2007-08 PAC NEWS ARCHIVE

FRANKLIN PROMOTED TO THIEL TRACK & FIELD HEAD COACH
Thiel announced on April 17 the promotion of Ricardo Franklin to the position of head men's and women's track and field coach. Franklin, a 2002 Thiel graduate, will take over for Clyde Morgan, who has recently accepted the head men's track and field position at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

SUMMEY NAMED MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH AT BETHANY
University of North Florida assistant Mike Summey has been selected as the new head men’s basketball coach at Bethany College. Summey becomes the 24th men’s basketball coach in Bethany history after a two-year stint at North Florida. He coordinated all recruiting efforts at UNF and aided in the program’s transition to Division I. Summey has also served as an assistant at The Citadel, Queens (N.C.) University and St. Francis (Pa.) University.

GC'S GALBREATH RECUPERATING FOLLOWING STROKE
C. Ronald Galbreath, head coach of the women’s basketball team at Geneva College, recently suffered a stroke, causing him to be temporarily sidelined from his basketball duties. Doctors and family members report that he is recuperating well. Galbreath eclipsed the 600 victory plateau in the spring of 2007 as he guided the Golden Tornadoes’ women’s program to its first trip to the NAIA national tournament. In 36 years of coaching, Galbreath has compiled an overall coaching mark of 633-305.

THIEM, ACKERMAN NAMED ALL-AMERICANS BY WBCA; THIEM ADDS THIRD TEAM SELECTION FROM D3HOOPS.COM
A pair of PAC women's basketball standouts - Thomas More junior Jayme Thiem and Westminster senior Emilee Ackerman - have been named to the 2008 Division III All-America honorable mention team by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on March 20. Thiem, the 2008 PAC Player of the Year, led the Saints to a 29-1 overall record and their second consecutive PAC title while averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game with 91 steals. Thiem added another All-America honor on March 21, as she was named to the NCAA Division III All-America Third Team by D3Hoops.com.  Ackerman ranked third in the nation in scoring at 23.5 points per game, while finishing her career as the Titans' all-time leading scorer with 1,483 points. Both Thiem and Ackerman were All-PAC first team selections.

GCC'S WHITBECK PLACES THIRD IN 50 FREE, NAMED ALL-AMERICAN AT 2008 NCAA D-III MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Grove City College junior Tim Whitbeck earned his seventh career NCAA All-America honor on March 20 by placing third in the 50 freestyle at the NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships at Miami University of Ohio. Whitbeck posted a time of 20.23 seconds in the finals to earn third place. Washington & Lee senior Alex Sweet won the national title with a Division III-record time of 19.85 seconds. On March 21, he finished in 30th place in the 100 backstroke in 53.35, then concluded the event with a 10th-place finish in the 100 freestyle (45.35) on March 22.

GENEVA MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTS 1-2 RECORD, FINISHES IN SIXTH PLACE AT NCCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
The Geneva College men's basketball team posted a 1-2 mark to finish in sixth place at the 2008 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament in Oakland City, Ind. from March 18-20. The Golden Tornadoes sandwiched an 87-83 win over Asbury on March 19 between losses to Indiana Wesleyan (78-68) on March 18 and Trinity Christian (74-69) on March 20. The GTs concluded the 2008 season at 14-14 overall.

DAN MCMILLEN HIRED AS NEW THIEL GOLF COACH
Thiel College announced on March 20 that Dan McMillen has been named the new men's and women's head golf coach for the Tomcats. McMillen has been the club and teaching professional at The Greens of Greenville (formerly Greenville Country Club) for the past 17 years.  McMillen is a local product who graduated from Thiel in 1986 with a degree in business administration.  During his college career, McMillen was a four-year letter winner on the Tomcat golf team. 

JACKSON, THIEM, ACKERMAN LEAD PAC CONTINGENT ON 2008 ALL-REGION TEAMS BY D3HOOPS.COM; NEAL LAUDED
A total of eight PAC basketball standouts, including three first team selections, have been named to the 2008 NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region Men's & Women's Basketball teams as selected by D3Hoops.com. On the men's side, 2008 PAC Player of the Year Brody Jackson of Bethany was a first team honoree, while Westminster senior G Craig Hannon and Thiel senior F Joe Herrmann were both third team honorees. On the women's side, both 2008 PAC Player of the Year Jayme Thiem of Thomas More and Westminster senior G/F Emilee Ackerman were first team selections. Thiel junior G Amber Bodrick and Thomas More senior F Tandrea Sellers were each tabbed to the second team, while Thomas More freshman C Nicole Dickman was a third team pick. In addition, Thomas More head coach Brian Neal was named D3Hoops.com Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.

GCC'S WHITBECK SET TO DEFEND TITLE AT 2008 NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior sprinter Tim Whitbeck will represent Grove City College at the 2008 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships March 20-22 at Miami University of Ohio's Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio. It is Whitbeck's third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. Whitbeck is the defending NCAA Division III champion in the 50 freestyle and is a six-time NCAA All-American. He will compete in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke at this year's Championships.

GENEVA MEN'S BASKETBALL EARNS NCCAA NATIONAL BID
The Geneva College men's basketball team has earned an at-large bid to the 2008 National Christian College Athletic Assciation (NCCAA) National Tournament. The Golden Tornadoes (13-12) will open the three-day tournament against Indiana Wesleyan (20-11) in Oakland City, Ind. on March 18 at 1 p.m.

ORSTEIN CAPTURES THIRD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN THREE DAYS; EIGHTH IN STELLAR COLLEGIATE CAREER
Concluding her career as one of the top student-athletes in PAC history, Washington & Jefferson senior women's swimmer Kaitlyn Orstein captured the national title in the 200 breaststroke on March 15 at the 2008 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming & Diving Championships in Oxford, Ohio. It was the third national crown in as many nights for Orstein, who also earned national crowns in the 200 IM on March 13 and the 100 breaststroke on March 14, as well as the eighth overall in her stellar career at W&J. She touched first in 2:16.29, over two full seconds ahead of second place Annie Perizzolo of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2:18.31). Also on March 15, Westminster junior Megan Mier placed 31st in the 200 backstroke (2:10.38).

SAINT VINCENT MEN'S BASKETBALL CAPTURES ECAC D-II TITLE WITH 86-77 WIN OVER POST; MCCOLLOUGH MVP
Led by a team-high 25 points by senior MVP Ian McCollough, the Saint Vincent men's basketball team (22-4) captured the ECAC Division II championship on March 15 with an 86-77 home win over Post (Ct.) University (14-15). With the victory, the Bearcats concluded the 2007-08 season with a perfect 13-0 home record.

