Five Minutes With ... Hilary Callen

Denison senior swimmer Hilary Callen

Name: Hilary Callen

Hometown/High School: Oswego, NY/ Oswego

Institution: Denison University

Major: Economics

Sport: Swimming

I am originally from ... Oswego, New York

Why did you choose to attend a NCAA Division III institution? I decided to attend an NCAA Division III school because I wanted to be a major contributor in my sport while still earning a college degree from a great institution.

How would you describe the philosophy of NCAA Div. III? I would describe the philosophy of NCAA Div. III to be the place where true student-athletes study and compete, both at a high and competitive level.

How has your experience been in balancing athletics and academics at Denison? My coach tells my team that in order to be a successful student-athlete you need to have an appropriate balance of three aspects of your college career; academics, athletics and your social life. If one of these isn’t balanced, then the others will more than likely be unbalanced as well. I have tried my best to stay in a routine throughout college in order to make sure my academics, sport and social life are all equally weighed.  

How would you best describe your normal day as a student-athlete at the NCAA Div. III level? What do you do all day? My day is VERY routine. I have morning workout at 6 am four days a week. After practice I go to class for a majority of the morning and early afternoon. Following classes I usually take a nap ( I depend on them!) and then head to afternoon practice. Once practice is over, I eat dinner and do homework before I go to bed around 11:00pm…..then repeat Monday-Friday!

Favorite thing about Denison? How beautiful it is. I love walking to class and looking at all the trees and pretty buildings. Denison is on top of a hill and I love driving up the main road to get to campus because it is so beautiful.

Favorite thing about the NCAC? I really like how all the NCAC schools have a great sense of sportsmanship. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? When I “grow up” I would really like to work in the health care industry, either in hospital administration or medical sales. Right now, I am leaning towards Orthopedic Sales. I’ve always had a great interest in orthopedics and I think this would be a good career path for me.

People may be surprised to know that …… I grew up on a horse farm!

Do you have any hidden talents that very few people know about? I taught myself how to whistle, and I’m actually pretty good at it. 

What has been your most memorable moment in athletics during your collegiate career? Some people would think that my most memorable moment would be at NCAA's last year when my 800 free relay broke the National Record; however, my most memorable moment was NCAA's my sophomore year. The 800 free relay that I was on was not expected to win, but we did. I remember swimming the last 100 of that race and seeing my whole team and crowd standing and cheering for us. I will always remember that feeling. 

Do you have one coach and/or professor that has impacted your career the most at Denison? My coach Gregg Parini has definitely impacted my career at Denison. To say that he is just my swim coach is such an understatement. He has taught me so many valuable lessons that I plan to carry on throughout my life after my college career is over. I am so thankful to have met and been coached by a man like, Gregg.

What are the toughest issues facing Div. III athletes today? I think trying to prove to other people and divisions higher than ours that Div. III athletics are very competitive! 

If you could excel at any competitive sport (other than your own) which would you choose? I would really like to try to play volleyball.

Which historical sporting event would you have liked to witness? The 2008, men's 4X100 freestyle swimming relay in Beijing. I remember I missed watching the race on TV so I watched it the next day on the computer, and I cried! That race was so inspirational.  

Any Pet Peeves? I hate the noise of squeaking styrofoam

Five Minutes With ... Brian Casey

DePauw President Brian Casey

Name/Institution: Brian Casey, DePauw University

Title: President (official bio)

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame; J.D., Stanford Law School; PhD (History and American Studies), Harvard University

I am originally from ... The Jersey Shore, really. And it’s nothing like that TV show. Trust me.

Why do you have an awesome job? I get to help shape and direct a wonderful old university and connect to its students, faculty and alumni. There has not been a single day in this position where I haven’t been amazed. I have never felt more engaged in anything in my life.

When did you know you wanted to be a college president? I don’t think anyone really plans on being a college president. But when I was in graduate school (getting my PHD in History) I do remember being interested in what the President was up to. I believe that leadership matters and I remember early interest in the leadership styles of presidents.

Favorite thing about DePauw? The energy of the students and the faculty – and the ways in which members of this community support and nurture each other. And, surprisingly, the wit of the members of the community. There are an incredible number of very smart, very witty and entertaining members of this community.

