Women’s Track & Field Well-Represented on LSWA All-Louisiana Team
July 2, 2008
Green Wave places five athletes among the top three in the state during 2008June 30, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - Five Tulane University women’s track and field athletes were named to the All-Louisiana team by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association, the organization announced this week.
Senior Shanon Beelendorf, a recent graduate of Tulane, ran the second-best 400-meter hurdle time in the state during the outdoor season, running 1 minute, 00.12 seconds on April 19 at the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational, which stands as the third-best time in Tulane history. Senior Aubrey Phillips ran the state’s best time in two events - the 5,000-meter run and the 10,000-meter run - running season-best times of 17:15.54 and 34:53.01, respectively. Her 10,000m time is a school record and her 5,000m time is the second best in Tulane history. Sophomore Arielle Minor scored the second most points in the heptathlon with her 4,451-point effort at the Conference USA Championships, which ranks third in school history.
Freshman Laurie Dalrymple turned in the state’s second-best times in the 5,000m and 10,000, running 17:29.92 and 38:19.05, respectively, and both times rank third in school history. Fellow freshman Rebecca Coady ran the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time in Louisiana at 11:29.68, which was also a Tulane benchmark.
The team was determined by the top three times or field marks turned in by athletes from Louisiana colleges and universities taken from officially accepted NCAA marks through the NCAA Championships.
All Green Wave track and field news, interviews and results are available on the web at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
2008 TULANE HALL OF FAME CLASS
June 30, 2008
2008 TULANE HALL OF FAME CLASS- NOLA.com
unday, June 29, 20081998 FOOTBALL TEAM
– Won Conference USA title and finished 12-0
– No. 7 ranking in final AP poll
– Beat BYU 41-27 in Liberty Bowl
– Eleven wins by double digits.
PERRY CLARK
Men’s basketball coach 1989-2000
– Had 185-145 record and six 20-win seasons
– Seven postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT), one conference title
– National Coach of the Year in 1992 by UPI, USBWA and Scripps Howard
— Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992
PAM BUFF
Women’s golfer 1997-2001
— Three time C-USA Player of the Year (1998,1999, 2000)
— Honorable mention All-American in 1999
— Led Wave to first NCAA regional championship
appearance— Won C-USA individual titles in 1998 and 1999
JOHN OLAGUES
Pitcher 1965-66
— Had 12-8 record, 264 strikeouts and a 1.97 ERA
— Had 20 strikeouts in one game twice
— First Tulane player selected in the modern MLB draft
PATRICK RAMSEY
Quarterback 1999-2001
— Has school record for completions (798), attempts
(1,355), yards (9,205) and touchdown passes (72)— Has school record 31 consecutive games with a
touchdown pass— Had four 400-yard passing games and 16 300-yard games
— Selected in first round of the 2002 draft by Redskins
Green Wave hires men’s tennis coach
June 30, 2008
Green Wave hires men’s tennis coach- NOLA.com
Ex-LSU assistant has impressive résumé
Sunday, June 29, 2008
By Nakia HoganTulane has hired LSU assistant tennis coach Mark Booras to take over as men’s coach for the Green Wave, Tulane athletic department officials announced Saturday.
With the team slated to begin competition in 2009-2010, Booras will have a little more than a year to help restart the program, which was suspended after Hurricane Katrina.
“I am excited and honored to be selected as the head men’s tennis coach at Tulane University,” Booras said. “This tennis program has had a great tradition of success, and I look forward to working with the athletic department and the community to restore it to a championship level once again.”
Booras, 37, is the fourth coach hired by Tulane to restart a suspended program, joining women’s golf coach John Thomas Horton and women’s tennis coach Terri Sisk, who were hired last summer, and Lena Guarriello, who was hired earlier this month to relaunch the women’s swimming and diving program.
The Green Wave also will add women’s soccer and women’s bowling next summer, giving the Green Wave 16 varsity programs and returning the athletic department to full strength for the first time since 2006.
Booras will take over at Tulane after spending the previous 10 years at LSU, where he was associate head coach his final four years.
At LSU, Booras became one of the country’s top assistant coaches, helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons with the program.
