Three WSU Student-Athletes Receive Spring 2008 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards
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IN THIS ISSUE... The 2007-08 season was a busy one for Director of Athletics Rob Fournier, who was selected to receive the AstroTurf AD of the Year Award from 1........................................................................................From the Director The National Association of Collegiate Directors of 2-3 .....................................................................Department News & Notes Athletics. Terry Foster of The Detroit News spoke 4..................................................................Hall of Fame Nomination Form recently with Fournier regarding the ever-evolving 5.............................................................. “Fournier Revs Up Wayne State” Wayne State Department of Athletics. 6................................................................................Broadcast Information More Fournier on page 5 7...............................................................................Football News & Notes 8........... “Living the Dream: WSU’s Bass Drafted By San Diego Padres” 9............................................................................................. 90 Foundation The Wayne State football team scored the fifth- 10....................................................................Facility Renovation Updates most points in school history in a 56-21 triumph over Gannon before the sixth-largest crowd in 11 ....................................................................................................New Staff WSU Stadium/Adams Field history (4,823) in 12-13 .................................................................Department News & Notes last year’s Homecoming game. The Warriors will 14-15 ................................................................................................. Donors host Northern Michigan in the 2008 Homecoming 16....................................................2008 Wayne Open / Upcoming Events contest on October 11. IBC ........................................................................................... Warrior Club More football on page 7 WARRIOR WITHIN Compiled and edited by the WSU Sports Information Office Anthony Bass became the first Warrior to be drafted since Steve Squires in 2005, and the ASSISTANT A.D./MEDIA RELATIONS highest-picked WSU baseball player in program Jeff Weiss history when San Diego selected him with the ASSISTANT SPORTS INFORMATION DIR. 165th overall pick on June 5. Karl Henkel of Tom Gorman The South End recently caught up with the right- hander to talk about the experience. CONTRIBUTORS More Bass on page 8 Rob Fournier, Director of Athletics Jeff Evans, Assistant A.D./Marketing & Tickets Angela Ruth, Director of Development Matt Cunningham was one of three WSU senior PRINTING student-athletes, along with Lindsey Perry Think Arbor - Royal Oak, Michigan and Brett Witczak, to receive the Spring 2008 GLIAC Commissioner’s Awards. The awards are PHOTOS presented after each season to six male and six Mark Hicks (WestSide Photo), Ron Harper, Lauren Hoadley, Patricia Skaggs, female student-athletes that excel both in the Joan Tiefel, Angela Ruth, Ryan Kelley and Tom Gorman classroom and on the fields of play. More news on pages 2-3 and 12-13 Entire contents are copyrighted by WSU’s Department of Athletics ON THE COVER WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier presented a commemorative plaque to former Wayne State University diver Erika Barczak, who was recently named the 2007-08 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. More Barczak on page 3 WWW.WSUATHLETICS.COM THE ONLINE HOME OF WARRIOR ATHLETICS FANS AND MEDIA can always access up- to-date information on every WSU athletic team including weekly releases, statistics, rosters, biographical information on the individual coaches and teams, and selected team media guides. The site also provides links to the President Jay Noren participated in the annual Wayne Open golf outing in support of WSU Athletics. The event raised nearly $100,000 for athletic scholarships. Pictured NCAA, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic with Dr. Noren (left to right) is Steve Berlage from Turner Construction; Elliott Hall, chair Conference (GLIAC), College Hockey America of the Athletic Department Board of Visitors; and Bob Bowen from Turner Construction. (CHA) and other sport-related sites. From the Director WARRIOR WITHIN display and championship photos and banners), it is understandable HERE WE GO (AGAIN) that some of those past achievements get lost. Therefore while BY ROB FOURNIER we press forward we also know that our past is a rich blueprint from which to draw energy and inspiration. It’s September and the start of a new We should expect championships but they are never routine athletic year. I have had a few jobs in my or accomplished without discipline and hard work. Matter of lifetime but nothing compares to working fact, that is true of most things in life. Coaches, student-athletes in an athletic department and the new and administrators have to find a shared approach that realizes promise that each fall brings. Unlike success. That is not easy and we must constantly challenge some other occupations, athletics offers ourselves to reach (and maintain) that success. Last year, when a new beginning with new hopes and expectations. And with that we finished twenty-third (23rd) in the nation for our highest finish comes the capacity and enthusiasm to energize a campus and ever among 295 Division II programs we had created a level of community. And in order to achieve that result we must focus consistency. When you consider that ten (10) of our seventeen and move forward an agenda and objectives that challenges an athletic teams advanced to the NCAA tournament we should feel organization to be better. confident that we have accomplished a successful benchmark. Believe it or not, this will begin my ninth year at Wayne State And we can add to that total. That is our singular effort in the year University. It seems like only a short time ago when simply to come. measured backward but when I look around it seems like a long, Interestingly our top five finishes in the National Athletic long time. For those who have been back to campus, a reminder Director’s Cup (NADCA) have all come in the past five years. of those facility and strategic improvements would be redundant. We are starting to develop the reputation that others take note For those who have not returned, such talk has no reference. Our of – especially our competition. But those numeric successes continued emphasis remains to re-kindle those associations that are only part of what is realized by those “on-field” successes. date back to Tartar days and explain with good reasons why our The lessons of hard work, discipline, sacrifice and selflessness alumni and supporters should be part of this athletic program. are also inherent in that statistical accomplishment. Those There is still much to do. And with each new season an opportunity achievements are never routine or should be taken for granted. It to address those strategic points and initiatives. We are better… is part of what motivates each of us to do better. And unlike some but still not the best. other occupations, something we can measure when the athletic I think one of the toughest challenges for any organization is to season concludes. stay fresh and innovative. With those two directives accomplished We also need the support of alumni, community and friends of people inside and outside the organization are constantly the program to move forward. As we move up the rankings, we involved in its successes…or working to achieve them. Coaches, have ancillary facility and organizational improvements that need student-athletes, community, corporations or alumni all want attention. As we turn the page on last year’s projects that included to be associated with an energetic, forward-moving plan. The the baseball dugouts ($188,000), basketball court, academic great challenge is to develop that plan, find the resources for its resource area, lighting system, softball facility/field, and gym 111 implementation and make sure everyone is moving in that direction. display, we have other challenges whose need is just as important With various missteps and sidesteps, that might be more difficult and reachable. These include: training room renovation, new than many want to admit. We must prepare for those exceptions swimming seating, tennis indoor facility, weight room and office and challenges. A long athletic season has those challenges and expansion. That new arena is also achievable. many unexpected twists and turns. That might seem like a lot. But after eight years I am more The student-athletes of today know little of their predecessors confident than ever of our purpose and our chances to achieve of nine years ago let alone twenty-five years ago. And although success. And we have now have a record to support such we have done a lot to emphasize our history (Hall of Fame area, expectations. Just “another year”? Hardly. Just like in the past, I decorative entrance to Matthaei, main basketball gymnasium can’t wait to get started. Here we go…again!! 1 WARRIOR WITHIN Department News & Notes WSU Wins National Promotional Awards The Wayne State University Athletic Department received five awards from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA), as announced at the organization’s annual convention June 9-12 in Dallas, Texas. Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Awards program honors outstanding