OWLnews FALL WRAP UP 2011

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1 OWLnews FALL WRAP UP 2011 From the Director of Athletics Dear Owl Club Members: The fall semester is rapidly coming to a close. Our fall teams have all concluded their campaigns, and winter sports, such as basketball, swimming and diving, gymnastics and track and field are all under way with either preseason or regular season action. Our fall teams enjoyed considerable success on the conference, regional and national stages. The men s and women s soccer teams and men s cross country team were nationally ranked during the fall, while our football, men s and women s cross country, women s soccer and volleyball squads also attained regional rankings. There were also several notable individual performances on the playing fields. Rashaad Slowley of the football team rushed for 236 of his 288 total yards in the second half of a win over Assumption, which was the second highest single-half total in NCAA Division II history. That noteworthy effort earned mention in USA Today. He was also named a finalist for the 2011 Harlon Hill Award as the top Division II college football player. Jacquelyn Fede of the women s soccer squad posted a school-record 12 shutouts en route to Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors. The academic success of our student-athletes continues. Paul Templeton of the men s soccer team and Jacquelyn Fede of the women s soccer team were named Academic All-America selections by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Our student-athletes continue to align their own individual efforts with the university mission of exemplary community outreach and engagement. Thus far this fall, they have volunteered nearly 1,000 hours of their time to ventures both on and off campus. Thank you for your continued support of Owls athletics. I hope that you and your family have an enjoyable holiday season. I look forward to seeing you on campus for a home contest this winter. Patricia D. Nicol Director of Athletics for the Team behind the Team OWL CLUB Owls Enjoy Strong Start to the Academic Year The start of the academic year has been filled with success on the playing field, in the classroom and in the community. Southern s fall squads combined to defeat more than 60 percent of its opponents. The men s soccer team was ranked as high as No. 12 nationally, while the women s squad peaked as high as No. 25 in the national polls. In addition, the men s cross country team was as high as No. 16 in the nation and posted a runner-up finish at the Northeast-10 Conference championship. The volleyball team also posted a 19-win season and was regionally ranked during the campaign. The winter season is officially under way with the men s and women s swimming and diving, men s and women s indoor track and field and gymnastics, and men s and women s basketball programs in full swing. Making the tackle, senior Ike Igbinosun (far left), was a First- Team All-Conference selection this fall. The women s soccer team (right), had plenty to smile about after reaching as high as No. 25 in the national poll in 2011.

2 Four Former Owls Honored at 2011 Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon Four former Southern student-athletes Vincent M. Gagliardi 55 (football), Dr. Jay Whelan 76 (men s gymnastics), Mark S. Germain 79 (men s gymnastics) and Thomas W. Organ 75 (baseball) were recently recognized on Oct.28 as part of the University s 2011 Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon. Gagliardi was presented with the Charlene Hill Riccardi Alumni Service Award. Whelan and Germain were honored with the Outstanding Alumni Awards for the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Business, respectively. Organ was selected as the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Gagliardi was a football student-athlete, member of Student Government and an Eastern States Representative during his time as an undergraduate. He went on to earn a master s degree from the University of Connecticut and a certified advanced degree studies (CAGS) degree at Fairfield University. He enjoyed a decorated career in education and served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, counselor and assistant principal. Gagliardi also served in the Army as a sergeant. He has served as an Alumni Board of Directors member, and an alumni representative to the SCSU Foundation. Whelan, currently a professor and the head of the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee, earned the Nissen Award as the nation s top senior collegiate gymnast. He won the NCAA All-Around title in helping the Owls capture a team NCAA title, while also placing second in the All-Around at the USA Championships and serving as a member of the World Games Vincent M. Gagliardi Jay Whelan Mark S. Germain Thomas W. Organ Team. After earning his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, Whelan served as assistant men s gymnastics coach at the U.S. Naval Academy and head men s gymnastics coach at North Carolina State University. He earned a master s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina and a Ph.D. from Penn State University. Whelan was a senior research associate at Cornell, where he was supervisor of research in the Lipids Research Laboratory before his position at the University of Tennessee. Germain is the founder and CEO of Beacon Wealth Management, the largest accounting firm in the nation. After completing his undergraduate degree at SCSU, he earned an M.B.A. at Northeastern University, where he also taught accounting. An adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, he has more than 25 years of experience in giving advice to high net worth individuals and organizations. In 2009, Germain was selected as one of Worth s Leading Wealth Advisors. He has also appeared on Fox Business News. Organ graduated from SCSU in 1975 and moved to Sydney, Australia to work for the New South Wales (NSW) Department of School Education to teach physical education and sport to physically disabled students. He s been rooted in the country ever since and has emerged as a global advocate for assisting the physically disabled. Organ developed Tom s Special Sports Day in 1991, and the event has attracted many of the nation s top sports figures to assist in his venture over the past two decades. His baseball success also continued abroad, highlighted by an Australian Major League Baseball career and a gold medal in the Australian Baseball Masters Competition. In 2009, he received life membership to the Manly Warringah District Baseball Club, the highest honor that can be awarded to a club member. Organ has also served on the NSW Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (five-year vice president), as part of the NSW State Games for Cerebral Palsy Athletes and was integral in the formation of the NSW first Australian Cerebral Palsy Sport and Recreation Federation. He has been a head coach for the Australian boccia (lawn bowling) team at paralympics and world disabled games. Organ also co-founded the Cerebral Palsy Boccia Association of Australia. 2