In 2007, Booras was selected the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Assistant Coach of the Year. He also was recognized in 2004 and 2007 as the best assistant coach in the ITA Southeast Region.
“After a long and exhaustive nationwide search, which attracted many prominent successful head coaches and top associate head coaches, we believe Mark stood above the candidates because of his passion for developing the total student-athlete,” Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson said. “He is widely recognized for his skill development, excellent match strategies and unique ability to identify and develop top collegiate-level talent as evidenced by his selection to direct the USTA Summer Collegiate Team.”
Women’s Track and Field Completes another Stepping-Stone Year in 2007-08
June 26, 2008
Green Wave storm national meetsJune 24, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University women’s track and field and cross country teams enjoyed a successful 2007-08 academic calendar. The cross country team placed ninth at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, the team was represented at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships for the second year in a row, and five members of the team competed at the NCAA Outdoor Mideast Regional Championships.
The 2007-08 seasons served as another big stepping stone for the program, as it tries to get back to the top of the conference where it stood for the late 1990s and early 2000s. The season review is broken down by individual season, beginning with cross country, and then moving into indoor track and field before finishing with outdoor track and field.
Cross Country
The Tulane cross country team had a banner year in 2007. Freshman Laurie Dalrymple was a third-team All-Conference USA selection and named Louisiana Sportswriters Association Female Cross Country Freshman of the Year, while senior Aubrey Phillips was named LSWA Female Cross Country Runner of the Year, freshman Rebecca Coady earned a spot on the LSWA All-Louisiana team and head coach Heather Van Norman was named LSWA Cross Country Coach of the Year.The Green Wave began the season by winning its first three meets in team scoring, and with two athletes winning the first two meets individually. While the races at the end of the season - conference, NCAA regional, NCAA Championship - are the most important, and while team victories outside of those meets do not count for much, the three dominating performances to open the 2007 season were very important for Tulane.
“We started off the season great,” Van Norman said. “I think once we got to the Chile Pepper the competition became extremely difficult, and we kind of set it up that way. At the beginning (of the season), there are only two weeks of team training. We had the home meet, and we headed over to LSU, and then we started getting into the more challenging courses. Chile Pepper was obviously where we were going to go because that was where regionals were being held, so it’s good that they went and got out on the course twice.”
The team began by sweeping the points in its home meet, the Green Wave Invitational, on Aug. 31, and was led by freshman Rebecca Coady - a middle distance runner on the track - who felt right at home on the two-mile course. She was followed closely by junior Aubrey Phillips, freshman Laurie Dalrymple, junior Cecelia Clarke and senior Jill Shriver.
The Green Wave went on to nearly sweep the Southern Miss Invitational the following weekend, scoring 16 points. Phillips won the race, while Coady, Dalrymple, Shriver and senior Savannah Moon squared up the points. Tulane also won the LSU Tiger Cross Country Festival, and then placed fifth at the Auburn Invitational to complete an outstanding start to the season.
Tulane traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 13, for the prestigious Chile Pepper Festival, one of the biggest cross country meets in the nation. The Wave finished 16th out of 41 teams, not as well as they had hoped, but respectable in its first appearance.
The Green Wave finished sixth in Conference USA for the second straight year, led by Dalrymple’s 15th placed finish to earn her all-conference honors, and the team posted its second-ever top ten finish in an NCAA regional when it placed ninth at the South Central Regional Championships.
“I think sixth place was really discouraging for us,” said Van Norman. “We expected to do better, we had been training to do better, and we did not want the season to end like that. It could have been easy to put your hat in the fire, but we said no, let’s go into regionals. That’s where it started getting exciting again because I think it kind of reconnected the women. So, I was really, really excited with being at the top, up at regionals.
“Cross country season - we always look forward to it, and it’s so short you snap your fingers and it’s gone. So, you kind of have to strategically plan it out and prepare the women for every single week. I thought the cross country season ended up very well.”
