ROUND ROCK, Texas. March 27, 2007-Sportexe, one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf industry, announces the addition of Aaron S. Lee to its marketing and public relations department located at its U.S. headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Lee, an 11-year sports writing veteran and football-coaching insider officially joined Sportexe in November 2006.
This is not Lee's first experience with Sportexe as he represented American Football Monthly and hosted the Sportexe Sideline Party at the House of Blues at the American Football Coaches Association in Orlando in Jan. 2004. The attendees of the one-of-a-kind event were a who's who within the football-coaching industry.
"We're very excited to have Aaron working with us again," said Sportexe President and CEO Mark Nicholls. "He's obviously a skilled writer, but it's his knowledge of the sports industry that we were really interested in. Through Aaron's unique insights, we are striving to address the concerns of our clients, and bring our message to a larger group of people."
Lee, a former managing editor for AFM, the nation's top football-coaching publication, has served as a sports writer and editor over the past decade with publications like the Palm Beach Post, Marshall News Messenger (Texas) and Torrington Telegram (Wyoming) and a contributor for the Times Picayune, Shreveport Times, Austin American-Statesman, Dave Campbell's Texas Football, ESPN and the now-defunct Football Digest.
"Aaron did an outstanding job for AFM," said LSU assistant coach Doug Mallory, son of legendary Indiana head coach Bill Mallory and brother to Mike and Curt, assistant coaches at Kansas and Illinois respectively. "My family and I have worked closely with Aaron on different occasions and feel he's one of the top journalists in the sports profession."
"Aaron's professionalism in his craft makes him a pleasure to work with," added Calvary Baptist (Shreveport, La.) head football coach John Booty, father of Southern Cal quarterback John David Booty.
Already Lee has made an impact with the launch of the Sportexe Football Coach of the Year awards, which has been adopted by arenafootball2 as its official league coaching award. The Sportexe awards recognize the top head football coaches from high school, collegiate and professional ranks for both outdoor and indoor leagues throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
"I am extremely proud of being named the Sportexe NCAA Division I-A Coach of the Year," said University of Houston head coach Art Briles upon receiving the award following the 2006 season. "Aaron is one of the reasons this award is so special because I know his dedication and involvement in our industry, and I know that he keeps a close tab on who's doing what in our profession."
Sportexe turf systems can be found underfoot of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, along with the NCAA's University of California-Berkeley, UC-Davis, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Alabama, LSU and Tulane. Sportexe is also featured on many of the top high school programs in the nation, including perennial power De La Salle in Concord, Calif.
"We are happy to have Sportexe turf on our indoor practice facility at LSU," said Mallory. "And I know Aaron believes in the football industry and in the Sportexe product so it is a good fit."
Lee, a native of Shreveport, La., is a member of the Texas Sports Writers Association, Louisiana Sports Writers Association and Football Writers Association of America. He has been a member of the Florida Sports Writers Association, Pro Football Writers Association, Arena Football League Writers Association, Associated Press Sports Editors, Sugar Bowl Quarterback Club, Independence Bowl Foundation and Liberty Bowl Association.
"I am extremely fortunate for the opportunity Sportexe has given me and my family," said Lee. "I feel this is just another example of the Sportexe commitment to this industry and to provide personnel to strengthen already solid relationships. I am proud of the work Sportexe does within the turf industry and I am proud to have my name associated with both their company and their product."
by John D. HomanThe Southern
MARION, IL - At long last, Southern Illinois Miners Ballpark is taking shape. The large steel canopy roof structure that covers the concourse has been erected and a good portion of the block masonry work has been completed.
"Things are coming along well," said Mike Marchal, director of construction operations with Holland Construction Services in Swansea near Belleville, which is serving as the general contractor for the stadium project. "I'd say the stadium is about 70 percent complete at this time."
Total cost of the stadium off Illinois 13 near Menards is $15 million with the city of Marion dedicating one-eighth of a cent in sales tax dollars generated each year to help retire the debt of the bank loan secured by team owner Jayne Simmons. The Miners are a Frontier League team.