THIEL'S JONES CAPTURES INDOOR HIGH JUMP NATIONAL TITLE; THREE OTHER PAC ATHLETES NAMED ALL-AMERICA
A contingent of PAC student-athletes posted strong finishes on March 15 at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Leading the way was Thiel College freshman Josh Jones, who captured the national title in the high jump with a leap of 6-11 (2.11 m) while becoming the first national champion in school history. A pair of PAC hurdlers earned All-American honors in the 55 meter hurdles, as Bethany sophomore Matt Cruse placed fourth in 7.60, followed closely by Thiel junior Dorran Coley in sixth place in 7.61. Finally, Waynesburg junior Ashley Dodd joined Jones, Cruse and Coley as All-Americans by placing in a tie for sixth in the women's pole vault with a mark of 12.01 feet (3.66 meters)

HUFFMAN RESIGNS AS BETHANY MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
Aaron Huffman has resigned as head coach of the Bethany College men's basketball coach after six seasons to accept a financial aid position at West Liberty State University. Huffman posted a 112-53 record with three PAC titles, including the 2008 crown, during his tenure leading the Bison cagers. A national search for his replacement is underway.

W&J WOMEN WIN, GROVE CITY MEN FALL IN ECAC DIVISION III SOUTH REGIONAL BASKETBALL FIRST ROUND GAMES
PAC teams split a pair of ECAC Division III South Region Basketball Tournament games on March 5. The #4 seeded Washington & Jefferson women advanced to the weekend semifinals with an 86-76 victory over #5 Moravian, as Stephanie Smith bucketed a team-high 24 points on a school-record eight three-pointers. W&J now travels to take on top-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy in Philadelphia on Saturday, with the winner facing the winner of the other semifinal between Lebanon Valley and Pitt-Greensburg on Sunday for the ECAC title. On the men's side, #7 seed Grove City held a three-point lead midway through the second half, but could not pull off the upset as #2 Carnegie Mellon prevailed, 72-61.

W&J WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CAPTURES ECAC D-III SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT TITLE; KILLEEN EARNS MVP HONOR
The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team concluded its season on March 9 by capturing the 2008 ECAC Division III South Region Tournament. The fourth-seeded Presidents (23-7) earned the title with a 78-70 win over #3 Lebanon Valley in the title game, held at Gwynedd-Mercy in Philadelphia. Sophomore point guard Kennan Killeen earned Tournament MVP honors for W&J, which captured its second ECAC crown (joining the 1993-94 President women's basketball team).

TMC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO OGLETHORPE 65-55 IN NCAA SECOND ROUND; W&J WOMEN ADVANCE TO ECAC DIVISION III SOUTH REGION FINALS WITH WIN AT G-M
The Thomas More women's basketball team concluded the 2008 season on March 8 following a 65-55 home loss to Oglethorpe in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. With the loss, the Saints finish the season at 29-1 overall. In other women's basket ball action, #4 seed Washington & Jefferson upset top-seeded Lebanon Valley 64-56 in the semifinals of the ECAC Division III South Region Tournament. Sophomore Maggie Gibson scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in the victory. The Presidents now advance to face #3 seed Lebanon Valley in the championship game tomorrow (Sunday, March 9) at Gwynedd-Mercy at noon.

W&J'S ORSTEIN FEATURED IN SI'S "FACES IN THE CROWD"
Washington & Jefferson senior swimmer Kaitlyn Orstein appears in the March 10th issue of Sports Illustrated magazine in the “Faces In The Crowd” section. Last month, she won four events at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships to help W&J claim the conference team title.  For the fourth consecutive season, Orstein was selected as the PAC Most Valuable Swimmer.  In her four seasons competing at the conference championships, Orstein won 25 PAC titles. 

BETHANY MEN FALL IN NCAA FIRST ROUND AT CAPITAL
The Bethany men's basketball team suffered a 92-70 loss at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio on March 6 in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament. With the loss, the 2008 PAC champion Bison close the season at 17-11 overall.

2008 ALL-PAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED
The 2008 All-PAC Men's Basketball teams were released on March 4. Senior G Brody Jackson of PAC champion Bethany is the 2008 PAC Player of the Year, while Glenn Gutierrez of Washington & Jefferson was tabbed 2008 PAC Coach of the Year.

THOMAS MORE WOMEN TO HOST NCAA TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUNDS, OPEN VS. GREENSBORO ON 3/7; BETHANY MEN HEAD TO CAPITAL FOR NCAA FIRST ROUND THURSDAY
The 2008 PAC champion Thomas More women's basketball team will host NCAA first and second round games this weekend. In the opening round, the Saints (28-0) will face Greensboro (21-7) from the USA South conference on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 pm. The winner of the TMC/Greensboro game will then advance to face the winner of the opening round matchup between Piedmont and Oglethorpe in the second round at Thomas More on Saturday, March 8. The complete women's tournament bracket is now online. On the men's side, the 2008 PAC champion Bethany Bison will travel to Columbus, Ohio on Thursday (March 6) at 7 p.m. to face Capital University in an NCAA Division III Tournament first round game. The winner of the Bethany-Capital matchup heads to Holland, Mich., on Saturday (March 8) to face Hope College in a second round contest. The complete men's tournament bracket is also now available.

W&J WOMEN, GCC MEN EARN ECAC PLAYOFF BERTHS
The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team has earned a postseason bid to the eight-team 2008 ECAC Division III South Region Tournament. The Presidents (20-7) are the fourth seed and will host fifth seed Moravian at the Henry Memorial Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The four remaining seeds following the opening round will meet in the semifinals and finals over the weekend at the highest remaining seed. The complete ECAC South Women's tournament bracket is now online. On the men's side, Grove City College also earned a bid to the ECAC Division III South Region men's tournament. The Wolverines are seeded seventh and will play at second-seed Carnegie Mellon Wednesday at 7 p.m. The ECAC South men's bracket is also now available.

CHATHAM HIRES CROSS COUNTRY, VOLLEYBALL COACHES
Chatham University has hired Frank Stackiewicz as the new head coach of the Cougar volleyball program, while also tabbing Hadara Adelson as head cross country coach. Stackiewicz, who replaces Greg Lockley, is a local high school and club coach who also previously served as head coach at CCAC-Boyce. Adelson is a former assistant coach at Dickinson College who will guide the new Cougar cross country team in its first varsity season in 2008.

BETHANY MEN, THOMAS MORE WOMEN CAPTURE 2008 PAC BASKETBALL TITLES, NCAA TOURNAMENT AUTOMATIC BIDS
The top-seeded Bethany College men and Thomas More College women each captured championships in the 2008 PAC Basketball Tournaments on March 1. The Bison topped #3 Washington & Jefferson 90-76 in the men's title tilt, while the Saints completed a perfect 28-0 regular season by edging upset-minded #4 Westminster 65-58. Both teams have now earned automatic bids to the 2008 NCAA Division III Basketball Tournaments next week. Pairings will be announced here on Monday morning. Conference statistics for both men's basketball and women's basketball are updated and online through the 2008 PAC championships games.

TMC, WESTMINSTER WOMEN ADVANCE TO REMATCH OF 2007 TITLE TILT; ALL-PAC WOMEN'S HOOPS TEAMS RELEASED
For the second consecutive year, the Thomas More Saints and Westminster Titans will battle for the 2008 PAC Women's Basketball Championship, as both teams advanced to the finals following semifinal wins in Crestview Hills, Ky., on February 29. In the opener, #4 Westminster upset #2 Washington & Jefferson 82-77 in overtime. The nightcap saw the unbeaten and top seeded Saints steamroll past #6 Grove City 75-27. In the 2007 PAC title tilt, Thomas More posted a 59-50 win over Westminster. The 2008 All-PAC women's basketball teams were announced between the semifinal contests, with Thomas More junior G Jayme Thiem earning PAC MVP honors, while Saint mentor Brian Neal was tabbed as PAC Coach of the Year. Both PAC basketball championship games on Saturday, March 1 will be available for viewing via a live video webcast on Teamline.

BETHANY, WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON ADVANCE TO PAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TITLE GAME WITH SEMIFINAL WINS
Top-seeded Bethany and third-seeded Washington & Jefferson each posted thrilling semifinal wins on Thursday, February 28 to advance to the 2008 PAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game, scheduled for Saturday, March 1 in Bethany, W.Va., at 7:30 p.m. The Bison outgunned #5 Thomas More 105-98 in one semifinal matchup, while W&J edged #2 Grove City 64-63 on a Josip Lucic-Jozak layup with three seconds to play. The two local rivals met at Bethany in the regular season finale last Saturday, with the Presidents posting a 73-70 victory. Conference statistics for men's basketball are updated and online through the semifinal games through February 28.

FREE LIVE VIDEO WEBCASTS SCHEDULED FOR UPCOMING PAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS, WOMEN'S SEMIFINALS
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) will provide free live video webcasts of both conference basketball championship games on Saturday, March 1 (women at 2 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.) as well as both women's tournament semifinal games at Thomas More on Friday, Feb. 29 (Westminster vs. W&J at 6 p.m., Grove City at Thomas More at 8 p.m.) via Teamline. The direct link to the free live PAC video webcasts is now online.

WC'S ACKERMAN NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Westminster senior women's basketball standout Emilee Ackerman was honored on February 27 as a second team selection on the 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. An elementary education major with a 3.53 grade-point average, Ackerman is currently the nation's third-leading scorer averaging 23.1 points per game. Her 554 points this season is a team record while her 1,426 career points are 25 shy of tying the career record held by Desiree Sterling.

BETHANY MEN, THOMAS MORE WOMEN EARN TOP SEEDS FOR 2008 PAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENTS
The Bethany College men and Thomas More College women are the top seeds and will have home court advantage throughout the 2008 PAC Men's & Women's Basketball Championship Tournaments, which get underway on Tuesday, February 26 and conclude on March 1. The 2008 PAC tournament champions will each receive an automatic berth to the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament. Video webcasts for the men's & women's basketball title games on March 1 will be provided by the PAC online for free via Teamline.

GROVE CITY MEN, WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON WOMEN CAPTURE 2008 PAC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Grove City College men and Washington & Jefferson College women captured team titles at the 2008 PAC Swimming & Diving Championships on February 14-16 at Grove City. The GCC men edged defending champion Westminster by 14 points, while the W&J women posted a 99-point advantage over the host Wolverines. PAC MVP honors went to Grove City junior Tim Whitbeck and W&J senior Kaitlyn Orstein, while Coach of the Year laurels were awarded to Dave Fritz of Grove City for the men and Mike Orstein of W&J for the women. Daily results from Thursday, Friday and Saturday are now online.

BLAKE TYSON HIRED AS NEW W&J GOLF HEAD COACH
Blake Tyson was hired as the new head men’s and women’s golf coach at Washington & Jefferson on February 15.  He replaces Pete Coughlin, who resigned to take the head men’s golf coaching job at NCAA D-II California (Pa.). Tyson is a former Division I golfer at Duquesne University (2000-2004). From 2004-2007, Tyson served as an assistant golf professional in his hometown of Chesapeake, Va. 

WAYNESBURG TABS LOCAL DUO FOR WRESTLING PROGRAM
Waynesburg hired Ron Headlee as head wrestling coach on February 15. He will assume the head coaching duties following next weekend’s competition at the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Crawfordsville, Ind. Joining Headlee on the Yellow Jackets’ coaching staff will be John Yates, with whom Headlee worked as an assistant at Waynesburg Central High School in recent years.

TMC'S GEE, BC'S ADAMS NAMED PAC SAAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY, 2008
The PAC has honored Thomas More College's Alex Gee and Bethany College’s Marcus Adams as PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athletes of the Month for January, 2008.

THIEL WRESTLING ROLLS TO NINTH STRAIGHT PAC TITLE
The Thiel College Matcats continued their recent domination of Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) wrestling, as they captured their ninth consecutive PAC team title and 16th in the past 18 years at the 2008 PAC championships on February 13. The Tomcats captured six of the 10 weight classes en route to 145.5 points, easily topping W&J (105.5) and host Waynesburg (58). Freshman Nick Garber from Waynesburg was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament after capturing the 141-pound title with a pair of pin fall victories. Coach of the Year honors went to Washington & Jefferson head coach Jay Robison.

PAC NAMES 344 TO FALL 2007 ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
A record 344 student-athletes have been named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll for the Fall 2007 semester. The PAC Academic Honor Roll honors student-athletes on fall varsity sports teams who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition. The 344 honorees top last year's total of 261 athletes named to the Fall 2006 honor roll, marking a 32 percent increase.