Indoor Track and Field
The Green Wave sent a representative to the NCAA Indoor Championships for the second consecutive year in senior Gloria Asumnu, who became an All-America for the fourth time in her stellar college career when she finished seventh in the finals of the 100-meter dash. The team also earned a sixth-place finish at the Conference USA Championships for the second year in a row.Asumnu was named C-USA Indoor Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year, and earned the co-Performer of the Meet for the conference championships, her second year in a row winning the honor. She also won conference titles in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and with the 4×400-meter relay team, which also consisted of senior Shanon Beelendorf, junior Vanessa Kienast and freshman Aieshia Brooks.
Asumnu set two C-USA records at the championships when she tied her own record time in the 60m of 7.22 seconds, and she became the first athlete in C-USA history to win one event four times at the conference championships.
Also standing out for the Green Wave at the C-USA Championships were sophomore Jasmine Momoh, who placed sixth in the 60m, Wilson who placed second in the 400m, Dalrymple (eighth in the 3,000m), Phillips (fourth in the 5,000m) and Minor (fifth in the pentathlon).
“We participated in a lot of major meets, and I thought the girls performed very well during the season,” Van Norman said. “Obviously, with Gloria getting high marks and going on to the NCAA’s, that was big for our program. We gained as a team in certain areas, and we are always trying to improve.”
Tulane’s strongest showing of the indoor season was the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb.2 when the team competed at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup hosted by Penn State in University Park, Pa., and the LSU Combined Events in Baton Rouge, La. The Wave set 11 personal bests, garnered six top five finishes, including victories by Asumnu in the 60m and 200m, Phillips in the 5,000m and a runner-up finish by the 4×400 relay team. Sophomore Arielle Minor placed fifth in the pentathlon at the LSU Combined Events, setting personal records in four of the five events and a personal-best point total. It was at the Sykes-Sabock that Asumnu automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 60m.
The following weekend, the Green Wave traveled to New York City for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the world-famous New York Armory Track. The Wave tallied five top-ten finishes in a meet the featured at least 50 competitors in nine of the 15 events in which Tulane athletes participated.
Tulane split the squad between the Tyson Invitational which was held in Fayetteville, Ark. - the site of the NCAA Championships - and the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. The sprinters went to the Tyson Invite, which featured the top runners from all over the nation, and the long distance runners traveled to the Iowa State Classic. Following the split weekend, the Wave went to the LSU Twilight Invitational in its last preparation before the Conference USA Championships.
“We were a fairly young team, but we did well,” said Van Norman. “Aubrey did a good job of bringing the young girls along. The sprinters held their ground. Gloria, obviously, winning back-to-back (championships) in the 60m and being named Athlete of the Year was great. We are always on an upward climb as a team and are always trying to improve.”
Outdoor Track and Field
Tulane qualified five athletes for the NCAA Mideast Regional - Shanon Beelendorf in the 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Valencia Wilson in the 400-meter dash, sophomore Nicolette Taku in the triple jump and the 4×400 relay team of Beelendorf, sophomore Jasmine Momoh, Kienast and Wilson. Wilson competed at the regionals as a freshman in 2006 and Taku did so as a freshman in 2007. Taku set a personal best in the triple jump in that meet this season, with a mark of 12.41m (40-08.75) to place 12th.The Green Wave placed 10th as a team at the Conference USA Championships, but had a strong showing from several individuals, including NCAA qualifying times by Wilson and the 4×400 relay team. Scorers for the team included: Valencia Wilson’s sixth place finish in the 400m, Aubrey Phillips at sixth in the 5,000m and third in the 10,000m, Laurie Dalrymple at eighth in the 10,000m, Beelendorf at fourth and Vanessa Kienast at seventh in the 400m hurdles, Katarina Busljeta at fifth in the hammer throw and Arielle Minor at fourth in the heptathlon.
“I thought UTEP did a fine job of hosting the conference championships,” Van Norman said. “We did not finish where we wanted to finish, which was top three or four. We realized we really need to recruit a lot more - we need to get more bodies out on the track and keep other teams from filling out those seventh and eighth spots, and get out athletes in those slots.”
The outdoor season began with a trip to nearby Hattiesburg, Miss., for the Southern Miss Invitational, on the same weekend as the NCAA Indoor Championships. Beelendorf won the 400m hurdles, while freshman Zandria Debowles finished fifth, Busljeta placed second in the hammer and third in the discus. Debowles also placed third in the high jump, Phillips fourth in the 1,500m and Wilson fourth in the 200m.
