THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (April 15, 2014) – Last Sunday, April 6, over 50 Privateer student-athletes volunteered their time to help Maritime Athletics host its Inaugural Special Olympics New York Swim Meet as a kickoff event for 2014 NCAA Division III Week on campus. It was a really fantastic day and “feel-good” event all-around for everyone involved.

“I am very pleased that we were able to partner with Special Olympics NY and have this kickoff event for NCAA Division III week”, commented Maritime’s second-year Director of Athletics Heather MacCulloch. “The event was a great way to give our S.A.A.C. and swim teams the opportunity to assist us in using this platform to send a message that when athletes are engaged with other athletes in a competition setting, the differences melt away and the playing field is leveled through the similarity of sport.”

Members of the Maritime Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) and the Privateer men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams arrived early to help set up the Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium for the Opening Ceremonies, which they were a big part of and then stayed through the entire aquatics competition in the pool, lending their hands in a variety of ways.

The Opening Ceremonies started with a parade of teams around the Riesenberg Gymnasium led by Maritime mascot Privateer Pete. Pete led the way for nearly 70 Special Olympics athletes representing five different clubs in attendance – the Cross Island Y, the Mid-Island Y, the Huntington Y and Brookhaven from Long Island and the Hudson Valley Y from Westchester County. The Olympic Torch Run followed, as a member from each team got to be a part of the relay, with the volunteers following close behind, and ended with the singing of the National Anthem by Maritime senior Kyron Cooper.

The Special Olympic athletes recited their oath, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” and then after a quick word by Maritime Aquatics Director Jim Downey, welcoming and thanking those in attendance for participating, the games were declared open!

The Privateer student-athletes worked very closely to help the Special Olympics athletes prepare for their events during the meet and to get to and from the pool area to the podium area and the stands. But most importantly, those volunteers spent time talking to and mingling with the athletes and cheering them on, making them feel welcomed and admired.

At the end of the meet, there was an opportunity for the Maritime swim team to get in the pool and compete in unified relays with the Special Olympics athletes. It was a great way to end a fantastic day, bringing both the Maritime student-athletes and the Special Olympics Athletes even closer together.

The entire day further proved that the partnership between NCAA Division III and the Special Olympics is strong and very evident. This will be an annual event at Maritime with hopes of expanding to include more local teams.

“Special Olympics New York is very appreciative for all the hard work Maritime Athletics put into the Aquatics Competition,” said Director of Programming Tim Flynn. “The department went above and beyond and exceeded all expectations. I was extremely impressed with the volunteers and the level of support they provided. I am looking forward to this long lasting relationship and improving upon what has been built this year.”

The NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Special Olympics announced their partnership at the 2011 NCAA Convention. It officially launched on August 1, 2011. In the first year of the partnership, 39 NCAA Division III conferences and 101 institutions reported a Special Olympics activity. Of these reported activities approximately 6,800 student-athletes and 9,800 Special Olympics athletes took part and over $118,000 was raised for local Special Olympics chapters. During 2011-12, Special Olympics events were conducted at 22 NCAA Division III championships in 13 states, with over 2,000 student-athletes and 800 Special Olympics athletes participating.

The partnership is designed to improve the lives of Special Olympics athletes through their involvement with Division III student-athletes and to foster a mutual learning experience between Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes. The partnership aligns with the Division III attribute of citizenship in the division’s strategic-positioning platform. The federated structure of Special Olympics organizations around the country provides opportunities for Division III student-athletes in every state to participate in a variety of existing programs or create their own service opportunities.

About Division III: The college experience is a time of learning and growth – a chance to follow passions and develop potential. For student-athletes in Division III, all of this happens most importantly in the classroom and through earning an academic degree. The Division III experience provides for passionate participation in a competitive athletic environment, where student-athletes push themselves to excellence and build on their academic success with new challenges and life skills. And student-athletes are encouraged to pursue the full passions and find their potential through a comprehensive educational experience. Visit http://www.ncaa.org/divisioniii and http://www.ncaa.org/D3SpecialOlympics for more information.

About Special Olympics: Special Olympics is an international organization that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports everyday around the world. Through work in sports, health education and community building, Special Olympics is addressing inactivity, injustice, intolerance and social isolation by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities which leads to a more welcoming and inclusive society. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to nearly four million athletes in 170 countries. With the support of more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics is able to deliver 32 Olympic-type sports and more than 53,000 competitions throughout the year. Visit Special Olympics at http://www.specialolympics.org.