BETHANY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF BISON BASKETBALL
The Bethany College men’s basketball program celebrated its 100th season of competition during a special weekend Feb. 22-23, with festivities coinciding with the Bison regular season finale against Washington & Jefferson.

FOUR PAC PLAYERS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Four PAC women's basketball players have been selected to the 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine College Division Women's Basketball Academic All-District teams, announced on February 7 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Leading the way for the conference was Westminster senior G/F Emilee Ackerman (3.53 GPA, elementary education), who was a first team selection in District 2 and now moves to the Academic All-America ballot. Thomas More junior G Alex Gee (3.98 GPA, psychology) was a second team selection in District 4, while Bethany senior F Lisa Mitchell (3.91 GPA, elementary education) and W&J sophomore F Maggie Gibson (3.51 GPA, undeclared) were each tabbed to the third team in District 2.

WESTMINSTER UNDERGOING BURRY STADIUM RENOVATION
A stadium renovation project estimated at $1.7 million is underway at Westminster College. Renovations to Memorial Field and Harold Burry Stadium will include lighting and artificial turf. In addition, the Joseph B. Fusco Plaza and an entranceway named in memory of Jerry C. Neff will be constructed around the existing stadium.

PAC PLACES SIX ON D3KICKS.COM WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAMS
A total of six PAC players, including three first team honorees, have been named to the 2007 All-Great Lakes Region Women's Soccer teams by the D3Kicks.com website. The three first teamers are senior D Brittany McKee of Westminster, freshman M Emily Ostlund of Grove City, and sophomore F Brittany Yeggy of Thomas More. Junior M Christina Adams of Westminster was tabbed to the second team, while freshman D Angie Kersting of Thomas More and junior D Kristin Colley of Grove City each captured third team laurels.

COUGHLIN RESIGNS AS W&J MEN'S & WOMEN'S GOLF COACH
Washington & Jefferson head men's & women's golf coach Peter Coughlin has resigned to take the men's men's golf coach position at Division II California University of Pennsylvania. A search for a new head coach at W&J is currently underway.

PAC PLACES NINE ON ECAC SOUTHWEST FOOTBALL ALL-STAR TEAM; WU'S HELLER EARNS TOP ROOKIE LAURELS
A total of nine PAC football players have been named to the 2007 ECAC Division III Southwest Football All-Star team, released on January 8. Leading the way was Waynesburg freshman running back Robert Heller, who was tabbed ECAC D-III Southwest Rookie of the Year in addition to his All-Star selection. Heller was joined by three Yellow Jacket teammates in senior DL Mike Czerwien, senior LB Brendon Steele, and senior OL Alex Tempalski. Other honorees include junior QB Bobby Swallow, senior WR Tom McCafferty and junior OL Matt Houy from PAC champion Washington & Jefferson, junior DB Mike Baker from Grove City, and senior P Dusty Rhodes of Westminster.

THREE PAC MEN'S SOCCER STANDOUTS NAMED TO DIVISION III MID-ATLANTIC REGION TEAMS BY D3KICKS.COM
A trio of PAC men's soccer standouts were honored as members of the 2007 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Teams, selected by D3Kicks.com. Junior F Garry Sheahan of Thomas More, the 2007 PAC Player of the Year, was joined by Washington & Jefferson junior D Ryan McDonald on the All-Region second team, while Westminster senior M Garrett Horvath was a third team honoree.

PAC PLACES RECORD EIGHT WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDOUTS ON 2007 NSCAA ALL-GREAT LAKES REGION TEAMS; TMC'S SHEAHAN HONORED ON MEN'S SECOND TEAM
The PAC has placed a record eight conference women's soccer players on the 2007 NSCAA/adidas All-Great Lakes Region Teams. Leading the way were three first team selections who now move on to All-America consideration: 2007 PAC Player of the Year and sophomore F Brittany Yeggy of Thomas More, senior D Brittany McKee of Westminster and freshman M Emily Ostlund of Grove City. Second team recognition went to the Grove City duo of junior GK Kristin Colley and junior F Stephanie Wild, along with Westminster senior F Mallory Bugel. Earning third team honors was freshman D Angie Kersting of Thomas More and junior M Christina Adams of Westminster. In addition to the eight women's honorees, the 2007 PAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year, Thomas More junior F Garry Sheahan, was tabbed to the men's all-region second team.

GENEVA'S URANKER, WESTMINSTER'S SIMPSON NAMED PAC SAAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE MONTH FOR 11/07
The PAC has named Geneva senior women's basketball player Lauren Uranker and Westminster junior men's swimming standout Conor Simpson as PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athletes of the Month, for November, 2007.

PAC DUO SWEEPS NATIONAL SWIMMING HONORS
The PAC swept the national Division III Swimmer of the Week awards by the Collegeswimming.com website, as Tim Whitbeck of Grove City and Kaitlyn Orstein of Washington & Jefferson have garnered this week's honors. In addition, the Grove City men are ranked 19th and the W&J women are ranked 16th in the latest national rankings.

PAC WINTER COMPOSITE SCHEDULES NOW ONLINE
Composite conference schedules for the PAC winter sports of men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving and wrestling are now online.

CZERWIEN TABBED TO AP LITTLE ALL-AMERICA TEAM
The awards keep rolling in for Waynesburg senior DE Mike Czerwien. The 2007 PAC Football Player of the year, who previously earned All-America first team recognition from both the AFCA and D3Football.com, has been named to the Associated Press Little All-America Second Team.

FOUR FROM PAC NAMED D3FOOTBALL.COM ALL-AMERICANS
A quartet of PAC football players have been named to the 2007 Division III All-America teams, released by D3Football.com on December 16. Leading the way was the 2007 PAC Player of the Year, senior DE Mike Czerwien of Waynesburg, who was a first team selection. Junior QB Bobby Swallow of Washington & Jefferson was named to the second team, while W&J junior OL Matt Houy and Waynesburg freshman RB Robert Heller each earned honorable mention recognition.

CZERWIEN, SWALLOW NAMED AFCA GRID ALL-AMERICANS
A pair of PAC football standouts have been selected to the 2007 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III All-America team, released on December 11. Waynesburg senior defensive end Mike Czerwien, the 2007 PAC Player of the Year, was joined by Washington & Jefferson junior quarterback Bobby Swallow. Czerwien is a four-time All-PAC first team selection who led the nation in sacks per game and finished with a total of 23 on the year. He is the NCAA’s all-time sack leader with 52.5. Swallow threw for 3,106 yards and 46 touchdowns with just three interceptions, as he directed the Presidents to a perfect regular season and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

SEVEN PAC PLAYERS NAMED D3FOOTBALL.COM ALL-REGION
Seven PAC football players have been named to the 2007 All-South Region teams by D3Football.com, including three first team selections. 2007 PAC Player of the Year, senior DE Mike Czerwien of Waynesburg, was joined on the top squad by junior QB Bobby Swallow and junior OL Matt Houy of Washington & Jefferson. Waynesburg freshman RB Robert Heller was a second team honoree, while third team laurels went to W&J junior C Dave Bucar and the Grove City duo of senior DT Justin Fowler and junior CB Mike Baker.

WU'S MIKE CZERWIEN AMONG SI'S "FACES IN THE CROWD"
Waynesburg University senior football standout Mike Czerwien is featured in this week's (December 10) "Faces in the Crowd" section in Sports Illustrated. Czerwien, the 2007 PAC Player of the Year, was honored for breaking the NCAA all-divisions career sack record (52 1/2) while leading the Yellow Jackets to an 8-3 record this season.

THIEL'S LORBER, STIMAC NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
Thiel College senior defensive end Chris Lorber and senior linebacker Michael Stimac were selected as first-team members of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine All-America College Division Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Nov. 29. This is the first time in history that Thiel has had two student-athletes from the same team recognized as Academic All-American selections.

THREE PAC PLAYERS COMPETE IN 2007 AZTEC BOWL
Three PAC senior football standouts - Grove City OL Matt Gregg, Thomas More OL Brandon Lee, and Waynesburg DE Mike Czerwien - are among just 50 players in the nation selected as members of the United States roster for the 2007 Aztec Bowl. The U.S. team, which features a roster of senior NCAA Division III all-stars, posted a 37-19 win over the Mexican National Team on December 8 in Chihuahua, Mexico.

GROVE CITY'S FLOWERS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Grove City College senior women's soccer player Alix Flowers earned Third Team Academic All-America honors from ESPN The Magazine and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on November 20 through voting by a panel of sports information directors nationwide.

GROVE CITY'S CARTER EARNS ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Grove City College junior cross country standout Kristen Carter earned NCAA Division III All-America honors on November 17 after placing 26th in the NCAA Championships at St. Olaf College. Carter completed the six-kilometer course in 22 minutes in earning her first NCAA All-America honor.

THREE PAC FOOTBALL TEAMS DROP 11/17 PLAYOFFS
Three PAC football teams saw their 2007 seasons come to an end on November 17 following playoff losses. Washington & Jefferson (10-1) dropped a 35-34 overtime decision to North Carolina Wesleyan in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Waynesburg (8-3) also fell in overtime, 16-10, at Dickinson in the ECAC Division III Southwest Bowl. Finally, Geneva (8-3) fell at home 45-17 to NAIA member Malone College in the NCCAA Victory Bowl.

2007-08 PAC BASKETBALL SEASON NOW UNDERWAY
The 2007-08 PAC basketball season opened on November 16, with most of the league's 19 teams in action. The Grove City men and W&J women are the favorites in the 2007 PAC preseason polls, although numerous teams received first place votes. Conference previews for men's basketball and women's basketball, as well as composite schedules for both the men and women, are now online.

SAINT VINCENT VOLLEYBALL REPEATS AS ECAC CHAMPIONS
The Saint Vincent Lady Bearcat volleyball team defeated the University of Bridgeport 3-1 in Bridgeport, Conn., on November 16 to capture its second straight Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II championship.

W&J'S MIHALIK, WAYNESBURG'S DAVIS NAMED PAC SAAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER 2007
The PAC has named Washington & Jefferson volleyball standout Beth Mihalik and Waynesburg men's soccer goalkeeper Brad Davis as PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athletes of the Month, for October 2007.

GROVE CITY MEN, W&J WOMEN PICKED TO CAPTURE PAC HOOPS TITLES AT 2007-08 BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY
The Grove City College men and Washington & Jefferson College women were picked to capture 2007-08 basketball championships in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), according to the preseason poll released at the 2007-08 PAC Basketball Media Day at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on October 30.

THIEL'S JOE HERRMANN, AMBER BODRICK EACH TABBED AS PRESEASON BASKETBALL ALL-AMERICANS BY D-III NEWS
A pair of Thiel College basketball standouts have been honored with Preseason All-America recognition. Tomcat senior Joe Herrmann was named to the Preseason All-America team by D-III News, while junior Amber Bodrick has been named a 2007-08 Preseason All-American by Women's D-III News. Herrmann and Bodrick are each two-time All-PAC selections.

GROVE CITY CROSS COUNTRY DUO HEADED TO NATIONALS
Grove City women's cross country juniors Kristen Carter and Julia Seward have both qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in Northfield, Minn., on November 17. Carter earned fifth place at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regionals at Muhlenberg College last Saturday (Nov. 10) with a six-kilometer time of 21 minutes, 56 seconds. It is her second straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Seward, meanwhile, finished 12th with a time of 22:25. The top seven individual finishers who are not from teams that automatically advance to the NCAA Championships are also invited to the national championships. Runners from Dickinson and Haverford, the top two finishing teams, claimed six of the first 13 places. Both Carter and Seward also earned All-Region honors.

THREE PAC FOOTBALL TEAMS EARN POSTSEASON BERTHS; 2007 ALL-PAC GRIDIRON TEAMS ANNOUNCED ON 11/12
The 2007 football regular season is in the books, but three PAC teams have accepted bids for postseason play beginning this weekend. The unbeaten PAC champion Washington & Jefferson football team is the top seed in the South Region in the 2007 NCAA Division III playoffs. The Presidents (10-0) will host North Carolina Wesleyan (8-2) in a first round game at Cameron Stadium in Washington on Saturday, November 17. Also on Saturday, the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets (8-2) travel to Carlisle, Pa., to face Dickinson College (8-2) in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southeast Bowl. Finally, the Geneva Golden Tornadoes (8-2) will host NAIA member Malone College (7-3) in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl at Reeves Stadium in Beaver Falls beginning at 6 p.m. In addition, the PAC has released its 2007 all-conference football teams, with Waynesburg senior DE Mike Czerwien earning MVP honors and Mike Sirianni of Washington & Jefferson garnering Coach of the Year laurels.

NICOLE VITELLO HIRED AS NEW W&J SOFTBALL COACH
Washington & Jefferson College has hired Nicole Vitello as the new head coach of the President softball program. Vitello, who recently had been hired as an assistant at W&J, replaces Stephani Ehrenfeld Moore, who resigned to become an assistant coach at NCAA Division II California (Pa.). Vitello was previously head assistant coach at Allegheny College and was a standout player at SUNY-Binghamton.