The Green Wave endured a frustrating rain-shortened meet at Georgia Tech on the final weekend in March, but one in which freshman Rebecca Coady set the school benchmark in the 3,000m steeplechase. Coady was the first Tulane athlete in several years to run the steeplechase, and set the best time achieved by any of the steeplechase athletes before her.
Phillips provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000m at the Stanford Invitational, and Minor set more personal bests in the heptathlon at the LSU Combined Events on April 10. The Wave then competed at the Ole Miss Invitational and the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational. Taku qualified for the NCAA regionals in the triple jump at Ole Miss, tying her personal best with a jump of 12.40m (40-08.25).
Phillips and Dalrymple ran at the prestigious and highly selective Drake Relays, while the rest of the squad competed at the Rice Twilight meet on April 24. Phillips and Dalrymple ran respectable times in the 5,000m at Drake, placing 11th and 15th, respectively. At Rice, freshman Peggy Keplinger set a personal record in the pole vault, with a mark of 3.20m (10-06.00)
“As long as I’ve been here, we have had people at the NCAA’s and performing very well there. It’s always good to get people at the NCAA Championships. We need to get back to that next year (after missing out on this season). Our girls always perform well nationally. We can be a top 20 team nationally and top 3-4 in C-USA.”
Van Norman continued with her praise for the team’s outdoor success, while also looking to the bright future for Tulane track and field.
“I thought the seniors held their ground pretty well,” Van Norman said. “Aubrey did a fantastic job in the 10,000m. We had our first real steeplechase athlete in a long time and Rebecca Coady is really developing into a good steeplechaser. Shanon really stepped up in the quarter hurdles and found her place on the team. Valencia has always been good, and she came along at the end of the season to make it to regionals. We hope to gain in point totals in the future. The freshmen came in and did a really good job and made strides within the program. They will work during the summer to get better and come back stronger next year.”
Van Norman and her team expect to be back at the top of Conference USA, and with the talent her and her staff has assembled, they expect to reach that goal in the very near future.
Tulane Athletics Tabs Brandon Macneill as Executive Associate Athletic Director
June 26, 2008
Official Athletics Site of the Tulane University Green Wave
TU Alumnus spent the last five years in the Kansas Athletic DepartmentJune 24, 2008
New Orleans - Tulane University Director of Athletics Rick Dickson announced today the hiring of Brandon Macneill to the post of Executive Associate Athletic Director in the Green Wave Athletic Department.
“Brandon brings broad administrative experiences from his 12 years of service from the Ivy League as well as flagship state universities, which makes for a nice addition to compliment the excellent staff that has headed up our rebuilding efforts,” Dickson said. “He possesses great management experience along with a passion for his alma mater.”
Macneill, 37, will handle day-to-day operations with Tulane’s executive staff and oversee the continued growth of the Green Wave’s external programs (Marketing, Public Relations, the Tulane Athletics Fund and Ticket Sales), as well as coordinate with the athletic director towards successfully completing TU’s Reinstatement Plan.
“I could not be more excited to come back to this great university with my family to be a part of the athletic department,” Macneill said. “I have tremendous respect for Rick Dickson and am very appreciative of this opportunity. I look forward to furthering the mission of Tulane Athletics and will work tirelessly to do my part to put our student-athletes and coaches in a position to be successful in both the classroom and on the fields of play.”
Macneill returns to his alma mater after spending the last five years at the University of Kansas where he had served as the Jayhawks’ Associate Athletics Director for Administration since 2004. He originally came to KU in October 2003 as the Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Planning.
During his tenure at KU, Macneill’s duties included managing the Athletic Marketing and Licensing departments, oversight of the departmental relationship with Host Communications, the multi-media rights holder for Kansas Athletics, and he was the sport supervisor for the softball and tennis programs. In addition, he helped negotiate a multi-year, department-wide apparel partnership with adidas, spearheaded the development and implementation of the KU Athletic Department five-year strategic plan– Unparalleled Excellence– and he served as a member of the University of Kansas’ Athletics Senior Management Team. He also devoted much of his time to strategic planning and the rewriting of department policy manuals.
