2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Lady Cat Basketball Quick Facts / Directory Track the Lady Cats All Season At
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2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Lady Cat Basketball Quick Facts / Directory Track the Lady Cats all season at www.upj.pitt.edu/athletics LADY CAT BASKETBALL QUICK FACTS LOCATION: Johnstown, Pa. HEAD COACH: Sasha Palmer (5th year) ENROLLMENT: 3,100 ALMA MATER: Northern Michigan University (2000) PRESIDENT: Dr. Jem Spectar RECORD AT PITT-JOHNSTOWN: 59-55 (.518) ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Pat Pecora OVERALL RECORD: 59-55 (.518) 2011-2012: 37th Lady Cat Season ASSISTANT COACH: Andrea Dalton (1st year) OVERALL RECORD: 745-236 (.759) ALMA MATER: Pitt-Johnstown ARENA: Sports Center STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 2/3 COLORS: Navy Blue and Vegas Gold LETTERMEN RETURNING / LOST: 7/6 CONFERENCE: West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) LAST NCAA TOURNEY APPEARANCE: 2007 PITT-JOHNSTOWN PITT-JOHNSTOWN ATHLETIC STAFF DIRECTORY PRIMARY MEDIA OUTLETS Athletics Office Phone….. ……………..(814) 269-2000 WJAC-TV 6 SPORTS THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT Matt Maisel, Mike Tressa Chris Morelli, Mike Mastovich, Athletics Fax.. …………………………..(814) 269-2026 (814) 255-7651 Cory Isenberg Athletics Director………….…………………Pat Pecora Fax: (814) 255-7658 (814) 532-5080 Assistant Athletics Director…………….Amy Buxbaum Fax: (814) 539-1409 Sports Information Director……………..Chris Caputo SOMERSET DAILY AMERICAN ALTOONA MIRROR S.I.D. Office Phone……………………..(814) 269-2031 Sports Department Neil Rudel (800) 452-0823 (800) 222-1962 NCAA Faculty Rep……………...…… Dr. Ray Wrabley Fax: (814) 445-2935 Fax: (814) 946-7540 Athletics Secretary…………………..… Judy Blackburn WTAJ-TV 10 SPORTS BEDFORD GAZETTE Athletics Trainers……………….... Scott Mamula, Elissa Till (800) 762-6053 (814) 623-1151 Trainer’s Office Phone…...…... (814) 269-1935 or 2024 Fax: (814) 946-4763 Fax: (814) 623-5055 Equipment Mgr….Todd Williams…….. (814) 269-7170 PGH. POST-GAZETTE PGH. TRIBUNE-REVIEW Equipment Room Phone……………….(814) 269-7167 Phil Axelrod Dave Mackall (412) 263-1621 (888) 748-8742 Intramural Dir…..Elissa Till…..……….(814) 269-2024 Fax: (412) 263-1926 Fax: (412) 320-7964 Aquatics Dir……..Jamie Hedrick……... (814) 269-2006 GREENSBURG TRIBUNE-REVIEW THE ADVOCATE Pool Hotline……………………………..(814) 269-2002 Dave Mackall (Pitt-Johnstown Student Paper) (800) 690-8040 (814) 269-7470 Athletics Website…... www.upj.pitt.edu/athletics Fax: (724) 830-6285 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Chris Caputo, Sports Information Director COVER LAYOUT, DESIGN AND PHOTOS: Alice Single CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Sasha Palmer, Andrea Dalton PHOTOGRAPHY: Alice Single (Covers and Action Photos), Rick Povich, Pitt-Johnstown User Services, The Tribune-Democrat, The Advocate PRINTING: Cover: Solutionist Marketing and Print Communications Interior: Pitt-Johnstown Print Shop 1 2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Lady Cat Basketball Head Coach Sasha Palmer CAREER RECORD AT PITT-JOHNSTOWN YEAR RECORD WVIAC OVERALL PCT. 07-08 10-18 9-11 10-18 .357 08-09 18-12 14-6 28-30 .483 09-10 15-13 12-10 43-43 .500 10-11 16-12 13-9 59-55 .518 Head Coach Sasha Palmer On Aug. 1, 2007, Sasha Palmer took over the duties as Lady Cat basketball head coach. After struggling through a difficult first season, Coach Palmer led the Lady Cats to an 18-12 overall record in 2008-09 and the program’s first appearance in the WVIAC Tournament Semifinals since becoming eligible to compete for conference championships in 2007-08. Last season, the Lady Cats finished with their third straight winning season under Palmer, ending the 2010-11 campaign 16-12 overall and 13-9 in the WVIAC. Pitt-Johnstown also advanced to the WVIAC Tournament Quarterfinals in Charleston, W. Va. Prior to her arrival at Pitt-Johnstown, Coach Palmer spent four seasons as the top assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at Shippensburg University, where her duties included recruiting, working with the post players and monitoring the team’s academic progress. Coach Palmer also spent six weeks of the 2005-06 regular season as Shippensburg’s acting head coach when Kristy Trn was on maternity leave. During her tenure at Shippensburg, Coach Palmer worked with 2004 PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year and two-time All-PSAC Western Division selection Shanna Oaddams, as well as Kim Strickland, who ranked second in career blocks and sixth in career rebounds for the Lady Raiders. Palmer also coached 2007 PSAC Rookie of the Year Lauren Beckley, who led the conference in scoring as a freshman. A native of Watertown, Wis., Coach Palmer is a 2000 graduate of Northern Michigan University where she had an outstanding playing career for the Wildcats. In 1998, she led Northern Michigan to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship, the first of three-straight regional championship game appearances. As a senior in 1999-00, Coach Palmer ranked fourth in the nation in scoring at 22.7 points per game and led Division II in total points with 703. She garnered