Marchal said that for the most part the weather has cooperated with construction efforts.
"There was about a three-week stretch in February we couldn't get much work done because of the cold, but overall, it's been a pretty mild winter. We've pretty much caught up with the schedule and will work both day and night over the next few weeks to ensure the stadium is ready to go by Opening Day (May 29)."
Marchal said plumbing, mechanical and electrical work continues on the concessions buildings and restrooms. There is also concrete to pour for the concourse, as well as additional concrete curbing for parking areas outside the stadium.
"The under side of all the steel has yet to be painted and we still have work to do in order to complete the corporate suites, but it's all coming together," he said. "What's really impressed me is the cooperation we have gotten from our 35 subcontractors. They have done everything we've asked of them in order to keep the project on schedule."
Tim Arseneau, general manager for the Miners, said season ticket sales are picking up once again with the warmer weather returning to the region and Major League Baseball in the midst of spring training. No specific numbers were released, but Arseneau said plenty of seats remain available for purchase, particularly box and reserved seating. There are fewer club seats available, he said.
"People are getting in the baseball spirit," he said. "And we're making great progress at the stadium. The light poles will be going up soon and we'll see our turf installed within the next couple of weeks."
Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry, will install the turf system.
Sportexe turf systems can be found underfoot of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, along with the NCAA's University of California and University of Southern Mississippi. Sportexe is also featured at the University of Maryland's Shipley Field, one of the top baseball parks in the nation.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry and turf provider for such notable teams as the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints, has been chosen by Johnstown, Pa., to install turf at the city's Point Stadium.
The stadium hosts prep football and baseball, an amateur baseball tournament and the city's "Thunder in the Valley" motorcycle rally each summer, which is why city officials chose Sportexe for its adaptability for multiple uses.
Sportexe was awarded the project after submitting the lowest of five bids. Sportexe was also chosen for the football surface at nearby St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa.
Officials say the long-awaited turf will be in place by June 15, meaning the newly renovated stadium will have a surface durable enough to host a wide variety of sports and entertainment events.
"It will allow us to truly be a multiuse facility," City Manager Curt Davis told Mike Faher, reporter for The Tribune Democrat.
University of Albany -www.albany.eduUAlbany Sports MediaMarch 14, 2007
Baltimore, Md. March 14, 2007- After defeating its second top-10 opponent this season, UAlbany moved up to No. 2 nationally in the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse (USILA) coaches' poll, the highest ranking in the program's history, and sixth in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll. The Great Danes, who are off to their best start as a Division I program with a 3-0 record, upended Delaware , 13-7, last Saturday.
UAlbany climbed two spots in the USILA rankings and advanced three positions in the media poll. Cornell (4-0) is the top-ranked team in both national polls.
The Great Danes are home on Tuesday against Massachusetts , last year's national runner-up. UAlbany travels to No. 19 Drexel on Saturday, March 17.
USILA Coaches' Top 20 Poll1. Cornell, 2. UAlbany, 3. Johns Hopkins , 4. Duke, 5. Navy, 6. Virginia , 7. Georgetown , 8. Syracuse , 9. Army, 10. Princeton , T11. Bucknell, T11. Maryland , 13. North Carolina , 14. Delaware , 15. Loyola , Md. , 16. Towson , 17. Yale, 18. Notre Dame, 19. Drexel, 20. Fairfield.
Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20 Poll1. Cornell, 2. Virginia , 3. Johns Hopkins , 4. Navy, 5. Duke, 6. UAlbany, 7. Syracuse , 8. Georgetown , 9. Princeton , 10. Maryland , 11. North Carolina , 12. Loyola , Md. , 13. Army, 14. Bucknell, 15. Towson , 16. Notre Dame, 17. Delaware , 18. Yale, 19. UMBC, 20. Stony Brook.
by University of AlbanyUAlbany Sports Media, www.albany.edu March 14, 2007
Albany, NY - Merrick Thomson scored his only goal of the game 12 seconds into the overtime period to lead UAlbany to a 10-9 win over Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 13 at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes improved to 4-0 on the season, the first time the program has reached that mark to start a season since 1993, when UAlbany was a Division III program.