Prior to Kansas, Macneill served three years (2001-03) at Princeton University as Associate Athletics Director for Development. While at Princeton, he was responsible for overseeing, implementing and coordinating the annual uniform fund-raising and membership drives of various groups that supported the Princeton athletics department.
Before going to Princeton, Macneill spent one year as the Director of Collegiate Marketing for Steinberg, Moorad and Dunn. Based at the University of Hawaii, he was responsible for soliciting and servicing corporate partners for the athletics department. Macneill worked closely with Leigh Steinberg on the Hawaii project and other consulting ventures, as well as overseeing all marketing and promotional programs related to Hawaii Athletics.
Macneill, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in 1993 and a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut in 1997, has also served as Assistant Director of Athletics for Marketing and Promotions at Dartmouth College (1998-2000) and as an Athletic Marketing Intern at UConn (1996-98).
A native of Winchester, Mass., Macneill and his wife, Amy, have two daughters: Caroline (6) and Alexandra (3).
“This marks another forward step in solidifying Tulane Athletics, along with the completion of coaching hires, to restore our department, which had evolved to one of the model programs in both Conference USA and in the country. Brandon and his family are a welcome addition,” Dickson said.
Greatest N.O. sports teams of all time: No. 8
June 25, 2008
Greatest N.O. sports teams of all time: No. 8 - David Gladow - New Orleans Sports
Posted by David Gladow, NOLA.com June 24, 2008 10:51AM
Categories: College Sports, Tulane8.) 1959 Tulane men’s tennis - NCAA National Champions
Staff / Times-PicayuneEmmet Pare coached the 1959 Tulane men’s tennis team to a national title.Plenty of younger folks are sure to scratch their heads over this one, so let’s get to the rationale for this choice right out of the gate.
Competing in a non-revenue sport being played at the collegiate level, the 1959 Tulane men’s tennis team has the distinction of being the lowest profile team on this list. Indeed, with no high school teams making the cut (sorry St. Augustine!), it’s easily the hardest team in the entire Top 10 to compare to all the others. After all, every single other team was either a member of a professional sports league or from one of the so-called revenue sports at the collegiate level (football and baseball). How can a tennis team honestly compare?
How about by doing something no other team in the history of this city can claim: winning an NCAA title?
Yeah, that’s a pretty good start.
Tulane football has finished undefeated three times and won the Sugar Bowl in its history … but never won a national championship. Ditto Tulane basketball and baseball, UNO basketball and baseball, and pretty much any other New Orleans college team you can think of. When it comes to national titles, Tulane tennis has them all beat.
But the program wasn’t a flash in the pan either, posting NCAA runner-up seasons in 1949 and 1957. And over a period of 30 years, the Green Wave won 18 SEC championships, including nine straight from 1951 until 1959 … the year they won it all.
Legendary coach Emmet Pare guided the ship throughout those golden years, and while other New Orleans teams have succeeded on a larger stage, none has had quite the sustained level of success that Pare’s squads did.
Oh, and that NCAA title helps too.
Expert Takes:
Tammy Nunez:There are two tennis players behind Tulane University’s only team NCAA championship. Crawford Henry and Ron Holmberg teamed to win the 1959 doubles title, which led to Tulane’s edging Notre Dame for the 1959 tennis championship. Notre Dame and Tulane finished tied with the same point total, but the tiebreaker went to Tulane because of Henry’s and Holmberg’s doubles championship.
Henry said he stepped off the court in Evanston, Ill., and glanced at Coach Emmett Pare.
“I remember the smile on his face when we won,” Henry, now 71, said from Atlanta. “I don’t know if you could describe it. He was just thrilled.”
Henry and Holmberg also competed in the singles competition, each advancing to the quarterfinals before losing. But together as a doubles team, the duo went unbeaten. They also won the doubles championship in 1957. They did not compete together in 1958, but rejoined in 1959 for arguably Tulane’s most memorable tennis season.
Though it was hard to top what Henry did individually in his tennis career, the 1959 season was magical.
“I never lost a match in high school and I got as high as No.10 in singles nationally. But that (1959 NCAA Championship) was thrilling.”
