great Lakes Region soccer team, and three men's players were honored. Matt Betzig and Zach Stahl were named to the second team, and Moni Sallam was named to the third team. Read more.
Case Western Reserve: Forward Vinny Bell was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more.
Emory: Sophomore Andrew Natalino was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more. Freshman Lauren Gorodetsky was named to the second team. Read more.
NYU: Men's soccer players Nick Coulson and Kyle Green were named to the second team of the All East Region. Read more.
University of Chicago: Senior defender Claire Denz Ellen Coleman was named to the third team of the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Women’s NCAA Division III All-America Team. Read more.
Washington University: Senior Harry Beddo was named a first team All-American on the NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s NCAA Division III team. Read more. Emma Brown and Lee Ann Fielder were named to the second team All-Central Region. Read more.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wash U No. 1, Emory No. 6 in Director's Cup
Washington University is No. 1 in the fall Director's Cup standings, and Emory is No. 6. See how the other UAA schools fared. Fall standings
Thursday, December 9, 2010
What's Wrong with 'College Sports'?
When you consider the overall landscape of "college sports," that phrase conjures up mostly an image of big-time, big-money Division I football and basketball.
They produce the most revenue, the most media coverage and the most fans, by far and away over any other element of "college sports." When you consider, however, the thousands of college students who compete in Division III, Division II and what are considered the "lesser" sports in Division I, the number of college students in D! football and basketball is only a handful.
Of course this missperception about college sports is unfair. It is unfair to student athletes, coaches, administrators and family and friends. And it is almost exclusively caused by money and media.
One model to consider in trying to imagine the real form of college athletics is a kind of college sports food pyramid.
The base would include Division III sports, where no scholarships are offered, student athletes are generally treated the same as the overall school population, and little if no revenue is generated. There will be media attention in smaller cities and towns where professional teams and Division I programs don't dominate the community consciousness.
Division II programs would comprise the next level. Scholarships are offered, though on a smaller scale than in Division I; and maximum participation for as many students is encouraged. As with Division I, media attention and fan enthusiasm varies widely based on the overall sports environment in the community.
The top of the pyramid includes layers of Division I athletics. In general, the student athletes are the most accomplished in their sport of any student athletes in the country. The highest level of competition is very competitive indeed. But there are lower level programs and athletes who are not nearly as skilled as those in the top echelon and who would be better suited to compete in Division II or III.
At the pinnacle are Division I football and basketball.
So what's wrong with college sports? It's a question that university presidents and professors and boards of trustees have been trying to answer for at least 100 years.
Dick Rasmussen, who has been the executive director of the University Athletic Association since its creation in June 1986, wrote his doctoral dissertation about the formation of the conference, and it includes a history of intercollegiate athletics in the United States. It also includes a history of the many attempts by university administrations and educational foundations to evaluate the role and practice of intercollegiate sports and to recommend adjustments to sports programs.
What's interesting is how long colleges and foundations and the NCAA have been asking the same question. Here are some highlights drawn from Dick Rasmussen's thesis (pdf), "The Role of Intercollegiate Athletics in the Academy — A Case Study of the Formation of the University Athletic Association," and some more recent examples.
• 1882: Harvard creates a Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports.
• 1905: Under threat from President Theodore Roosevelt, 62 schools form the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States to establish policies and procedures. The organization becomes the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.
• 1929: The Carnegie Foundation publishes a "The Growth of College Athletics" by Howard J. Savage.
• 1950s: The American Council of Education forms a committee of college and university chief executives to make recommendations about college athletics.
• 1979: The Educational Record publishes results of an American Council of Education inquiry into the conduct of college athletics. The report urged more involvement by boards, presidents and athletic directors.
• 1991: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics releases a report entitled"Keeping Faith With the Student-Athlete: A New Model for Intercollegiate Athletics."
• 2004: The boards of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) published guidelines for the oversight of college athletics.
• 2010: The Knight commission releases another report, entitled "Restoring the Balance," that recommends more openness in college athletics financing and modifying how revenue is distributed. And it urged that athletes be treated as students, not professionals. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the report was prompted in part by statistics showing that from 2005 to 2008, median spending on athletics at most of the public institutions in Division I-A jumped 38 percent, to $84,446 per athlete. Academic spending per student during that same period, in the meantime, grew by 21 percent, to $13,349.