2007 ALL-PAC SOCCER TEAMS ANNOUNCED
The 2007 All-PAC teams for men's soccer and women's soccer were announced on November 8. Thomas More swept the Player of the Year awards, with junior Garry Sheahan capturing the men's honor and sophomore Brittany Yeggy earning the women's honor. W&J swept Coach of the Year recogntiion, with Ian McDonald receiving the men's nod and Pete Curtis capturing the women's laurel.

PAC PLACES NINE FOOTBALL PLAYERS, FOUR VOLLEYBALL STANDOUTS ON COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS
A total of 14 PAC student-athletes have been honored as members of the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District College Division teams for football and volleyball, released on Nov. 8 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Nine conference football standouts were honored on the District II team, including six first team selections who now move on to the Academic All-America ballot: Senior QB Bobby Swallow (3.27 GPA, business) and junior OL Matthew Houy (3.52 GPA, information technology leadership) of Washington & Jefferson, senior LB Mike Stimac (4.0 GPA, English) and senior DL Chris Lorber (3.8 GPA, business administration) of Thiel, senior OL Alex Tempalski (3.51 GPA, marketing) of Waynesburg, and junior OL Dave Salera (3.77 GPA, accounting) of Grove City. Second team honors went to sophomore RB Nick McKolosky (3.54 GPA, biology) of Westminster, senior DB Todd Keenan (3.28 GPA, business) of W&J, and senior LB Brendon Steele (3.49 GPA, nursing) of Waynesburg. In addition, Thomas More sophomore LB Brandon Kohrs (3.83 GPA, biology) was tabbed to the All-District IV second team.

In volleyball, senior Kim Walsh (3.94 GPA, communication studies) of Grove City was a first team honoree and now moves on to the Academic All-America ballot. Other spikers receiving laurels included second team selections junior Amanda Jo Morgan (3.99 GPA, business management) of Waynesburg and senior Beth Mihalik (3.99 GPA, business) of Washington & Jefferson, as well as third team honoree senior Lauren Spegal (3.47 GPA, elementary education) of Bethany.

FOUR PAC TEAMS RECORD POSTSEASON WINS ON 11/7
The PAC had a very successful opening night in several fall postseason tournaments on November 7, with four conference teams earning playoff victories. In women's soccer, PAC champion Westminster advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 2-0 home shutout of Manhattanville. Grove City was also victorious in the opening round of the ECAC South Region Tournament, as the top-seeded Wolverine kickers edged #8 Juniata at home 3-2. In men's soccer action, PAC champion Washington & Jefferson suffered a 1-0 home setback to Penn State-Behrend in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. In a battle of PAC opponents, Westminster advanced to the semifinals of  the ECAC South Region Tournament with a 3-0 first round home shutout over Bethany. Finally, the W&J volleyball team also advanced to the ECAC South Region semifinals, as the fifth-seeded Presidents posted a 3-2 road win at #4 Lebanon Valley. Westminster women's soccer now travels to face unbeaten and #2 ranked Messiah (19-0) in a second round game Saturday at 1 p.m. All ECAC semifinal matchups will be announced on Thursday (11/8).

THREE PAC GRID TEAMS REMAIN IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Three PAC football teams continue to be ranked among the top teams in the country by the three Division III national polls for the week ending November 3, 2007. PAC champion Washington & Jefferson (9-0) remained in fifth place in the poll by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette, while moving up one spot to fifth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll and up one spot to eighth by D3Football.com. In addition, Geneva (7-2) and Waynesburg (7-2) are ranked 34th and 39th, respectively, by Hansen's. Waynesburg is among others receiving votes in the AFCA poll.

PAC PLACES SEVEN VB/SOCCER TEAMS IN POSTSEASON
A record seven PAC soccer and volleyball teams have been selected to compete in the 2007 postseason, including three in the NCAA Division III playoffs. In NCAA action, both PAC soccer teams have first round home contests. The Westminster women's soccer team (14-4-3) is home against Manhattanville (7-11-3) Wednesday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to a weekend matchup at Messiah (19-0). The Washington & Jefferson men's soccer team is also at home Wednesday, as the Presidents (12-5-3) host Penn State-Behrend in an NCAA first round contest at Alexandre Stadium beginning at 6 p.m. Finally, the Westminster volleyball team (23-11) battles Hiram (27-5) in an NCAA first round contest at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, on Friday. Four PAC teams have been tabbed to compete in 2007 ECAC tournaments. In women's soccer, Grove City (15-3-1) is the top seed in an eight-team field and will have home field advantage throughout. The Wolverines host #8 Juniata in a first round game Wednesday at 2 p.m. Two PAC teams will meet in ECAC men's soccer action, as Westminster hosts Bethany at 7:30 p.m. at Wilmington H.S. Stadium. Finally, the W&J volleyball team is the fifth seed in an eight team field and will play at #4 Lebanon Valley Wednesday at 7 p.m.

WESTMINSTER SWEEPS 2007 PAC VOLLEYBALL, WOMEN'S SOCCER TITLES; W&J CAPTURES MEN'S SOCCER CROWN; 2007 ALL-PAC VOLLEYBALL TEAMS RELEASED
Fall Championship Saturday in the PAC took place on November 3. At the end of the day, Westminster College had captured PAC titles in both volleyball and women's soccer, while Washington & Jefferson College came away with the men's soccer crown. In volleyball, the top-seeded Titans swept #2 Thomas More 3-0 for the program's first conference title since 2002. Following the match, the 2007 All-PAC Volleyball Teams were announced. In women's soccer, #4 seed W&J jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the second half, but #2 Westminster rallied to tie the score 1-1. After two overtimes, the Titans captured the conference crown via a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks. Finally in men's soccer, #2 Washington & Jefferson jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then held tight after #4 Thomas More halved the lead to come away with a 2-1 victory. All three PAC champions now receive automatic bids to next week's NCAA Division III playoffs.

CHATHAM TO ADD CROSS COUNTRY IN 2008
Chatham University has announced that the school will add cross country to its existing seven varsity sports beginning in the 2008-09 academic year, according to athletic director Amy Buxbaum.