Henry went on to coach, taking a job at North Carolina State before retiring in 1996 in the wake of some health concerns. But Henry, who was on the golf course earlier this week, still reminiscences fondly on his Green Wave years.
“It was pretty special,” Henry said.
Green Wave set to add to athletic department
June 24, 2008
Green Wave set to add to athletic department- NOLA.com
Alumnus Macneill to be associate AD
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
By Nakia HoganThe Tulane athletic department continues to take shape as Athletic Director Rick Dickson is expected to announce today the hiring of Brandon Macneill as the school’s executive associate athletic director.
Macneill, a Tulane graduate who is currently an assistant AD at Kansas, will serve as Tulane’s No. 2 athletic administrator, a position Dickson said will be needed as Dickson embarks on a massive $65 million fund-raising campaign.
“I could not be more excited to come back to this great university with my family to be a part of the athletic department,” said Macneill, whose first day of work at Tulane will be July 11. “I have tremendous respect for Rick Dickson and am very appreciative of this opportunity. I look forward to furthering the mission of Tulane athletics and will work tirelessly to do my part to put our student-athletes and coaches in a position to be successful in both the classroom and on the fields of play.”
While Macneill, 37, is familiar with the landscape of Green Wave athletics, having graduated from Tulane in 1993, Dickson said he selected Macneill because of his vast experience in helping run several different athletic departments.
Before spending the past five years at Kansas, Macneill was an associate AD for development at Princeton for three years. He also spent a year as the director of collegiate marketing for Steinberg, Moorad and Dunn, where he was responsible for soliciting and servicing corporate partners, and served as assistant AD for marketing and promotions at Dartmouth College (1998-2000).
“We had close to 100 applicants for this thing, and as we narrowed it down, we had multiple (applicants) with some tie to Tulane,” Dickson said. “But I think the key part was just the skill set and then the blend of experience at both private and state universities have given him (Macneill) a broad view of the athletic landscape out there. And that was important.”
This latest hire brings the Green Wave athletic department staff to 106, just four shy of the 110 it had before Hurricane Katrina.
Last week the Green Wave selected Lena Guarriello as its women’s swimming and diving coach. And Dickson said he will add a men’s tennis coach, director of marketing and an assistant sports information director in the coming weeks.
Under the new Tulane athletic department structure, Macneill will handle the day-to-day operations of the department and oversee the continued growth of the Green Wave’s external programs (marketing, public relations, the Tulane Athletics Fund and ticket sales), as well as coordinate with the athletic director toward successfully completing Tulane’s reinstatement plan.
Macneill’s chief lieutenants will be Maria Woods, a senior associate AD/senior women’s administrator, Travis Goff, associate AD for development, and Vince Granito, associate AD for internal/facilities.
“This marks another forward step in solidifying Tulane athletics, along with the completion of coaching hires, to restore our department, which had evolved to one of the model programs in both Conference USA and in the country,” Dickson said. “Brandon and his family are a welcome addition.”
Tulane hires Guarriello as swimming coach
June 20, 2008
Tulane hires Guarriello as swimming coach- NOLA.com
She was assistant before Green Wave suspended program
Friday, June 20, 2008
By Nakia HoganTulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson didn’t have to search long or hard for the new coach of the Green Wave women’s swimming and diving team, which was eliminated after Hurricane Katrina.
He already was familiar with his top choice.
Former Green Wave assistant Lena Guarriello was hired Thursday to lead a program that will return to competition for the 2009-10 school term.
“I am very excited to be a part of the rebuilding process at both the university and athletic department levels at Tulane,” said Guarriello, who since 2006 has served as the boys and girls swimming coach at Keller (Texas) High School. “I have a personal attachment with the Tulane swimming and diving program because of Hurricane Katrina, so it is an honor to come back and restart the program.”
Swimming and diving was one of eight varsity sport programs suspended by the university in the aftermath of Katrina. But it’s the latest in a string of hires made as the university continues to bring its athletic department back to full strength.
Guarriello, 29, joins women’s golf coach John Thomas Horton and women’s tennis coach Terri Sisk, who were hired last summer.
