America East Conference
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America East Conference America East in the Pros... America East Conference Several America East athletes have extended their playing careers beyond the collegiate level. Former two- Suite 860 time America East Players of the Year Craig Claxton of 10 High Street the New Orleans Hornets, and Malik Rose of the New Boston, Mass. 02110 York Knicks, helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to a World Championship in 2003. Former Hartford star Vin Baker of Houston Rockets, continued the legacy of the late Reggie Lewis, when he was selected as an NBA All-Star. In addition, three-time America East Player of America East Conference ........................... 617-695-6369 the Year Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine, each Media Contact ........................................... Heidi Anderson of whom graduated from Vermont in 2005, recently signed summer contracts with the Boston Celtics and Phone .......................................................... 617-695-6369 Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. Fax:.............................................................. 617-695-6385 America East has also been well-represented in the E-Mail [email protected] WNBA as current Hartford head coach Jennifer Rizzotti and former America East Players of the Year Cindy Web Address ..................................www.americaeast.com Blodgett (Maine), Jamie Cassidy (Maine) and Katasha Artis have played in the top womenʼs professional America East ... league. Since its modest beginning as a menʼs basketball-only conference in 1979, America Former Hartford star Jeff Bagwell of the Houston East has evolved into one of the most comprehensive NCAA Division I conferences Astros became the 35th player in Major League history with a commitment to broad-based, competitive athletics programs, complementing to hit 400 home runs when he homered in a game on the academic integrity and missions of the member institutions. July 20, 2003. Joe Nathan, who played at Stony Brook Each of the nine institutions - University at Albany, Binghamton University, Boston and is now a top reliever for the Minnesota Twins, was University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, University of Maryland, selected to the Major League All-Star game in both Baltimore County (UMBC), University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University, and 2004 and 2005. Former America East Players of the University of Vermont - offers a unique blend of academic and athletic tradition. Year Mark Sweeney (Maine) of the San Diego Padres Progressive in its approach to its more than 3,500 student-athletes, America and Kevin Mench of the Texas Rangers, are joined by East recognizes champions in each of its 22 sports: menʼs and womenʼs basketball, former all-conference player Carlos Pena of the Detroit baseball, menʼs and womenʼs cross country, fi eld hockey, menʼs and womenʼs golf, Tigers, on 2005 Major League rosters. Jay Witasick of menʼs and womenʼs indoor track and fi eld, menʼs and womenʼs lacrosse, menʼs and the San Diego Padres, who played at UMBC, is in his womenʼs outdoor track and fi eld, menʼs and womenʼs soccer, softball, menʼs and 10th season in the majors. Several other former America womenʼs swimming and diving, menʼs and womenʼs tennis, and volleyball. East players, including 11 draft choices from 2004-05, America East also conducts the nationʼs most comprehensive academic recognition are presently in the minor leagues. program for student-athletes. Nearly 1,700 student-athletes with grade-point averages Hartfordʼs Jerry Kelly, who won two PGA Tour events of 3.0 or better were honored in 2004-05 alone. in 2002, joined the tour in 1996 after turning professional With a geographic footprint covering the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the in 1989. Kelly, who has earned more than $2 million in United States, America East has a population base of more than 50 million people each of the last three seasons, is joined by former Hawk and nearly 30 million television homes. America East member institutions include golfers Tim Petrovic and Patrick Sheehan on the PGA more than 106,000 students on the nine campuses and boast nearly one million Tour. living alumni. America East also has a number of former menʼs and womenʼs soccer and menʼs lacrosse players in various Athletic Success... professional leagues, including former Boston University America East enters its 18th year of all-sports championship competition on the standout Andrew Dorman, who is in his second season heels of one of the most successful seasons in history as fi ve of its 10 team sport with the New England Revolution of the MLS. champions won at least one game in the NCAA Championship. Vermont advanced in the NCAA Menʼs Basketball Championship with a 60-57 overtime win over Syracuse History... in the fi rst round. In addition, America East sent two teams to the National Invitation To see how far America East has progressed, Tournament. Of the nationʼs 20 Division I-AA and I-AAA conferences, only fi ve placed consider the conference was established in 1979 as the as many