PAC PLACES 8 ON ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SOCCER TEAMS
A total of eight PAC soccer players (seven female, one male) have been named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II College Division Soccer teams, released on Nov. 1 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Three players - Waynesburg senior GK Amy Mills (3.70 GPA, forensic science), Grove City senior D Alix Flowers (3.95 GPA, Christian thought) and Westminster senior F Mallory Bugel (3.71 GPA, biochemistry) - were first team selections and now advance to the Academic All-America national ballot. Westminster senior M Kait Etzel-Hardman (3.86 GPA, elementary education) was a second team selection, while third team honors went to junior GK Bethany Preston (3.43, music/secondary education) and sophomore F Lauren Woodring (3.93 GPA, mathematics/education) of Grove City and junior D Megan Ferderber (3.83 GPA, economics) of W&J. The lone men's selection was Westminster junior D Chris Ellwanger (3.68 GPA, physics), who was tabbed to the second team.

GROVE CITY HARRIERS CAPTURE 18TH STRAIGHT PAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS SATURDAY AT SAINT VINCENT
For the 18th consecutive year, the Grove City College men's & women's cross country teams are PAC champions. The Wolverine men and women each easily won team titles at the 2007 PAC Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships, hosted by Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., on October 27. The GCC men finished with 25 points, finishing ahead of second place Washington & Jefferson (46), while the Wolverine women recorded 19 points to top second place Waynesburg (63). Grove City head coach Sean Severson earned PAC Coach of the Year honors for both men and women. The 2007 women's MVP was GCC junior Kristen Carter, while W&J senior Matt Rudzki was the 2007 PAC men's MVP. Saint Vincent junior Adam Smith was the top finisher in the men's race. The conference release is now online, along with overall race results for men and women as well as PAC race results for men and women.

GROVE CITY WOMEN'S TENNIS POSTS SEVEN CHAMPIONS, CAPTURES 21ST CONSECUTIVE PAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Grove City College posted champions in seven of the nine flights as the Wolverines continued their recent domination at the 2007 PAC Women's Tennis Championships, held at the Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie, Pa., on Friday-Saturday, October 19-20. The Wolverines of head coach Cathy Jacobs finished with 50 team points to easily outdistance second place Westminster (33). PAC Player of the Year honors went to Grove City junior Tamara Nations, who captured the top singles flight and teamed with Erin Bennett to capture the top doubles draw. Coach of the Year laurels went to Scott Renninger of Westminster. Complete flight brackets for the tournament are now online, as is the final conference press release.

GCC VOLLEYBALL HOLDS 'VOLLEY FOR THE CURE' ON 10/20
The Grove City College volleyball team held "Volley for the Cure"  on October 20 in conjunction with the Wolverines' home match against Westminster. All proceeds benefitted the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

THIEL'S STIMAC NAMED DRADDY AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Thiel College senior linebacker Michael Stimac has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious 2007 Draddy Trophy, and is just one of 24 semifinalists from NCAA Division III football-playing institutions. One of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, the Draddy Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.

WESTMINSTER'S MCKEE, GCC'S MANAHAN NAMED PAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER 2007
The PAC has selected Westminster senior soccer player Brittany McKee and Grove City senior soccer goalkeeper Michael Manahan as Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athletes of the Month for September, 2007. Each month, SAAC members from each PAC institution are eligible to nominate two junior or senior varsity student athletes (one male, one female) from their school. All PAC Scholar-Athlete nominations must be in season, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and be actively involved in their campus community.

FORSTY, WALTERS INDUCTED INTO SRU HALL
Longtime PAC coaches/administrators Jan Forsty of Bethany College and Joe Walters of Grove City College were each inducted into the Slippery Rock University Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 22.

ROBERTS EARNS 500TH CAREER VICTORY AT GCC
Grove City head volleyball coach Susan Roberts earned her 500th coaching victory at Grove City on September 18 as the Wolverines rallied past Penn State Behrend in five games. Roberts now has 551 total volleyball coaching victories. She is the first Grove City coach to accumulate 500 victories in one sport.

W&J'S ORSTEIN FEATURED IN SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE
Washington & Jefferson College senior Kaitlyn Orstein was recently profiled by Swimming World magazine in its September 13th “On Campus” segment. Orstein enters her senior year in hopes of adding to her five national championship rings. Last year, she won two national titles and set a NCAA Division III record in the 200 IM (2:03.13). The entire article can be found at the Swimming World website.

PRICE HIRED AS NEW THOMAS MORE SOFTBALL COACH
Thomas More College has hired Emily Price as the new head coach of the Saint softball program. Price, who replaces Everett Roper, comes to TMC from the University of North Carolina, where she was a four-year letterwinner at shortstop before graduating in 2004. She spent last season as a volunteer coach at her alma mater.

FINAL 2007 PAC FALL PREVIEWS ONLINE
The final PAC 2007 fall sport previews, in the sports of women's tennis and men's & women's cross country, are now online. Grove City College is the defending PAC champion in all three sports. Conference composite schedules for women's tennis and cross country are also available online.

2007 PAC SOCCER SEASON SET TO KICK OFF
November 4, 2006 was a day Westminster head men's & women's soccer coach Girish Thakar will not soon forget. Playing on the road as the lower seed in both the PAC men's & women's soccer title matchups, Thakar led the Titan kickers to a pair of upsets and two PAC championships, as the WC men won 4-3 at top-seeded Bethany before the women captured a shootout victory after a scoreless regulation at top-seeded Thomas More. As the 2007 men's & women's seasons approach, several squads will be in the hunt for the conference's first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs in both sports. Read all about all 19 PAC soccer programs in the 2007 PAC Men's Soccer and Women's Soccer previews.

PAC SPIKERS READY TO ROLL INTO 2007 CAMPAIGN
The 2006 PAC volleyball season saw the fourth-seeded Thomas More Saints post a pair of tournament upsets to capture their first-ever league title, despite head coach Jenny Fette missing the tournament following the birth of her first child. In addition, NCAA Division III provisional member Saint Vincent ran the table with a perfect record against PAC competition en route to capturing the 2006 ECAC Division II volleyball title. With the 2007 season ready to get underway on August 31, will the Saints have what it takes to repeat as PAC champions (earning the league's first-ever NCAA D-III automatic playoff bid in the process), and can anyone in the league topple the high-flying Bearcats? The 2007 PAC Volleyball Preview featuring all 10 conference teams, including newcomers Chatham and Geneva, is now online.