Favorite thing about the NCAC? The academic quality of the member institutions.

How would you describe the philosophy of NCAA Div. III? The classic model of the student-athlete engaged in sport for the love of the game and the pure thrill of the challenge. Div III athletes are as intense as any athletes I have ever seen, but they also have their eyes on other things.

How did your collegiate experience help to prepare you to be an administrator at the Div. III level? Well, I was captain of the varsity swimming team at Notre Dame and competed at a pretty high level all four years. I know how challenging it is for our student athletes to balance the demands of the classroom and the playing fields. I also know how emotionally taxing it is when you lose. I hope I am sympathetic about all they are addressing every day.

People may be surprised to know that ... I still swim every day, very often dropping in on the workouts of the DePauw swimmers. I still keep trying to get better at my sport.

What’s currently playing on your I-Pod? Lots of jazz. And a surprising number of musical “guilty pleasures” – those pop songs that you don’t want to admit you download.

Which historical sporting event would you have liked to witness? The two great McEnroe-Borg Wimbledon finals of 1980 and 1981. There is something so immediate and exciting about two athletes engaged in such a battle of contrasting styles and temperaments.

What’s your favorite sports team/Who’s your favorite athlete? I’m a huge fan of the New York Yankees. My favorite athlete right now is Ryan Lochte, Olympic swimmer, who dominated Michael Phelps at the last swimming world championships. The battles between Phelps and Lochte in London will be epic.

First job? Lifeguarding on the Jersey Shore. It’s remarkable how powerful you can feel to be 16 on a lifeguard stand with a whistle. (It’s also about the dumbest thing to do to a 16 year old!!)

Five Minutes With ...

Throughout the 2010-11 academic year, the North Coast Athletic Conference will give you an in-depth look into the lives of the student-athletes, administrators and faculty members of the conference who epitomize what it means to compete, study and educate at the NCAA Div. III level. We hope that this feature will help people gain a better understanding of why individuals have decided to make NCAA Div. III a cornerstone of their life.

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Name: Kate Melanson

Hometown/High School: Jupiter FL/Suncoast Community High School

Institution: Oberlin College

Major (s): Biology, Rhetoric and Composition

Sport: Swimming


* Why did you choose to attend an NCAA Division III institution?

KM: Well I really enjoyed swimming and wanted to continue in college. But, I didn’t want it to be really hardcore with a focus on just getting faster. I visited Oberlin and there was instantly this team vibe that I never had in high school or on club teams.


* If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

KM: Tina Fey. I love 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live and basically anything she has ever done. She’s not only hilarious, but is one of the leading women in entertainment and it would be so fun to be her.


* How would you most accurately describe or define the ideals on which the NCAA Div. III was founded?

KM: I would have to say it was founded on the idea of a balance between academics and athletics. NCAA DIII student-athletes are exactly that, students then athletes. DIII schools preserve amateurism in sports by having athletes who participate because they enjoy the sports, not because they’re paid or get scholarships, but for pure pleasure.


* People may be surprised to know that ……

KM: My full name is Kate, not Caitlin or Katherine. Just Kate.


* How has your experience been in balancing athletics and academics at your institution?

KM: It has been great. Swimming has provided a break and a way to let out steam so that stress doesn’t overwhelm me. If anything, athletics is the reason I feel well balanced.


* If you are stranded on an island, you would like to be with ……

KM: My puppy Sookie. I feel like I’d snap at someone else and then we wouldn’t talk, and then it’d just be an island of awkwardness. My dog will love me unconditionally.


* What is the life of a student-athlete studying biology like at Oberlin College?

KM: Life is pretty hectic studying biology and competing in Sports. Many times you have to leave your afternoon lab and go straight to practice, then back to the lab again after to finish things off. There’s no time to rest, but you learn very good time management.


* Do you have any hidden talents that very few people know about?

KM: My eye can tell the weather. My right eye puffs up when there is a high-pressure system. People usually think I got punched and I just say, “No, it’s just about to rain.”


* What aspect of being a student-athlete at the Div. III level, do you hope to take with you into your professional life?