as three menʼs basketball teams in the postseason. For only the second time ECAC North. The conference at that time consisted of in conference history, America East advanced fi ve menʼs and womenʼs basketball 10 institutions and sponsored league competition only teams combined to the postseason. in menʼs basketball, with the champion receiving an Boston University earned the highest national seeding for an America East team automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. when it entered the NCAA Womenʼs Lacrosse Championship as the No. 3 seed. The Menʼs basketball remained the lone league Terriers also enjoyed a successful menʼs soccer season, advancing to the second sport until the 1988-89 academic year. At that time, round. It marked the fourth-straight year the America East menʼs soccer champion the conferenceʼs Board of Directors made a new had won at least one game in the NCAA Championship. America East baseball commitment to an all-sports association, creating the champion Maine advanced to the NCAA Regional for the 14th time in school history, North Atlantic Conference by establishing an offi ce, defeating Southern Mississippi while falling a game short of the championship round. hiring a full-time commissioner, and embarking on a The America East fi eld hockey champion advanced to the quarterfi nals of the NCAA building program. Championship for the second time in three years. The North Atlantic Conference merged with the In addition, America East sent 42 student-athletes to the NCAA East Outdoor Track Seaboard Conference (the league in which Boston and Field Regional and saw two student-athletes compete at the both the NCAA University, Hartford, Maine, New Hampshire, and Indoor Track and Field and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Vermont, among others, competed in womenʼs basketball) in 1989 and the NAC looked to establish Academic Success... conference championships in several menʼs and America East institutions boasted six Academic All-Americans in 2004-05 while womenʼs sports. another 37 were named All-District. The conference changed its name to America East The conference also honored a top-scholar athlete in each of its 22 championship prior to the 1996-97 academic year and moved the sports. Repeat winners from 2003-04 included Andy Allstadt of the Albany menʼs cross conference headquarters to its present location in country and track and fi eld teams, Kim Corbitt of the Maine womenʼs basketball team, downtown Boston in 1997. Jill Friedman of the Albany womenʼs golf team, Adam Grossman of the UMBC menʼs In 2005, America East hired Patrick Nero, most track and fi eld teams, David Hehn of the Vermont menʼs basketball team, and Aaron recently the Director of Athletics at Maine, as the Izaryk of the Maine baseball team. conferenceʼs third commissioner. Nearly 1,700 of America Eastʼs 3,500 student-athletes were named to the Academic Honor Roll after receiving grade-point averages of 3.0 or better. Included in that total were 753 student-athletes who earned a 3.5 or better. 2005 Stony Brook Men’s Soccer • 37 President Shirley Strum Kenny established the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates Dr. Shirley Strum in the Research University to create a new model of undergraduate education for the major research universities. She is also committed to strengthening relations with business and involving the University KENNY deeply in community affairs. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT She serves as a member of the boards of Toys “R” Us, Computer 11TH YEAR Associates International, the Chase Manhattan Metropolitan Advisory Board, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York, the Long Island As- B.A. - University of Texas sociation, the Institute for Community Development, and the Long M.A. - University of Minnesota Island Research Institute. She has previously served as vice chair Ph.D - Unviersity of Chicago of the Marland Humanities Council, chair of the Folger Shakespeare Shirley Strum Kenny has combined a teaching Library Institute Central Execution Committee, and research career with administration leader- steering committee member of the executive ship. Dr. Kenny is widely recognized for initia- board of the American Society for Eighteenth- tives to build bridges between the academic Century Studies, board member of the Ameri- and business communities and has also been can Handel Society, chair of the AAc&U, and active in business and education collaborations board member of the Carnegie Foundation for on workforce issues. the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Kenny taught at the University of Texas, She has published five books and Gallaudet College, the Catholic University of numerous articles on Restoration and eigh- America, The University of Delaware and The teenth-century British drama. Her two-volume University of Maryland. While At Maryland, she scholarly edition of The Works of George served as Chair of the Department of English Farquhar was published by Oxford University and Provost of Arts and Humanities. She be- Press, and she is now editing The Plays of came President of Queens College in 1985 George Etherege for the same press.