They produce the most revenue, the most media coverage and the most fans, by far and away over any other element of "college sports." When you consider, however, the thousands of college students who compete in Division III, Division II and what are considered the "lesser" sports in Division I, the number of college students in D! football and basketball is only a handful.
Of course this missperception about college sports is unfair. It is unfair to student athletes, coaches, administrators and family and friends. And it is almost exclusively caused by money and media.
One model to consider in trying to imagine the real form of college athletics is a kind of college sports food pyramid.
The base would include Division III sports, where no scholarships are offered, student athletes are generally treated the same as the overall school population, and little if no revenue is generated. There will be media attention in smaller cities and towns where professional teams and Division I programs don't dominate the community consciousness.
Division II programs would comprise the next level. Scholarships are offered, though on a smaller scale than in Division I; and maximum participation for as many students is encouraged. As with Division I, media attention and fan enthusiasm varies widely based on the overall sports environment in the community.
The top of the pyramid includes layers of Division I athletics. In general, the student athletes are the most accomplished in their sport of any student athletes in the country. The highest level of competition is very competitive indeed. But there are lower level programs and athletes who are not nearly as skilled as those in the top echelon and who would be better suited to compete in Division II or III.
At the pinnacle are Division I football and basketball.
So what's wrong with college sports? It's a question that university presidents and professors and boards of trustees have been trying to answer for at least 100 years.
Dick Rasmussen, who has been the executive director of the University Athletic Association since its creation in June 1986, wrote his doctoral dissertation about the formation of the conference, and it includes a history of intercollegiate athletics in the United States. It also includes a history of the many attempts by university administrations and educational foundations to evaluate the role and practice of intercollegiate sports and to recommend adjustments to sports programs.
What's interesting is how long colleges and foundations and the NCAA have been asking the same question. Here are some highlights drawn from Dick Rasmussen's thesis (pdf), "The Role of Intercollegiate Athletics in the Academy — A Case Study of the Formation of the University Athletic Association," and some more recent examples.
• 1882: Harvard creates a Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports.
• 1905: Under threat from President Theodore Roosevelt, 62 schools form the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States to establish policies and procedures. The organization becomes the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.
• 1929: The Carnegie Foundation publishes a "The Growth of College Athletics" by Howard J. Savage.
• 1950s: The American Council of Education forms a committee of college and university chief executives to make recommendations about college athletics.
• 1979: The Educational Record publishes results of an American Council of Education inquiry into the conduct of college athletics. The report urged more involvement by boards, presidents and athletic directors.
• 1991: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics releases a report entitled"Keeping Faith With the Student-Athlete: A New Model for Intercollegiate Athletics."
• 2004: The boards of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) published guidelines for the oversight of college athletics.
• 2010: The Knight commission releases another report, entitled "Restoring the Balance," that recommends more openness in college athletics financing and modifying how revenue is distributed. And it urged that athletes be treated as students, not professionals. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the report was prompted in part by statistics showing that from 2005 to 2008, median spending on athletics at most of the public institutions in Division I-A jumped 38 percent, to $84,446 per athlete. Academic spending per student during that same period, in the meantime, grew by 21 percent, to $13,349.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Emory Joins Brandeis in Basketball Top 25
• Men's basketball: Emory (6-0) has joined Brandeis (8-0) in the latest (Dec. 7, 2010) D3 men's basketball poll. Last week, the University of Chicago upset Illinois Wesleyan, which dropped from No. 2 to No. 10. NYU's men's team also received 29 votes.
• Women's basketball: Washington University (5-1) remained No. 6 in this week's poll (Dec. 7), and the University of Rochester (6-1) moved up one spot to No. 11.
D3hoops.com Top 25 Polls
UAA Men's Basketball Schedule and Scores
UAA Women's Basketball Schedule and Scores
• Swimming: Four women's teams from the University Athletic Association are ranked in the latest (Nov. 10, 2010) college swimming coaches poll, including Emory at No. 1. On the men's side, five UAA teams are ranked.
TYR/CSCAA DI, II and III Polls (PDF)
• UAA Men's Swimming and Diving
• UAA Women's Swimming and Diving
• Volleyball: In the final AVCA poll (Nov. 23, 2010), Emory was ranked No. 2; Washington University No. 3; and NYU No. 12.
Final AVCA Division III Volleyball Poll
• Women's basketball: Washington University (5-1) remained No. 6 in this week's poll (Dec. 7), and the University of Rochester (6-1) moved up one spot to No. 11.