KM: I hope to take my time management skills with me into my professional life. In order to get school work and athletics done, you have to manage time or fall behind and being a student-athlete has taught that very valuable lesson.


* What has been your most memorable moment in athletics during your collegiate career?

KM: My most memorable moment would probably have to be during my sophomore year at our conference championship. I had just earned my spot on the 800-freestyle relay and was very excited about swimming it. I was about to go up to the block with my teammates and my coach said, “There are 20 girls on that bench depending on you.” It freaked me out! But I went up to the blocks with my relay-mates, one from each class year, and I swam my heart out feeling like the whole team was swimming it with me. We broke the school record, got an NCAA B-cut and came in third for an All-Conference finish. It was really awesome.


* What would you like to accomplish, both in academics and athletics, before you graduate?

KM: In academics, I would like to participate in some important research in ecology and really find my niche. In athletics, I’d like to achieve my own national cut individually, A or B, just knowing that I could do it would be great.


* What’s currently playing on your I-Pod?

KM: Fame by David Bowie.


* Do you have one coach and or professor in mind that has impacted your career the most at Oberlin?

KM: My advisor Mary Garvin has been pretty great. She’s always insisted on doing what makes me happy, both in terms of athletics and academics, and I think that the most important thing that there is for anyone is to find something that makes them happy.


* What is your most prized possession?

KM: My friends, a.k.a. my teammates.


* What is the most important life lesson you learned while competing at the NCAA Div. III level?

KM: Do something you enjoy, not just something you’re good at.


* How many hours a week do you spend on Facebook?

KM: An unhealthy amount. Probably at least 7-10, but for some people it’s the only way I can keep in touch with them and see what they’re up to.


* What would be your advice for someone that is considering enrolling as a student-athlete at a NCAA Div. III institution?

KM: DO IT!!!


* How would you best describe your normal day as a student-athlete at the NCAA Div. III level?

KM: Crazy, just how I like it.

Did you know? ... NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships Edition

Allegheny is the host for next week's NCAC Swimming & Diving championships at Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio. Did you know Allegheny has a long history of hosting meets?

The first NCAA DIII Swimming & Diving Championships were hosted by Allegheny at Mellon Pool, March 19-22, 1975. Chico State took the team title and the Gators finished ninth.

In 1980, Allegheny hosted the first Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) DIII championship. Two years later, the Gators hosted what would be the last AIAW meet before the organization merged with the NCAA.

NCAA on Campus - OWU Edition

A crew from CBS College Sports Network's NCAA on Campus visited Ohio Wesleyan on Monday to film a segment about the international 'Channeling Peace' initiative of David Gatz '10 and Usman Javaid '10. Shown here are interviews with Javaid (left) and with Evan Huddleson '12 (right), who answered questions for a separate segment of the show called 'What's On - On Campus.' The OWU pieces are expected to debut in February.

-- photos by Cole Hatcher, information courtesy of Connect2 OWU

Menzel a 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Semifinalist

Recent Kenyon graduate Tracy Menzel is one of 10 Division III semifinalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA hands out. It recognizes senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership. 

The 30 finalists - 10 from each division – come from a pool of 132 conference nominees, representing all three NCAA divisions and multiple sports. The top 30 will be trimmed to nine finalists – three from each division – next month and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the national winner from that pool. The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists will be honored and the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year winner announced at a dinner in Indianapolis October 18, 2009.

This is the 19th year the Woman of the Year award has been given. Last year’s national winner was Tennessee women’s basketball standout Nkolika Anosike. Kenyon's Ashley Rowatt won the award in 2003. She was the first student-athlete in Division III to be so honored.

Watch the 2003 ceremony here.

Blog Updates

** Follow the Wabash soccer team in Argentina here. The team leaves today.

** An update on the OWU swimmers who were attempting a relay crossing of the English Channel: The relay effort turned into a solo attempt after the British government denied Usman Javaid's request for the visa that would let him enter the country. After Javaid’s visa was denied, David Gatz made the decision to attempt a solo channel swim to fulfill the mission of their Channeling Peace Initiative. He began his swim at about 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday (8:30 a.m. BST/British Summer Time), but was forced to abandon the effort about four hours later after becoming ill and unable to keep down either food or water. Gatz hopes to participate in a separate relay swim in the English Channel later this week, and Javaid, a gold medal swimmer in Pakistan, is planning his own long-distance swim there. Read more here and here.