Source: http://www.maritimeathletics.com/news/2014/4/15/GEN_0415145928.aspx

AMHERST, N.Y. – Over the course of the last month, student-athletes and coaches from Daemen College have volunteered their time to help with the efforts of Habitat for Humanity Buffalo, a non-profit organization which aims to give a helping hand to families who otherwise would be unable to achieve their dream of home ownership.

Members of Daemen’s men’s and women’s track & field, cross country, soccer, men’s golf and women’s volleyball, tennis and basketball teams spread out across the Buffalo area to volunteer at eight different work sites on Saturday, March 23, Saturday, April 6 and Saturday, April 13.

During their time at the work site, the teams participated in all kinds of construction-related activities from drywalling to insulating, from sanding to painting.

“On behalf of Daemen College’s coaches and student-athlete participants, I would like to thank Habitat for Humanity Buffalo for allowing us the opportunity to take part in such meaningful projects,” said Daemen Director of Athletics William Morris. “It was a great opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches to get out and help families in our community.”

Morris also gave a strong thanks to Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women’s Administrator Katie Bishop who coordinated the event with administrators from Habitat for Humanity Buffalo, as well as the College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee which sponsored this community outreach project.

This example of volunteerism demonstrates the Athletic Department’s commitment to the College’s call for servant leadership and the NCAA Division II objective of community engagement.

Source: http://wildcats.daemen.edu/news/2013/4/15/Daemen_Habitat_For_Humanity_2013.aspx

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Student-athletes from the Southern Connecticut State University athletic department traveled to the Beecher School in New Haven on Thursday for another session of the interactive academic program with sixth grade students at the school. Members of the women’s soccer and women’s basketball teams took part in the event, which featured small group sessions. The program will continue weekly throughout the remainder of the academic year.

This program is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2012-13 academic year.

“This sounds cheesy, but I really do love NAU.”

Being a college student-athlete allows you to contribute not only on the court, but in the community. That is what Northern Arizona women’s tennis senior Tatum Rochin has done at NAU and in Flagstaff.

“NAU is such a great family and we have such a great athletic family,” said Rochin, who will be competing in her final home match Sunday against Sacramento State at 10 a.m. “I want to do everything I can to help support everyone whether it’s through SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and organizing Lumberjack Cup events; I love being a part of something bigger and I knew I wanted to get involved as much as I can because I love this family.”

As the season comes to an end, Rochin is able to look back and see what a great impact she has made on the tennis program and out in the community. As SAAC officer, Rochin has helped orchestrate events to make the student-athlete life a more enjoyable experience with the Lumberjack Cup, which promotes student-athletes supporting each other on the field and in the classroom. She helped coordinate the first ever Baller’s Ball, a dance for the athletes at Northern Arizona University that raised over $1,000, which was donated to the Murdoch Community Center.

After spending her first two seasons at Pima Community College, Rochin has racked up 12 singles wins and 12 victories in doubles at NAU. To start out this season in doubles with Johanna Vang, the duo won four of their first five matches. Last season, Rochin went unbeaten with seven wins in singles and three wins in doubles.

“Last year she was our No. 7 (singles player) and never once did she complain,” said head coach Kim Bruno. “When she did pop up, she went undefeated, which is a huge accomplishment within itself.”

Fast forward to this season, the native of Tucson has posted five wins in singles at the No. 5 & 6 position.

Rochin has been the perfect captain for this year’s squad who had five newcomers and was a key piece in guiding these young players.

“I am really happy with how this year is turning out,” Rochin said. “Last year I did not play that much, but being one of the returners, I was able to give my advice to my teammates.”

Throughout the season, Bruno has been able to lean on Rochin for leadership on this year’s squad.

“She has been such a pleasure to work with,” Bruno said. “She is always there to pump up her teammates or tell them when things are not going as planned.”

One of those teammates she has helped mentor is her younger sister, Hailey, who is in her freshman year. The sisters got a chance to play Division I college tennis together, an opportunity not many sisters have the chance to achieve.

“It has been really cool to see her grow in college,” Tatum said. “Seeing her grow in tennis and off-the-court has been great and I think it is really awesome that we got to spend at least one year together and I was able to mentor her.”

Source: http://azdailysun.com/sports/college/nau-lumberjacks/nau-s-rochin-defining-the-title-of-student-athlete/article_c68bae68-c20d-11e3-ae81-001a4bcf887a.html