Tulane also will add three more coaches, including a men’s tennis coach this summer and a women’s soccer and women’s bowling coach next year, giving the Green Wave 16 varsity programs and returning the athletic department to full strength for the first time since 2006, according to athletic department officials.
“We’re pleased with the selection of Lena to lead the reinstatement effort for our swimming and diving program,” Dickson said. “She was an integral part of our Conference USA championship success and brings proven qualities in recruiting and student-athlete development with a great blend of enthusiasm, familiarity and love for Tulane. We welcome her and her entire family.”
Guarriello, who was the top assistant coach for Tulane from 2004 to 2006, helped the Green Wave to the C-USA title in 2004-05. Before coming to Tulane in 2004, Guarriello, a former standout swimmer at Fresno State, served as a graduate assistant at Texas Christian for two years.
Former Soccer Player Megan Weinlein Awarded C-USA Postgraduate Scholarship
June 17, 2008
Green Wave graduate is one of 11 C-USA student-athletes to receive award in 2008June 16, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - Former Tulane soccer player Megan Weinlein has been awarded a Postgraduate Scholarship Award from Conference USA, as announced today by commissioner Britton Banowsky.
Weinlein, who attended Plano West High School in Dallas, Texas, is one of 11 C-USA student-athlete graduates who were nominated by Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Board of Directors to receive the $4,000 award. She stayed on at Tulane for her remaining two years and earned her bachelor of arts degree in communications in May and has been accepted to law school at Emory, as well as Washington and Lee.
Weinlein, a defender, was named Tulane Women’s Soccer Newcomer of the Year after her freshman season and earned two letters before the sport was suspended after Hurricane Katrina. In her two seasons, Weinlein played in 31 games, started 29 and accumulated three points on three assists. She also was a member of the Tulane 3.0 Club and was selected to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Women’s Track and Field Inks Six Athletes for 2008-09 Season
June 17, 2008
an Norman adds an array of talented athletesJune 14, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University women’s track and field head coach Heather Van Norman announced the signing of six high school seniors - Raquelle Collins, Kelly Curtis, Annette Glaz, Johanna Gretschel, Kasey Rodgers and Ana Ruzevic - to her squad for the 2008-09 season.
Van Norman nabbed a variety of athletes to add depth to her team, covering the areas of sprints, middle distance, long distance, throws, jumps and multi-events. The six signees join a young and talented Green Wave roster that sent five athletes to the outdoor NCAA Mideast Regional, one to the NCAA Indoor Championships and placed ninth at the cross country NCAA South Central Regional Championship during the 2007-08 academic year.
“When we looked at what we needed to recruit, we looked at where can we score points in the conference, number one, and where can we get people to put us on the national level, and where are our weaknesses - where we need to gain ground and score points at the conference level,” said Van Norman on how she and her staff established the diverse signing class. “In other words, if we don’t have any entries in the middle distance, or dominant sprinter or jumper, then we’re losing points. So, when we sat down at this time last year, we made a chart and we said, `OK, where are we missing (athlete in events) and where do we need to go?’ Throws, jumps and middle distance were our huge things. We really focused this year on jumps, distance and throwing - and we got them. These are people who are going to come in and help us out right away. We achieved our goals.”
Collins will add depth to the jumps and hurdle events for the Wave. A native of nearby New Iberia, La., and New Iberia High School, Collins won the Class 5A state championship in the 100-meter hurdles as a senior, and also claimed several top-three finishes at the Louisiana high school state championships in the jumps in her career. She sports a personal-best long jump of 19 feet, 1.5 inches.
“Raquel Collins is somebody who is from the state of Louisiana, and when I watched her at the state meet, I was really, really impressed by her,” Van Norman said. “She has a lot of heart and a lot of integrity when she competes, and she’s definitely a competitor at heart. She comes from a great family. New Iberia is well-known for having fantastic athletes in that area. She’s going to be a great addition for our team in the jumps and the hurdles.”
Curtis, who hails from Princeton, N.J., and Lawrenceville High School, will provide much-needed depth in the multi-events for the Green Wave - the indoor pentathlon, outdoor heptathlon and various field events. Her personal bests include a 5 foot, 4 inch high jump, 106-06 javelin throw, a 17-08 long jump, 36-06 triple jump, and a 100m hurdle time of 15.6 seconds.