D3hoops.com Top 25 Polls
UAA Men's Basketball Schedule and Scores
UAA Women's Basketball Schedule and Scores
• Swimming: Four women's teams from the University Athletic Association are ranked in the latest (Nov. 10, 2010) college swimming coaches poll, including Emory at No. 1. On the men's side, five UAA teams are ranked.
TYR/CSCAA DI, II and III Polls (PDF)
• UAA Men's Swimming and Diving
• UAA Women's Swimming and Diving
• Volleyball: In the final AVCA poll (Nov. 23, 2010), Emory was ranked No. 2; Washington University No. 3; and NYU No. 12.
Final AVCA Division III Volleyball Poll
'The RV Whisperer' - Episode I
When I worked at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I was pretty much a khakis, blue shirt, dirty bucks kind of guy. That outfit, along with a blue blazer, served well for any occasion -- funeral, wedding, dinner with my mom.
RV'ing presents a different kind of sartorial challenge, and it can lead a person to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.
At the beginning of my fall trek across the East and Midwest, I encamped for several days at the Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Park in Jersey City, N.J. They claim to be the closest RV park to Manhattan, and I don't doubt it. You can walk five blocks to catch a PATH train at Grove Street and be in the West Village in about 15 minutes. Or you could take the green line north to Hoboken.
Anyway, I've wasted enough of your time without getting to the punchline.
Truth is, I went to the city one day, wearing my hiking boots and dark socks. When I got back to Honey hours later, my feet hurt and I took off the boots. Then I needed to visit the facilities. I put my sandals on and walked across the parking lot. Before I could say "Bob's Your Uncle," I had crossed the line of wearing socks with sandals. Dark socks.
Looking back, I think it's really a good thing. Made sense, makes sense. Another RV lesson learned.
This blog entry is based on research for my book about the University Athletic Association.
Please email me at kevinsquieraustin@gmail.com with the names of UAA athletes from 1987 to the present who have significant career, personal and community accomplishments since graduation.
Copyright 2010, Kevin S. Austin
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Nerdy Nine
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was one of the founding members of the University Athletic Association in 1987.
The school's athletic director at the time was Bob Scott, who had coached lacrosse at Johns Hopkins from 1955 to 1974 and won seven national championships. Bob Scott also wrote "Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition," which was published Oct. 1, 1976. It is considered to be the best instructional book ever about lacrosse.
Lacrosse is king at Johns Hopkins, where simply fielding a team is not the goal, where simply fielding a competitive team is not the goal. Year in and year out, the goal of the Johns Hopkins lacrosse program is to compete for and win national championships. The men's team has won 44 national championships since first competing in 1892. The women's team has won three.
Partly because of the travel costs associated with the UAA and partly because of a dedication to Division I lacrosse, Johns Hopkins dropped out of the conference after the 2000-01 athletic seasons. The Blue Jays joined the Division III Centennial Conference, which also includes Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, Franklin and Marshall, Haverford, Gettysburg, Washington College,, Dickinson, Bryn Mawr and McDaniel.
In lacrosse, however, Johns Hopkins competes in Division I. NCAA rules allow D3 schools to compete and offer scholarships in one men's sport and one women's sport, except football and basketball. Other D3 schools with one Division I program are Colorado College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in men's ice hockey.
Tim Downes, the athletics director at Emory University, served as an associate AD at Johns Hopkins from 1995 to 1999. Steve Duncan, the new head baseball coach at Washington University, was an assistant baseball coach at Johns Hopkins from 2008 to 2010.
The UAA has several nicknames. The "Traveling Conference" and the "Airplane Conference" refer to the fact that UAA athletic teams have to fly to a majority of their conference games. Of course, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Rochester are within "bus and van" distance, which is how the vast majority of the 450 Division II teams travel.
The "Geek League," another nickname, however, is all about the tendency of UAA athletes to major in subjects such as microbiology, biochemistry or computer engineering. And why shouldn't they? UAA schools are among the most elite academic universities in the country, and most offer a full menu of options for academic pursuits. But the sciences and engineering stand out.
While doing research for my book about the UAA, I visited Brandeis University in October 2010 and stopped at the Rose Art Museum. The Rose is known for its collection of contemporary and modern art. When I told the student who was working at the entrance desk why I was at Brandeis on that fall afternoon, she said, "Oh, you're writing about the 'Nerdy Nine'." That was the first time I had heard that particular nickname.