UAlbany, ranked second in this week's USILA Coaches Poll, withstood a rally that saw Massachusetts come back from a 7-0 deficit. The Great Danes scored seven unanswered goals to open the game before Massachusetts could manage a tally. Senior Frank Resetarits scored three goals in that span, and assisted on Matthew Green's extra-man goal with 6:29 remaining that gave UAlbany the 7-0 lead.
Massachusetts (1-3) scored two quick goals before halftime, a straight shot by freshman Bobby Hayes with 2:34 on the clock and senior Brett Garber's first tally of the day with 20 seconds remaining. UAlbany would return from the break and look to start the second half much like the first, as Brett Queener scored his first goal of the season on a man-up opportunity at 12:51of the third.
The Minutemen began their comeback at 8:38, as Brett Garber and Tim Balise combined for five straight goals for Massachusetts. Garber bookended three straight from Balise, with the final tally in that streak coming at 12:27 of the fourth quarter.
Resetarits added his fourth goal of the game off an assist by John Alpizar with just under ten minutes to play to give UAlbany a 9-7 lead. Massachusetts cut the deficit to one on a Jim Connolly goal with 3:05 on the clock. Connolly then tied the game at 9-all less than a minute later as his shot from the left side of the goal bounced in the net past Queener.
UAlbany's Jordan Levine opened the overtime period by winning the faceoff and passing the ball downfield to Derek Dale. Dale connected to a streaking Thomson, who fired a shot past Massachusetts goalkeeper Doc Schneider to end the game.
"We learned a lesson through a win that you can never relax," said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr, whose team recorded its fourth-straight victory over Massachusetts, each by a one-goal differential. "Their zone worked and forced outside shots. I give them credit for coming back. I was impressed with their character."
UAlbany managed just two more shots than Massachusetts, 36-34, and won 13 of 23 faceoffs. Queener finished with 12 saves for the Great Danes, while Schneider stopped eight shots in the net for the Minutemen.
"We had some good shots, but their goalkeeper came up big," said Thomson, who was named the America East Conference Player of the Week after a five-goal performance against Delaware. "It was kind of scary being up 7-0. But the fact that we were able to win despite losing that lead shows that we are developing into a good team."
Charlottesville, VA - University of Virginia's Ben Rubeor nailed a shot with 25.4 seconds remaining to give the Cavaliers a 7-6 win at home over Princeton in NCAA men's lacrosse at Klockner Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Rubeor, a junior attackman with two goals on the game, was named the Sportexe Player of the Game at the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic victory over Syracuse 11-8 in which he scored three goals.
The Face-Off Classic, a season-opening doubleheader held at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium featuring Sportexe synthetic turf systems, set regular-season attendance records with 20,180 fans.
The win over Princeton, in front of a crowd of 4,143 is the Cavs' fourth in a row as they improve to 4-1 overall this season. It is also the second year in a row they have defeated the Tigers by a 7-6 score as No. 8 Virginia runs its winning streak to three in a row in the series. For the seventh-ranked Tigers it is their second one-goal loss in a row as they are now 1-2 this season.
Princeton played in the Face-Off Classic losing to Johns Hopkins 7-6 in double overtime. Johns Hopkins also plays on Sportexe synthetic turf systems.
DEVONSHIRE, Bermuda. March 8, 2007 - The USA men's team took a 1-0 lead in best-of-three Pan American Games field hockey qualifier with a 3-0 victory over Mexico on Thursday at the Bermuda National Sports Centre.
The U.S. team scored three second-half goals to pull within one game of earning the final men's entry for this summer's Pan Am Games.