All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division first-team honors, GLIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and Second-Team Daktronics All-America honors and Honorable Mention Women’s Division II Bulletin All-American accolades. Following her career at Northern Michigan, Coach Palmer competed professionally in Europe for two years, playing for Lausanne Olympic in Switzerland (2002) and Basket Club Racing in Luxembourg (2003). While in Switzerland, she averaged 29 points and 11 rebounds per game and was selected as a European All-Star. In Luxembourg, Coach Palmer averaged 34 points and 13 rebounds per game, leading her team to the Luxembourg championship with only one loss. That year, she was selected the league’s Most Valuable Player. Coach Palmer also spent four years as a member of the four-time Women’s Eastern Basketball Alliance (WEBA) champion Harrisburg (Pa.) Horizon. In 2005, the Lady Horizon recorded the first perfect season in WEBA history, finishing the year 9-0. Four times Coach Palmer earned All-WEBA first-team honors. In 2006 and 2007, she took home WEBA Most Valuable Player honors after leading the league in scoring and rebounding in 2006 and scoring in 2007. Coach Palmer earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education/health at Northern Michigan University in 2001 and her Master of Science degree in organizational development and leadership at Shippensburg University in 2007. Coach Palmer is married to Jamal Palmer, a Mountain Cat men’s basketball assistant coach. The Palmers and their daughter Payton reside in Johnstown. 2 2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Lady Cat Basketball Asst. Coach Andrea Dalton Former Lady Cat basketball standout Andrea Dalton joins Head Coach Sasha Palmer’s staff for the 2011-12 season while she completes her Bachelor’s Degree in English Education. Dalton, a true student-athlete, excelled on the court and in the classroom in her four seasons at Pitt-Johnstown. Dalton, a two-time All- WVIAC selection, including a spot on the first-team in 2011, also garnered First-Team Daktronics All-Atlantic Region honors after leading the Lady Cats in scoring (19.4 pts.) and rebounding (8.9 rpg.) as a senior. She became Pitt- Johnstown’s 33rd 1,000-point scorer after pouring in a career-high 36 points at Glenville State (WV) College on Dec. 4, 2010. Dalton wrapped-up her stellar career ranked 11th on the Lady Cat All-Time Scoring List with 1,417 points and tied for 15th with Justine George on the all-time rebounding list with 611 rebounds. Academically, Dalton, a native of Washington, Pa. and a graduate of Trinity Area High School, was on Pitt-Johnstown’s Dean’s List every semester in college and currently has a 3.875 overall GPA. She was named to the Athletic Directors’ Honor Roll three straight years and to the WVIAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll two consecutive years. Along with being a member of several international honor societies, Dalton was also inducted Assistant Coach into the Chi Alpha Sigma National Athlete Honor Society. In 2011, Dalton earned a spot on the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Second- Andrea Dalton Team. 3 2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Lady Cat Basketball Administraon Dr. Jem Spectar was named the fifth president of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in March 2007. President Spectar, an award-winning professor, previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Western Oregon University. He received a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the University of La Verne; a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; a Jurist Doctorate in from the University of Maryland Law School, and a Master of Arts in politics and a doctorate in political science from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, Calif. President Spectar recognizes and enthusiastically celebrates our student scholar-athlete accomplishments that add value to the university and enhance campus and community pride. He has published numerous scholarly articles on international law and has made presentations on issues involving human rights, the global commons and international health. With extensive university experience, he holds membership in a number of professional organizations. Dr. Jem Spectar Pitt-Johnstown President In July 2008, Pat Pecora was named Pitt-Johnstown Athletic Director. Pecora also continues in his position as the Mountain Cats’ head wrestling coach, a duty he has held since graduating from West Liberty State (W.Va.) College in 1976. Pecora began his career at Pitt-Johnstown as the school’s head soccer and wrestling coach and a physical education instructor. His work has created a legacy that has brought national attention to the Pitt-Johnstown athletics program. In his 35 years at Pitt- Johnstown, his teams have captured a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships and 20 NCAA Regional Championships. Pecora has coached 10 individual national champions and a total of 126 All-Americans. Academically, he has tutored 89 NWCA All- Academic Wrestling Team selections. Pecora has been inducted into five Halls of Fame, including the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame.