W-Club Newsletter Layout
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
N e w s l e t t e r A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e A l u m n i W - C l u b Western Kentucky University’s Of cial Alumni Athletic Letterwinners Organization Vol. 9, No. 1 / June, 2012 The New Hilltopper Head Basketball Coaches & Athletics Director ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¡ ¥ ¦ § Men’s Women’s ¥ © ¤ ¦ ¡ © Basketball Basketball ¨ Ray Michelle Harper Clark-Heard Ray Harper was named Hilltopper bas- Former Lady Topper Michelle Clark- Todd Stewart, a member of WKU's se- ketball head coach Feb. 19 after serving as Heard — a former head coach at Kentucky nior athletic staff for the past four years interim head coach since Jan. 6. State who has since helped lead Louisville and a 25-year veteran of collegiate and In his 4th season on the Hill, he was to national prominence — was named the professional sports, was named Hilltop- asked to take over the program 16 games 15th head coach in WKU women’s bas- per Director of Athletics May 9 after serv- into the 2011-12 campaign. The Toppers, ketball history March 22. ing as the interim AD since March 22. 5-11 at the time, went 11-8 the rest of the She was part of 4 NCAA Tournament Stewart’s resume features: way, including a 7-0 run to close the regu- teams as a player at WKU, and has been • WKU Senior Associate Athletic Director lar season, win the Sun Belt Tournament an assistant coach with 7 other NCAA (2010-12); and a game in the NCAA Tourney. Tournament teams. • WKU Associate Athletic Director for Harper’s head coaching resume in- Clark-Heard spent the last 5 years as Communications and Media Relations cludes 4 national championships in 12 an assistant at Louisville. Those teams (2008-10); seasons at Kentucky Wesleyan and Okla- made 3 Sweet 16 appearances and was • Associate Commissioner for Communi- homa City, 5 national runner-up ! nishes, the NCAA runner-up in 2009. She was in- cations at the Sun Belt Conference (2005- 8 conference titles, 5 national coach-of- strumental in bringing in the 12th ranked 08); the-year honors and a remarkable .844 recruiting class in 2008, then followed • Executive Director of Communications winning percentage (342-63). In his 9 with 3 consecutive Top 10 classes. and Media Relations for the Cleveland years at Wesleyan, he set 7 NCAA coach- She went to Louisville after 2 seasons Browns (1999-05); and ing records (all better than the Division I as head coach at Kentucky State, rejoining • Assistsant Director of Public Relations record numbers), including fastest to 200 UofL Coach Jeff Walz (a former Topper for the Indianapolis Colts (1991-99). wins (224 games) and most consecutive aide) after working 3 years with him at As Interim AD, he was responsible for 30-win seasons (6). In 2003, he became Nebraska under former WKU head coach the day-to-day operation of WKU's ath- the 1st head coach since John Wooden to Paul Sanderford. Before taking the posi- letic department, its 19 varsity sports, appear in 6-straight NCAA title games. tion at KSU, she spent 3 seasons at Cincin- 400-plus student-athletes and employees. After winning his 2nd-straight NAIA nati after 4 years at Nebraska. As Senior Associate Athletic Director, Division I national crown at OCU in 2008, A 4-year letterwinner at WKU (1987- Stewart served as second-in-command in Harper came to The Hill and helped lead 90), Clark-Heard played on 4 NCAA the department and assisted in the devel- WKU to 20-win seasons in 2008-09 and tourney teams and helped the Lady Top- opment of strategic initiatives and as an 2009-10, including the ‘09 SBC regular pers win 2 Sun Belt Tournament champi- advisor to AD Ross Bjork. He also assisted season and tourney titles and a run to the onships (‘88 and ‘89) and 2 league regular in the management of football, men’s bas- 2nd round in the NCAA Tournament. season titles (‘89 and ‘90). In 118 games, ketball, women’s basketball and baseball; In 2008, Wesleyan retired a jersey in his she totaled 790 points and 615 rebounds and, he worked with external relations honor and named the Jones Gym " oor for teams that won 89 games and posted including ticket sales, development, IMG “Ray Harper Court.” In 2010, he was three 20-win seasons. and marketing to create plans for revenue named to KWC’s All-Century Team. After graduation, she spent 8 years in growth and new forms of communica- A 1985 KWC graduate, he was a 2-year a recreation, 5 in Bowling Green and 3 in tion. Meanwhile, Stewart continued to starter (and All-America guard) after Louisville. In 1994-95, she was JV coach oversee communications and managed transferring from Texas where he was the and assistant varsity coach at Manual HS; the department responsible for generat- 1981 Southwest Conference Rookie of the and, she played pro ball with the Ken- ing media exposure for The University’s Year. Harper scored 1,187 college points tucky Marauders of the WBA. 19 sports. and had 605 assists. He scored 3,033 The Louisville native earned Kentucky Stewart, a 1988 graduate of Miami points at Bremen (Ky.) HS, earning all- prep Player of the Year honors in 1986, (Ohio), was a graduate assistant in sports state honors as a senior. Harper, who has starring at Atherton HS. She was induct- information at Tennessee from 1988-90. a master’s degree from WKU (‘95), and ed into the AHS Hall of Fame in 2003 and A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he and his his wife, Shannon, live in Bowling Green. married Luther Heard Aug. 16, 2003. wife, Rebecca, have one son, Blake (11). Monteka FlowersWes Jefferies Marion Kandie David Mokone Jade Nimmo Mallory Outerbridge Baseball Bobby Rainey / Sr., RB / (1st team; Capitol One Academic All-District 2 All-Sun Belt Conference Team Offensive Player of the Year) Mallory Outerbridge / Sr., F (2nd team) Scott Wilcox / So., Inf (2nd team) Adam Smith / Jr., OL (2nd team) Ali Stahlke / Jr., D ((1st Team) Sun Belt All-Tournament Team Quanterus Smith / Jr., DL (2nd team) Men’s Swimming Jared Andreoli / Sr., OF Phil Steele’s Football All-Sun Belt Team CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Derrius Brooks / Sr., DB (2nd team) Capital One Academic All-District 2 All-America Team Sean Conway / So., OL (3rd team) Ivan Hartle / Sr., Inf (1st team) Adam Dajka / Sr., BK-FR (hm) Jack Doyle / Jr., TE (2nd team) Kevin Knezevich / Sr., FS-Fly (hm) John Evans / Fr., KORs (3rd team) Men’s Basketball Billy Kunkel / Jr., Free (hm) Andrew Jackson / So., LB (1st team) All-Sun Belt Conference Team Luke Musser / Jr., BR-IM (hm) Wes Jefferies / Sr., OL (1st team) Derrick Gordon / Fr., G (3rd team) Seth Musser / Fr., BK-IM (hm) Kareem Peterson / Jr., DB (2nd team) Sun Belt All-Tournament Team Heitor Rodrigues / So., Fly-FR (hm) Bobby Rainey / Sr., RB / (1st team) George Fant / Fr., F-C (MVP) Adam Smith / Jr., OL (1st team) All-Sun Belt Team (top 3 SBC " nishers) Derrick Gordon / Fr., G Quanterus Smith / Jr., DL (2nd team) Drew Cato / Fr. (800FSR, 2nd) Kahlil McDonald / Sr., G Adam Dajka / Jr. (200FS, First; 500FS, Ky. Pro Football Hall of Fame 3rd; 800FSR, 2nd) Women’s Basketball All-Commonwealth Team Chris Housden / Sr. (100BK, 3rd; All-Sun Belt Conference Team Derrius Brooks / Sr., DB (hm) 400MR, First) LaTeira Owens / Sr., F (3rd team) Jack Doyle / Jr., TE (1st team) Kevin Knezevich / Sr. (400FSR, 2nd; John Evans / Fr., KORs (hm) 100BF, 2nd; 400MR, First) Men’s Cross Country Wes Jefferies / Sr., OL (1st team) Billy Kunkel / Jr. (100BR, First; 100FS, All-Sun Belt Conference Team Bobby Rainey / Sr. RB (1st team; 2nd; 400FSR, 2nd; 50FS, 3rd; 200MR, Kyle Chettleburgh / Jr. (9th) Offensive Player of the Year) First; 800FSR, 2nd) David Mokone / Fr. (4th) Quanterus Smith / Jr., DL (1st team) Peter Okwera / Fr. (5th) Luke Musser / Jr. (200BR, 2nd; 100BR, Deus Rwaheru / Sr. (2nd) CFPA National RB of the Week (Oct. 23) 2nd; 400MR, First; 200MR, First) Bobby Rainey / Sr. RB Seth Musser / Fr. (200BK, 2nd; 200MR, Sun Belt Freshman of the Year First; 800FSR, 2nd) David Mokone / Fr. Capitol One Academic All-District 2 Jack Doyle / Jr., TE (1st team) Jim Ritter / Sr. (1mDiv, 2nd) Sun Belt Coach of the Year — Erik Jenkins Arius Wright / So., DB (1st team) Heitor Rodrigues / So. (100BF, First; 200BF, 3rd; 400FSR, 2nd; 400MR, Women’s Cross Country Softball First; 50FS, First; 200MR, First) All-Sun Belt Conference Team All-Sun Belt Conference Team Neal Rushing / So. (200FS, 3rd) Vasity Chemweno / Sr. (4th) Preslie Cruce / Fr., 3B (2nd team) Jordan Vorst / Jr. (400FSR, 2nd) Michelle Finn / Sr. (8th) Karavin Dew / Jr., C (1st team) Co-Swimmer of the Year — Heitor Rodrigues Marion Kandie / Sr. (First) Kelsie Mattox / So., OF (2nd team) Women’s Swimming Sun Belt All-Tournament Team Football CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Preslie Cruce / Fr., 3B All-America Teams All-America Team John Evans / Fr. KOR / SI.com (hm) Stephanie Martin / Sr., BR-IM (hm) Bobby Rainey / Sr. RB Soccer All-Sun Belt Conference Team Kristiana Feeser / Sr., BK-Fly (hm) Walter Camp Foundation (2nd team) Hilary Mishler / Jr., BK-FR (hm) SI.com (2nd team) Kelsey Meyer / Sr., MF (2nd team) Mallory Outerbridge / Sr., F (1st team) Alex Van Oost / Jr., IM-FR (hm) Associate Press (3rd team) Laurel Chaney / Jr., BK-FR (hm) Yahoo! Sports (3rd team) Ali Stahlke / Jr., D (1st team) Libby Stout / Sr., GK (1st team) Claire Conlon / Fr., BR (hm) Phil Steele’s (4th team) Allie Duff / Fr., BK-FR (hm) All-Sun Belt Conference Team NSCAA All-South Region Team Hannah Runyon-Hass / Fr., BR-IM (hm) Mallory Outerbridge / Sr., F (1st team) Bo Adebayo / Sr., DL (hm) All-Sun Belt Team (top 3 SBC " nishers) Derrius Brooks / Sr., DB (2nd team) Ali Stahlke / Jr., D (2nd team) Libby Stout / Sr., GK (2nd team) Claire Conlon / Fr.