2007 PAC FOOTBALL PREVIEW NOW AVAILABLE
The 2007 football season is gearing up to become one of the most exciting in PAC history. The addition of new PAC programs Saint Vincent and Geneva lifts the total number of conference teams to nine, the most in recent years. In addition, an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division III playoffs awaits this year's PAC champion. Defending champion Washington & Jefferson was picked to repeat in the 2007 PAC preseason poll, but the previous four teams picked in the preseason (2003-06) have fallen short of the top spot in the regular season. Who will come out on top? Read about all nine PAC programs in the 2007 PAC Football Preview.

PAC RELEASES FALL 2007 COMPOSITE SCHEDULES
With the 2007 fall sports season approaching, the PAC has released composite conference schedules for the sports of football, volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's tennis and men's & women's cross country.

PAC EARNS NCAA AUTOMATIC BID FOR 2007 FALL SPORTS
The PAC has been notified by the NCAA that the conference has been awarded an automatic playoff bid for NCAA Division III Championship playoffs in the fall sports of football, men's & women's soccer and volleyball in 2007. It marks the first automatic bid for the PAC in any sport since men's & women's basketball in 1996-97.

GENEVA TABS SUMNER AS NEW WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH
Geneva College has hired Linda Sumner as head women's soccer coach, replacing Leta Gramlich. Sumner, a 1991 Geneva graduate, was a four-year starter for the Golden Tornadoes who earned NAIA All-American honors and finished her career as the program's all-time leading scorer. She is the wife of Geneva baseball coach Alan Sumner.

ROPER RESIGNS AS THOMAS MORE SOFTBALL COACH
Thomas More head softball coach Everett Roper has resigned to take the same position at NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State. The 2006 PAC Coach of the Year who led the Saints to the 2007 PAC softball title, Roper was 157-179 overall in his career, including a 134-76 mark over the past six seasons.

SAINT VINCENT DEDICATES CHUCK NOLL FIELD
Nearly 10,000 fans were on hand as Saint Vincent College and the Pittsburgh Steelers blessed and dedicated Chuck Noll Field prior to the Steelers' evening practice at the college on August 2. The field was named after the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll, who led the team to four Super Bowl victories in the 1970s.

GCC'S COURAGE QUALIFIES FOR U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Grove City College swimmer Caleb Courage has qualified for next summer's United States Olympic Trials in the 100-meter freestyle. Courage qualified for the Trials by posting a time of 51.53 seconds in the preliminaries of the 100-meter free on July 31 at the USA Swimming National Championships, hosted by Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Courage surpassed the Olympic Trials qualifying standard of 51.59 seconds.

W&J TABBED TO REPEAT AS PAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents were picked to repeat as PAC football champions according to voters in the 2007 PAC Preseason Football Poll, released on July 31 at PAC Football Media Day at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. W&J earned 22 of 29 first place votes in the poll, followed by Waynesburg and Thiel. The Presidents are ranked in the NCAA Division III preseason Top 25 by three different preseason publications, including eighth in the nation by Street & Smith's College Football Annual.

HOGGARTH NAMED THIEL HEAD MEN'S SOCCER COACH
Thiel College announced on July 30 that Andy Hoggarth has been hired as the new Tomcat head men's soccer coach. Hoggarth, a native of England who previously was an assistant coach at Shenandoah University, replaces Keith Wilhelm, who resigned in June after four years in the position.

FOUR PAC TEAMS GARNER AVCA ACADEMIC LAURELS
Four PAC volleyball teams have earned the GamePlan/ American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season. The volleyball teams at Bethany, Grove City, Saint Vincent and Washington & Jefferson were all lauded by the AVCA for maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

ALESSANDRO NAMED NEW TMC CROSS COUNTRY COACH
Thomas More College hired Brian Alessandro as the school's head cross country coach on July 11. Alessandro comes to Thomas More from Northern Kentucky University where he was an assistant for the last two seasons. The Norse were national qualifiers in men's cross country in 2006. In addition to his stint at NKU, Alessandro coached at Highlands (Ky.) High School for six seasons, three of which ended with team state championships.

MCNEIL NAMED FIRST FULL-TIME TITAN TRACK/XC COACH
Westminster College announced the hiring of Tim McNeil as head men's and women's track and field coach and head men's and women's cross country coach on June 9. In a newly-created position within the athletic department, McNeil becomes Westminster's first full-time coach responsible for coaching both sports. A 1996 Westminster graduate and former Titan track & field and football standout, McNeil's coaching experience includes six years as the head boys and girls track and field coach at John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, Ohio, where he served as the school's assistant principal from 2000-06.

W&J TABS CURTIS AS NEW WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH
Washington & Jefferson announced on July 3 that Pete Curtis has been hired as the school’s new head women’s soccer coach. Curtis replaces Melissa Joseph, who resigned in June to become the new head coach at Mount Union College. Curtis has been coaching collegiate soccer for 16 years, including head coaching stints at all three NCAA divisions. Most recently, he served as the head men’s soccer coach at Division I Cleveland State for six seasons.

BETHANY NAMES KLINE HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH
Bethany College has named Courtney Kline as its new head women’s volleyball coach. Kline will be taking over for Jan Forsty, who remains with the school as the associate athletic director and head softball coach. Kline comes to Bethany after a highly successful two-year stint as the head coach at Penn State-Fayette in Uniontown, Pa. In those two seasons, the Lions captured back-to-back PSUAC championships, the first in the school’s history, and Kline was named the Coach of the Year following both seasons.ege to repeat as PSUAC champions.

PAC NAMES 280 TO SPRING 2007 ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
A total of 280 student-athletes have been named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll for the 2007 spring semester. The PAC Academic Honor Roll honors student-athletes on winter or spring varsity sports teams who earn a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) during their semester of competition. Coupled with 261 honorees in the fall, the PAC named a record 541 student-athletes to the Academic Honor Roll during the 2006-07 academic year.

PAC UNVEILS SPORTSMANSHIP INITIATIVE FOR 2007-08
The Presidents' Athletic Conference is proud to join the Division III Commissioners Association and Division III conferences around the nation by supporting the PAC Sportsmanship Initiative in 2007-08. The conference encourages all students and fans to Be Loud! Be Proud! Be Positive! at PAC sporting events this year.

PAC HIRES DEBALDO AS 2007-08 CONFERENCE INTERN
The PAC has hired Jeff DeBaldo as an intern in the conference office for the 2007-08 academic year. DeBaldo, who will serve a 10-month internship beginning July 15, 2007, will work at the PAC office in Wexford, Pa., assisting PAC Executive Director Joe Onderko in all aspects of conference operations. DeBaldo is a 2007 graduate of PAC member Waynesburg College, majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Sports Broadcasting/Information.

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