The BNSC, which houses the only facility dedicated to field hockey in Bermuda, features the Sportexe synthetic turf system specifically designed for field hockey and "approved" by the Féderation Internationale de Hockey (FIH). Sportexe is also the official turf supplier for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Binh Hoang (Westlake Village, Calif.) started the U.S. scoring blitz before 18-year-old Jon Ginolfi (Simi Valley, Calif.), who was named USA's Man of the Match, scored the final two goals.
The USA is now 10-4-4 all time against Mexico. However, Mexico won the last major-tournament match between the two nations with a 2-0 victory at the 2004 Pan Am Cup.
The series winner joins Argentina, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad & Tobago and host Brazil at the Pan American Games, July 15-25 in Rio de Janeiro. The Pan Am Games serve as the continental qualifier for the Olympic Games with the winner of the competition earning the continents automatic berth in Beijing in 2008.
To view more photos of the game please visit: http://www.islandstats.com/gallery.asp?sport=7&assoc=1&photoevent=676
Three Straight Years #1 in academics and #1 in athletics in the same year
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The student-athletes of Williams College have turned the rarest of feats into a common place - and annual - occurrence.
Williams College was awarded the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup presented by NACDA for the academic year 2005-2006. It is the eighth straight Directors' Cup for the Ephs, whose athletic program has won 10 of the 11 Directors' Cups awarded at the Division III level.
That has allowed the Ephs to be deemed No. 1 nationally both in academics (U.S. News & World Report) and athletics (Directors' Cup) for the third consecutive year - a feat which had never been done by any other of the 1,053 NCAA member institutions at any level before Williams accomplished it during the 2003-2004 year.
"I am extremely proud to accept the Directors' Cup" on behalf of our student-athletes, coaching faculty, support staff and college community," said Williams Athletic Director Harry Sheehy III. "The students on our teams exhibit great work ethic, discipline and passion. I know I speak for our coaches when I say that our students are a great source of pride and inspiration for us all. I also want to thank our coaches for their work in making the athletic experience a true part of our athlete's education here at Williams."
The Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in NCAA post-season events up to 18 sports -- nine women's and nine men's.
Over the 2005-2006 year, Williams College - which uses Sportexe synthetic turf systems on its Renzie W. Lamb Field for field hockey, lacrosse, soccer and intramurals - registered points in 14 of the 18 maximum sports (eight women's teams, six men's teams). The Ephs finished with 920.50 points, finishing 130.25 points ahead of runner-up The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), which finished with 790.25.
Female runners had quite a year for Williams. In the fall, the women's cross country finished second in the nation. In the winter, the women's indoor track and field team placed second in the country. In the spring, track & field finished second nationally at the outdoor championships. (Only the indoor score counted toward the Directors' Cup standings). Senior Caroline Cretti spurred all three teams, winning three individual national titles this year the 5,000m indoors and the 5,000 and 10,000 outdoors.
The Ephs were sixth in the fall standings 123 points behind leader TCNJ, but had a very strong winter and climbed up to second place - just .75 of a point behind TCNJ. The Ephs women's swimming and diving team finished third in the nation and senior Lindsay Payne captured five national titles (three individual, two relays) while setting national records in three different events and becoming the first Div. III female athlete to win the 100 breaststroke four times in a career. Payne, was named Swimmer of the Meet at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row and was honored by Honda as its national Inspiration Award winner for 2006 in all NCAA divisions.
The men's swimming and diving also had a strong season, with the Ephs swimming to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA championships. Senior Will Cunningham won the 100 backstroke for the third consecutive time in his career, breaking his own national record in the process.
Williams women's hoop team reached the "Sweet 16" of the 63-team NCAA Tournament for the second time in the program's history. The Ephs gained an at-large berth into the tournament, its first berth since 1999, and defeated NYU and Messiah at Messiah before bowing to Baldwin-Wallace to finish 23-6.