3 Three Owls Earn Academic All-District Honors Jacquelyn Fede Yoni Feldman Paul Templeton Three student-athletes Jacquelyn Fede of the women s soccer team and Yoni Feldman and Paul Templeton of the men s soccer team have been named First-Team Academic All-District selections by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Fede (Second-Team) and Templeton (Third-Team), were also tabbed as Academic All-Americans. The 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, Fede led the Owls to a record. She posted a 0.66 goals-against average and an.845 save percentage in 646 minutes played. Her 12 shutouts set a new single-season record for the Owls. Fede allowed 12 goals while making 64 saves on the season. Fede ranked among the top five in Division II shutout percentage and save percentage for most of the 2011 season. She is a psychology graduate student with a 3.86 grade point average. Templeton: Seven goals, 3.66 GPA A First-Team All-Northeast-10 Conference selection once again this fall, Templeton led the Owls in scoring with 14 points on seven goals. Three of his tallies were game winners. Templeton is an exercise science major with a 3.66 grade point average. Feldman played in 15 matches for the Owls this fall and registered one assist. His 29 shots were tied for the team high in that department. Feldman is a business major with a 3.90 grade point average. Fede: 12 shutouts, 3.86 GPA Three With SCSU Ties Named 2011 Elm City Legends Three individuals with ties to Southern Connecticut State University John Carusone, Paul Topsy DelGobbo and Donna Lopiano were selected as members of the 2011 Class of Elm City Legends, as announced by the March of Dimes. This year s fourth annual event took place on Nov. 17 at Amarante s Sea Cliff in New Haven. The trio joins several previously honored former Owls student-athletes, alums and coaches as Elm City Legends, including: Ed Aston (men s swimming), Larry Ciotti (football), George The Coach DeMaio, Bob Dikranian (men s soccer), Abie Grossfeld (men s gymnastics) and Cathy McGuirk (field hockey). Feldman: 29 shots, 3.90 GPA 3

4 Slowley Rushes to Paydirt Owls Running Back Among Best in Nation For his first three seasons, Southern senior running back Rashaad Slowley was one cog in a talented backfield rotation for the Owls. An important cog, mind you, as he stamped himself as enough of a formidable running threat to earn All-Northeast 10 Conference honors as a sophomore. But this year, Slowley emerged as one of the top running backs in all of college football. He set a school singleseason record of 29 touchdowns No.3 in the nation among all college football players at all levels this year, as of press time. Slowley also ranks No. 5 in rushing yards per game among NCAA players. And he compiled nine straight 100-yard games including three games in which he surpassed the 200- yard plateau. All told Slowley was a vital force for the 7-3 Owls this season, and was named 2011 Harlon Hill Award finalist and NE-10 Most Valuable Player for his effforts. This year, there s kind of more pressure because (the running game) is such a big part of the offense, Slowley says. There are a lot of people relying on you to be productive. Either I get the job done, or I don t. I m happy that I m finally getting a chance to carry the load and that I m doing a good job at it. His performance in crunch time was especially noteworthy. In a Sept. 17 game against St. Anselm, Slowley scored six touchdowns establishing a new school record and leading the Owls to a win. Two weeks later, with Southern trailing by 14 points at halftime against Assumption, Slowley ran for 236 of his 288 yards after the break to ignite an Owls comeback. The 236 yards marks the second highest singlehalf total in NCAA Division II history. Slowley acknowledges that setting so many records means a lot to him, but those individual accomplishments are not the things he thinks much about during the game. Instead, he is focused on what needs to be done to help the team. Slowley ranks fifth in rushing yards at all NCAA levels. During the Assumption game we were down at halftime and I was telling myself that someone has to pick it up, Slowley says. We can t lose the game because it s early in the season. I had a long run (a 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second half) and as the game went on, I was just trying to help us move the ball down the field. The Saint Anselm game was just score, score, score. We knew that they had a good offense and every time they scored, we knew that we had to come back and score. Rashaad Slowley (#27), Southern s stellar running back, is on the move against two West Liberty University defenders during a game early this season. Slowley high-stepped his way to a schoolrecord 29 touchdowns. 4