Apparently the alliteration and cleverness of it has outlasted the fact that Johns Hopkins dropped out.
This blog entry is based on research for my book about the University Athletic Association.
Please email me at kevinsquieraustin@gmail.com with the names of UAA athletes from 1987 to the present who have significant career, personal and community accomplishments since graduation.
Copyright 2010, Kevin S. Austin
The school's athletic director at the time was Bob Scott, who had coached lacrosse at Johns Hopkins from 1955 to 1974 and won seven national championships. Bob Scott also wrote "Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition," which was published Oct. 1, 1976. It is considered to be the best instructional book ever about lacrosse.
Lacrosse is king at Johns Hopkins, where simply fielding a team is not the goal, where simply fielding a competitive team is not the goal. Year in and year out, the goal of the Johns Hopkins lacrosse program is to compete for and win national championships. The men's team has won 44 national championships since first competing in 1892. The women's team has won three.
Partly because of the travel costs associated with the UAA and partly because of a dedication to Division I lacrosse, Johns Hopkins dropped out of the conference after the 2000-01 athletic seasons. The Blue Jays joined the Division III Centennial Conference, which also includes Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, Franklin and Marshall, Haverford, Gettysburg, Washington College,, Dickinson, Bryn Mawr and McDaniel.
In lacrosse, however, Johns Hopkins competes in Division I. NCAA rules allow D3 schools to compete and offer scholarships in one men's sport and one women's sport, except football and basketball. Other D3 schools with one Division I program are Colorado College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in men's ice hockey.
Tim Downes, the athletics director at Emory University, served as an associate AD at Johns Hopkins from 1995 to 1999. Steve Duncan, the new head baseball coach at Washington University, was an assistant baseball coach at Johns Hopkins from 2008 to 2010.
The UAA has several nicknames. The "Traveling Conference" and the "Airplane Conference" refer to the fact that UAA athletic teams have to fly to a majority of their conference games. Of course, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Rochester are within "bus and van" distance, which is how the vast majority of the 450 Division II teams travel.
The "Geek League," another nickname, however, is all about the tendency of UAA athletes to major in subjects such as microbiology, biochemistry or computer engineering. And why shouldn't they? UAA schools are among the most elite academic universities in the country, and most offer a full menu of options for academic pursuits. But the sciences and engineering stand out.
While doing research for my book about the UAA, I visited Brandeis University in October 2010 and stopped at the Rose Art Museum. The Rose is known for its collection of contemporary and modern art. When I told the student who was working at the entrance desk why I was at Brandeis on that fall afternoon, she said, "Oh, you're writing about the 'Nerdy Nine'." That was the first time I had heard that particular nickname.
Apparently the alliteration and cleverness of it has outlasted the fact that Johns Hopkins dropped out.
This blog entry is based on research for my book about the University Athletic Association.
Please email me at kevinsquieraustin@gmail.com with the names of UAA athletes from 1987 to the present who have significant career, personal and community accomplishments since graduation.
Copyright 2010, Kevin S. Austin
Saturday, December 4, 2010
UAA Teams Ranked in Swimming/Diving Polls
Four women's teams from the University Athletic Association are ranked in the latest (Nov. 10, 2010) college swimming coaches poll, including Emory at No. 1. On the men's side, five UAA teams are ranked.
TYR/CSCAA DI, II and III Polls (PDF)
• UAA Men's Swimming and Diving
• UAA Women's Swimming and Diving
TYR/CSCAA DI, II and III Polls (PDF)
• UAA Men's Swimming and Diving
• UAA Women's Swimming and Diving
UAA Schools in Latest Basketball Polls
Brandeis University is the only UAA school in the latest (Nov. 30) D3 men's basketball poll.
NABC D3 Men's Basketball Poll
Two UAA schools, Washington University and the University of Rochester, are ranked in the latest (Nov. 30) D3 women's basketball poll.
WBCA D3 Women's Basketball Poll
UAA Men's Basketball Schedule and Scores
UAA Women's Basketball Schedule and Scores
NABC D3 Men's Basketball Poll
Two UAA schools, Washington University and the University of Rochester, are ranked in the latest (Nov. 30) D3 women's basketball poll.
WBCA D3 Women's Basketball Poll
UAA Men's Basketball Schedule and Scores
UAA Women's Basketball Schedule and Scores
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