“Kelly is a basketball player also, and this year she really started concentrating on track and field,” Van Norman said. “She is really developing as a heptathlete. She is somebody who is going to do a lot for us in that multi’s area, and as well I think she could really do well in the jumps.”
Glaz comes to Tulane from Palos Hills, Ill., and Stagg High School, where she won the Nike Midwest Region Cross Country meet, setting a course record in the process. She led her team to its first ever appearance in the Illinois state cross country meet, where she placed fourth individually. Glaz also twice qualified for the state championships in the 3,200-meter run, and figures to add depth to the cross country team and run the long distance races on the track.
“Annette, when you look on a piece of paper is a very sought-after high school athlete,” Van Norman said. “She’s done a fantastic job. Her primary is the 3,200m run, so she can do many things as far as the distance area. I think that she is extremely talented. She is going to be very impressive. Every year I’ve been here (at Tulane), with the exception of the Hurricane season, we’ve had a freshman of the year, and that is something I really take pride in. We will be looking to Annette to fill those shoes. She’s going to be really, really good. We’re looking at her to make a direct impact.”
Gretschel is a middle distance runner from Silver Spring, Md., and attended Montgomery Blair High School, where she twice qualified for the state championships in the 1,600-meter run. At Tulane she will run cross country and compete on the track in the 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m, providing important depth in the middle distances and run with the indoor distance medley relay team.
“Johanna is going to add critical depth (to the middle distances),” Van Norman said. “We need to start filling the field between the 800m and the 1,500m runs. Johanna is the one that will come in here and is going to help fill that middle-distance gap that we’re missing. That is crucial, especially for the indoor season where you have the distance medley and some areas that we could do very well in on a conference level.” -more- Tulane Track and Field Signing Class
Rodgers, a native of Elk Grove, Calif., and Franklin High School, is a sprinter who placed third in the prestigious California state championship meet in the 100m as a senior. She has personal records of 11.86 in the 100m and 24.53 in the 200m.
“Kasey is our freshman sprinter, and is doing a heck of a job,” Van Norman said. “She was at what is called the Masters level with track and field out in California, and she ended up winning the Masters. Kasey has gone 11.7 (seconds in the 100m) before. She is definitely a 100-meter sprinter. When you talk about the loss of (Gloria) Asumnu, and you need someone that can come in and help out - that’s Kasey. Her dad is Dell Rodgers who used to be a San Francisco 49er, her mom was a pretty prestigious swimmer, her brother played football at Utah - she comes from a very athletic family, and a family that understands what commitment, determination and perseverance truly means. I’m looking forward to working with her.”
Ruzevic hails from Split, Croatia, and will compete in the throws for the Green Wave. She was a 2007 silver medalist at the Croatian Championships, and in the same year was the No. 1 ranked junior javelin thrower in Croatia. She is a member of the Croatian Junior National team and has a personal record javelin throw of 48.45 meters (158 feet, 11.50 inches).
“Ana was our first signee this year. If you look at her throws, she is already throwing national qualifying throws. She really pops out at you on a piece of paper. She is one of the top javelin throwers and I think she is going to come in here and really make an impact on this team in the throws area. I think she and Kat (Katarina Busljeta) together are really going to help get Tulane’s name back on the (conference scoring) boards as far as the throws. I am really excited about Ana.”
Tulane’s 2008-09 season begins on Aug. 29 with its home cross country meet - the Green Wave Invitational - held at City Park in New Orleans. For all Green Wave track and field news, notes and stories, visit www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Name Cl. Exp. Hometown High School/Previous School
Raquelle Collins Fr. HS New Iberia, La. New Iberia HS
Kelly Curtis Fr. HS Princeton, N.J. Lawrenceville HS
Annette Glaz Fr. HS Palos Hills, Ill. Stagg HS
Johanna Gretschel Fr. HS Silver Spring, Md. Montgomery Blair HS
Kasey Rodgers Fr. HS Elk Grove, Calif. Franklin HS
Ana Ruzevic Fr. HS Split, Croatia Secondary School in Economics and Clerical Trades*based on their classification for the 2008-09 academic year