5 Athletes Honored Megan Lyons and Rashaad Slowley Named Comcast/SCSU October Athletes of the Month Senior Megan Lyons (Cold Spring, N.Y.) of the volleyball team and senior Rashaad Slowley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) of the football team have been named as the Southern Athletes of the Month for October. Lyons helped the Owls post a 9-4 mark during the month, including six wins in nine tries in Northeast-10 Conference play. She totaled 143 kills in the 13 matches and also recorded six double-doubles in the process. Lyons posted a month-best 16 kills against Philadelphia University on Oct. 15 and recorded a month-high 17 digs in a double-double performance against Pace on Oct. 11. Lyons helped the Owls win 19 matches this fall and qualify for the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament for the second time in three years. Megan Lyons Rashaad Slowley Slowley continued his dominant play in the month of October as the Owls posted a 4-1 mark. He rushed for 883 yards in the five games along with 14 touchdowns. Slowley also caught 13 passes for 167 yards and scored a touchdown through the air. For the fourth consecutive year, Comcast is serving as the title sponsor of Southern s Athlete of the Month recognition program. Initiated in September 2007, the Athlete of the Month program recognizes one female and one male student-athlete each month for demonstrated excellence on the playing field. About Comcast Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www. comcast.com) is one of the nation s leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation s largest video, high-speed internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks. 5

6 In the Community Owls Dedicated to Outreach Community outreach has remained at the forefront of the efforts of Southern student-athletes and coaches during the course of the fall semester. The Owls have volunteered almost 1,000 hours since the start of the academic year. The department has continued its partnerships with several area organizations, including the New Haven Public Schools, the American Cancer Society and the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, SCSU student-athletes have also been active with drives such as those benefitting the Connecticut Food Bank and our military members. The softball team participated in the Walk to Cure Psoriasis in Boston. They also helped raise funds and donated blood for research. Follow The Owls Via Social Media The Southern Athletic Department unveiled new Twitter and o45 The baseball team joined Otus the Owl to spread holiday cheer at the Keefe Community YouTube pages, in addition to a Center in Hamden. The program is one of many outreach events that student-athletes redesigned official athletics take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup. website, com, during the course of the summer. Owls fans now have the opportunity to follow their teams as games progress with Twitter updates. The department s You- Tube page provides an array of student-athlete features, as well as game highlights and post-game interviews. In addition, regular updates are available through the Southern athletics Facebook page. Fans can check out more on these efforts at 6

7 Sport Shots Soccer Jacquelyn Fede (right), of the Southern women s soccer team was selected as the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year for her play during the 2011 campaign. Fede helped the Owls to their best season since 2008, which included a No. 25 national ranking during the season. The graduate student was ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation in save percentage and goals-against average in In all, Fede led the Owls to a record on the season. She posted a 0.66 goals-against average and an.845 save percentage in 1646 minutes played. Her 12 shutouts set a new single-season record for the Owls. Fede gets high-fives from her teammates. Snow on the field makes Slowley s rush a slippery one. Snowy Win at Homecoming In a scene more associated with the middle of winter than the end of October, a fall snowstorm struck the Northeast right in the midst of the 2011 Homecoming festivities. The annual Homecoming football contest, this year against Stonehill on Oct. 29, was played as scheduled, with the home team securing a 16-6 win over the visitors. Andre Privott opened the scoring with a 35- yard punt return touchdown and Rashaad Slowley (below) later added a 20-yard touchdown run as part of a 168-yard individual rushing effort. Basketball Junior forward Trevon Hamlet (left), of the Southern men s basketball team, has been recognized as a preseason All-American by The Sporting News. Hamlet is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he collected All-ECAC and All-Northeast-10 Conference honors. Hamlet made an immediate impact in his first season with the Owls in , averaging 17.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per contest as SCSU qualified for the league tournament for the first time since the season. Tabbed as an Honorable Mention All-America pick, Hamlet ranked among the NE-10 leaders in several categories last year. He was second in blocked shots and blocked shots/game, sixth in scoring and 16th in rebounding. Hamlet also ranked among the Division II leaders in blocks/game. He reached double digits in scoring in all but two contests and led the Owls in that department on 17 occasions. He had seven games with at least 20 points, one 30 point effort and three doubledoubles on the year. Hamlet was a big reason why Southern Connecticut finished with the third best win turnaround in all of Division II last year (+10 wins). 7

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