Around the NCAC

** Allegheny's volleyball and women's soccer teams leave today for a european tour. A few student-athletes from each team will blog about their experiences, which will be featured at alleghenysports.com throughout the trip.

** On July 16, Allegheny's Alex Herrnberger was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks and assigned to the Missoula (Mont.) Osprey, a short-season league designated as rookie advanced. Through July 31, Herrnberger appeared in three games for the Osprey, the first-place team in the Pioneer North at 20-15. He is 0-for-1 with a pair of walks and has scored two runs with one RBI.

** Hiram Head Swimming and Diving Coach Jack Groselle continued his assault on the Masters' Swimming record books at the USA Swimming Sectionals held in Oxford, Ohio. He clocked a 2:05.39 in the men’s 200-yard free to lower his FINA Masters age division record in the 55-59 age group. He previously set the record with a 2:07.21 at the last sectional meet in the area held in March. He then posted a U.S. Masters Swimming national record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a mark of 1:12.84. Groselle competes this week at the U.S. Masters Swimming Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. beginning on Thursday.

** Follow progress on the Ohio Wesleyan Meeks Aquatic & Recreation Center here.

** Wittenberg's Katherine Hueter reflects on her basketball trip to the Adriatic Coast earlier this summer with USA Athletes International.

** Wittenberg will host its seventh annual Rosy's Golf Outing to honor the legacy of former Tiger student-athlete, coach and athletics department administrator Bob Rosencrans '58. Proceeds from the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. at Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield, will be split between the Central and Southern Ohio Chapter of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association, Driving 4 Life and Wittenberg, which will use the money to continue to make improvements in and around the Bob Rosencrans Fitness Center. Proceeds raised for the Central and Southern Ohio Chapter of the ALS Association are used for research for a cure for the deadly disease, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Rosencrans died of ALS in 2003, just two months after the inaugural Rosy's Golf Outing.

Swimming with Purpose

Usman Javaid of Lahore, Pakistan, and David Gatz of Delaware, Ohio, both members of Ohio Wesleyan's men's swim team, will swim the English Channel this summer to demonstrate the power of friendship in making the world a better place. They have named their effort the “Channeling Peace Initiative.”

As part of their 21-mile relay swim in the frigid Channel, the seniors are raising funds to support the Pakistani relief efforts of Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization.

“It is our sincere hope that our efforts will raise awareness of the need for international friendship and cooperation in addressing many of the world’s challenges,” the swimmers state. “It can be a challenge within our daily lives to reach out and befriend someone of another culture, but these are the steps that bring about a unified world.”

The pair is scheduled to make their Channel swim between July 28 and Aug. 6, with the weather determining exactly when they take the plunge. Once they dive in, they will alternate one-hour swims, braving the 60- to 65-degree Fahrenheit water and 3- to 5-foot waves wearing only a Speedo, swim cap, and goggles. Thermal suits and other protective gear aren’t allowed if the swim is to be officially recognized. The swim is expected to take between 12 and 14 hours coast to coast.

Javaid and Gatz began training in earnest in April for their Channel swim. That training has included spending hours in Delaware’s icy Alum Creek, and experiencing “convulsing shivers” afterward, to acclimate themselves to the strength-sapping cold of the English Channel.

Ohio Wesleyan Head Coach Richard Hawes, who helped to devise training regimens for the pair, and university Chaplain Jon Powers, who is helping them to reach out to government leaders and faith-based organizations to support their international fund-raising and friend-raising venture, will join the swimmer sin Europe.

Powers said the men’s efforts are inspiring.

“Usman and David provide a tangible example of the power of friendship and cooperation in changing the world,” the chaplain said. “Their friendship transcends the boundaries of nationality, politics, culture, and religion. They remind us of what is possible when we make sacrifices and work together.”

To learn more about Javaid and Gatz’s “Channeling Peace Initiative,” including how to support them, visit www.channelingpeace.org. The pair also have a blog at: Peace in Progress and a Facebook page.

Photo courtesy of David Gatz.

NCAC Issue of Champion Magazine

The current issue of NCAA Champion magazine could be considered the NCAC issue. Not really, but the conference is featured several times throughout the magazine:

* The NCAC's 25th anniversary is highlighted in Incusive approach a stalwart of NCAC success, by Leilana McKindry

* Kenyon men's swimming's amazing 30 consecutive national championships are part Freaky Streaks by Greg Johnson. A sidebar to that story also mentions Hiram softball player Whitney Dropsey, who, as of April 1 had not struck out in her collegate career - 305 at-bats. Dropsey rang her streak up to 354 at-bats before suffering her first K in the third game of the NCAC Softball tournament. The Terriers went on to win their first league tourney title and a trip to the NCAA turnament.

* Kenyon's 2009 men's and women's swimming titles are featured as part of the winter championship wrap-up.

* Terry Schermer's touching memorium for former Kenyon athletic trainer George Christman.

Hiram Coach Sets World Records

** Hiram swim coach Jack Groselle speaks from experience when coaching his student-athletes. Current experience, it turns out. Jack still competes at the Masters level and this past weekend, broke two FINA Masters World records at the four-day USA Sectional Swim Meet held at the Indiana University-Purdue University Natatorium in Indianapolis this past weekend. [Complete Results (pdf)]

He set his first mark in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:07.12, surpassing Jim McConica time of 2:08.03.

“The entire experience was something that I’ll remember for a long time,” said Jack. “The swimmers and coaches were cheering me on knowing that I was attempting to break the record and that made all the difference in the swim.”

Jack recorded his second world during the final day of competition - this time in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 56.20 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 57.85 seconds held by Alexander Mills of Norway. His time also passed the United States Masters Swimming national record held by Paul Trevisan (58.07).

In addition, he finished five one-hundredths of a second shy of a third world record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 25.36 seconds. The current world record is held by Mike Tennant at 25.31 seconds.

Around the NCAC

** The Denison men's 4x800 relay team broke a 41-year old record at last weekend's Denison Last Chance Meet. Ben Holder, Lex Hultquist, Ben Pendery and Chris Black won the event with a time of 7:53.49 which shattered the previous record of 7:58.64 set back in 1968.

** The Denison Sports Network returns to the air, bringing Big Red fans a handful of key baseball, softball and men's and women's lacrosse games this spring. The free service kicks off the season Tuesday, March 24th at Big Red Field as the baseball team takes on Heidelberg. See the whole schedule here.

** Former Earlham star QB Justin Rummel recently signed with the Fairbanks Grizzlies of the Indoor Football League.

** Oberlin softball is offering a one-day clinic for players in grades K-6 on Sunday, March 15 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. inside the Jesse Philips Physical Education Center. Participants will receive instruction in all phases of the game. The clinic costs $35 per athlete.

** A pair of Wittenberg programs reached new heights of success this fall and winter. Read about the Tiger women's cross country squad and the men's swimming & diving team - and even listen to the head coaches Craig Penney and Natalie Koukis comment on their accomplishments.

NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships

As teams continue final prep for the upcoming NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Macalester at the University Aquatic Center, on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at the record-smashing NCAC meet.





A full photo gallery is available on the NCAC Swimming & Diving Championship page.

Photos by Walt Middleton Photography

Kenyon's Jim Steen Profiled in New York Times

Jim Steen, Kenyon's head swim coach, is profiled in today's New York Times. The article follows Jim and tries to get at some of the coaching philosophies that make him such a success. Ironically, by not focusing on overall success, he has coached his way to one of the greatest careers in college sports.

Read the whole story here.

Denison's Zaleski Earns National Honor

Denison junior Olivia Zaleski was named the Collegeswimming.com's Division III Swimmer of the Week after posting three NCAA automatic qualifying times at the three-day Miami Invitational. She finished fourth in the 100 butterfly (55.55), fifth in the 100 backstroke (57.15), and tenth in the 50 freestyle (23.63). She also set a new school record in the 100 backstroke while leading off the Big Red's 400 medley relay team. Her split of 55.71 in the relay was not only the fastest in Denison history, it was the third fastest time in the event in small college history.

Zaleski also swam on three relays; the third-place 200 free relay (1:35.25), the fourth-place 400 free relay (3:51.14), and the second-place 200 medley relay (1:48.57).

Live Swimming Action Tonight!

Fans can catch the double dual meet between Wabash, Wittenberg and Transylvania at Wittenberg tonight. The live stream is being shown by SwimmingWorldMagazine.com. Click here for the feed.

Lords and Ladies Rake in Honors

A quartet of Kenyon Lords and Ladies were singled out this week for their athletic prowess.

On Monday, The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) released its list of players on the 2008 Division III Senior All-Star team. Defender Perrin Legg and goalkeeper Karen Thompson were the only NCAC players selected to the 38 player roster. The NFHCA's Senior All-Star game will take place Sunday, November 23 at Ursinus in Collegeville, PA. Start time for the game is set for 9:30 a.m.

Legg has racked up a team-high four defensive saves this season, giving her a career total of 11. She has helped the Ladies defense hold opponents to an average of just 1.92 goals per game this season and has also amped up her offensive play as well, collecting three goals and two assists. She's played in every Kenyon game over the last four years and started all but one of them. Legg is a three-time All-NCAC honoree and was named the NCAC Defensive Player of the Year last fall.

Thompson has been equally impressive as the Ladies last line of defense. She is Kenyon's record-holder for shutouts in a season (12 in 2006) and in a career (25). She's made 118 saves this season, recorded six shutouts, and possesses a .787 saves percentage. Her career goals against average currently stands at 1.09. She has been named to the All-NCAC team twice and received a 2007 all-America award from womensfieldhockey.com.

CollegeSwimming.com announced their weekly honors with freshman Alisa Vereshchagin and junior Douglas Huguenard picking a matching set of the National Division III Swimmer of the Week awards.

Vereshchagin made quite a splash last week against Ohio State. The Ladies were unable to win the dual meet against the powerful Division I Buckeyes, but Vereshchagin, a breaststroke specialist, did not back down. She produced the lone event win for the Ladies by taking the 100-yard breaststroke with an NCAA 'B' cut time of 1:05.98. Later in the meet, Vereshchagin placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:22.26, which was good enough to clear another NCAA 'B' cut.

Huguenard did what he could to keep the Lords competitive against the Buckeyes. The Lords wound up losing 168-71, but Huguenard had an excellent start to his season with some solid swims in butterfly events. He took third place in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:53.62 and added another third place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 51.80. Huguenard's time in the 100 was good enough to clear the NCAA 'B' cut.

NCAC Swim Teams Set for Thursday's "Hour of Power"

On Thursday the swimming & diving teams at Allegheny, Denison, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash, Wittenberg and Wooster will join with 88 teams across the country in an “Hour of Power” Relay in honor of former Carleton College swimmer Ted Mullin, who passed away in the fall of 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer.

Funds raised through this event support research at the University of Chicago into the causes and treatment of sarcoma in young people. In 2006, 15 teams joined together to raise team spirit, cancer awareness and $11,000. Last year, the number of participating teams climbed to 53, including 46 college and university programs, four high school and three club teams – all combining to raise over $43,000 for the fund.

For more information and to find out how you can offer support, click here.

Wittenberg Swimmers Travel the World

Traditionally swimmer spend their summers by the water. Some lifeguard, some teach lessons, others just rack up the laps. This past summer seven Wittenberg swimmers followed a different path, spreading out across the globe immersing themselves in other cultures, gaining valuable educational experience and serving others.

Sophomore Conor O'Rourke traveled to Cap Haitien, Haiti, for a fourth consecutive summer with a program called Project Pierre Toussaint (PPT), an 11-year-old organization dedicated to helping the street boys of Haiti's second largest city. He helped to educate, offer guidance to the boys, and teach them how to become honorable members of Haitian society.

"Many of these boys were orphaned, or their families could no longer take care of them," O'Rourke said. "Boys as young as six years old are left to literally fight for their lives, food and a place on the street to sleep."

"Along with five other close friends, I helped establish a sports camp for the boys of Pierre Toussaint, giving them something fun to do over the summer as well as establish good sportsmanship," O'Rourke said. "This was the second annual PPT Sports camp, and we had over 100 campers in attendance."

O'Rourke and other members of the Wittenberg swim team, as well as other campus groups, coordinated the donation of old sneakers and soccer cleats for the boys to use.

Junior Pat Deering spent the first month of his summer vacation studying in Russia, splitting most of his time between the historic cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Deering attended various lectures with professors from Moscow State, important city leaders, artists, architects and others. In addition to meeting new Wittenberg students and interacting with professors in a "non-classroom" environment, he built relationships with a "great group of Russian college students."

Juniors Amy Prugh and Neil Anderson traveled to Japan. Prugh spent four weeks in Tokyo and her last weekend in Kyoto but feels that she only "scratched the surface" of the full Japanese culture. Anderson could not believe how welcoming the Japanese were and the high level of respect they have for fellow human beings. He plans to continue that theme in his own life at Wittenberg.

Sophomore Matt Higbee and junior Kristin Elber, class of 2010 from Brunswick, Ohio, spent part of their summer traveling in Germany, individually visiting such places as the Marienkirche, where Martin Luther preached, Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig, and working on service projects. They even swam in the Baltic Sea.

Elber also took advantage of an opportunity to train with a German swim team – ironically based at the "other" Wittenberg, the historic city where Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses. She found training with people who yell things in a different language challenging.

"If there's one thing that holds true, swimming is a universal language and it's obvious we share a universal bond," she said.

Sophomore Kayleigh Alexander spent the first part of her summer with a church group in Guatemala. She did volunteer work in elementary schools, singing songs and making friendship bracelets.

Around the NCAC

** Athletic Director Betsy Mitchell talks about how tradition, commitment and excellence combine together into the Allegheny Advantage in her latest From the Athletic Director's Desk.

** Allegheny senior golfer Chris Moore and sophomore soccer player Jessica Boyle will share what it's like to be a student-athlete with the readers of the Erie Times-News. The two have been selected, along with two student-athletes from each of the Erie area's local colleges, to blog about their daily life this fall on paper's online home: goerie.com/blogs/sports.

** The second installment of the Jeff Ramsey Show will air tomorrow on AM-1320 WOBL and LorainCounty.com. The broadcast features Yeomen head football coach Jeff Ramsey and select players. It airs from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

** Ohio Wesleyan men's soccer was predicted to finish atop the NCAC standings in preseason balloting by league coaches and the Battling Bishops are off to a 4-1 start. A big part of the team's success can be attributed to brothers Travis and Tyler Wall. Read about the brother's chemistry and how they're following in sister Sarah's success at OWU in the latest edition of Connect2 OWU.

** Former Ohio Wesleyan women's basketball player Summer Quesenberry has been named the assistant coach at Vassar.

** For the third straight year HDNet will broadcast the Monon Bell, the annual season-ending football game between Wabash and DePauw, live to a national audience. The 115th game of the long-running rivalry will be played Saturday, November 15 at Wabash. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. The Little Giants hold a 53-52-9 edge in the overall series. Read the details here.

** Wabash football is set to host its annual Youth Day Football clinic. The event, for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, will be held at Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium on Sept. 19 from 5-6:30 p.m. As meaningful as the day might be for the kids, it might be even more important to the college "kids".

** Wittenberg will celebrate Dave Maurer Day on Nov. 1 in to honor the legendary coach's 40 years as a Tiger. Maurer coached track and field, swimming and diving, and golf at various points during his Wittenberg career, in addition to his well-known exploits on the football sidelines. He also served as the university's director of men's athletics and was a professor of health and physical education. Like many other Wittenberg coaches of his era, Maurer did it all. For details of the special day, click here. For more information, or to register for the event, contact Beckie Baker in Wittenberg's Office of Advancement at (937) 327-7423. The cost of the reunion dinner is $40 per person. You can also share your thoughts and memories on a special tribute page.