For the first time in school history, two Eph alpine skiers earned All-America honors in the same year as first-year Eric Mann and sophomore Charles Christianson each achieved that honor, helping the Ephs place 15th at the national championships. Christianson earned All-America honors in the slalom and giant slalom.
Junior wrestler Jon Dolan placed sixth at the nationals - the second year in a row he earned All-America honors - as the Ephs finished 35th in the country.
In the fall, Williams' field hockey team reached the quarterfinals, and the men's soccer team secured Cup points with a run to the "Elite 8" of the Div. III NCAA Tournament. Seniors Josh Bolton (MF) and Nick Armington (GK) both signed professional contracts - Bolton with the Rochester Rhinos and Armington with Real Salt Lake. In the spring, both the men's (fourth) and women's (fifth) tennis teams concluded special seasons with deep runs into the tourney. Men's tennis made its 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals under Dave Johnson.
The Eph softball team set a school record for consecutive wins (20) en route to a second straight berth to the Div. III National Finals, while the men's track and field team, with only six members at the NCAA Championships, placed fourth in the country. Senior Dan Austin won his second straight national title in the discus.
Off the fields, courts and out of the pools, many Ephs achieved equal success in the classrooms. A record 202 student-athletes were honored in May at the annual Scholar-Athlete dinner. Only sophomores, juniors and seniors nominated by a coach, possessing a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 and who start or serve as a key reserve, are eligible for the honor.
"We celebrate excellence throughout the Williams community," Williams President Morton Owen Schapiro said. "The magnificent performance on the various playing fields is a wonderful compliment to what happens in our classrooms, laboratories, and studios and on our stages."
Five Other Senior Executives Promoted
NEW YORK - Commissioner DAVID BAKER announced a series of AFL senior executive promotions today, including naming ED POLICY as the League's new deputy commissioner and president.
In his new role, Policy is responsible for assisting Commissioner Baker in all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the AFL and its New York office with an emphasis on League Development, Labor and Legal Affairs. Policy is in his sixth AFL season and previously served as the League's Chief Operating Officer.
Baker also announced promotions for five other senior executives:
- JOSEPH VRANKIN: Promoted to Chief Operating Officer from Chief Financial Officer & President, AFL Events
- LAURA SKARNULIS: Promoted to Chief Financial Officer from Senior Vice President, Finance
- JOHN MASTER: Promoted to Executive Vice President & General Counsel from Senior Vice President & General Counsel
- CHRIS MC CLOSKEY: Promoted to Executive Vice President, Communications from Senior Vice President, Communications
- JILL BOKALDERS: Promoted to VP, Special Events & Game Operations from Director, Operations/AFL Events
In addition, Baker formally announced the following hires: MATTHEW BLOCK as Director, IT Services; TIM FARRELL as Director, Broadcasting; MATT BRASH as Manager, Finance & Administration; BENJAMIN BAKER as Coordinator, Broadcasting; and BRIAN SMITH as Coordinator, Media Services.
AUSTIN, Texas - In a high school football first, gridiron standouts from Central Texas participated in an all star game set in an Arena Football League format Friday, Feb. 23 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin.
With proceeds going to purchase defibrillators for Central Texas schools, an estimated 4,722 fans watched as two teams - each comprised of 33 graduating seniors most of which recently signed Division I letters - faced off in a North vs. South showdown with the North winning 69-14.
Players hailing from as far north as Florence and as far south as Seguin were selected by a committee of local media, area coaches, members of the Austin Wranglers Foundation and Harry McCrary of the Longhorn Foundation.
The game included all of the excitement of Arena-style games such as fast-paced motion, high-scoring offensive attacks and pyrotechnics during player introductions combined with the inclusion of area high school bands, cheerleaders and mascots. At halftime, the 2007 Wranglers players and coaches were introduced and following the game, the high school all-stars along with the Wranglers players took part in a post-game autograph session.
Game MVP Colin Griffith ( Stony Point ) scored two defensive touchdowns for the North, the first an interception early on in the second quarter after picking off a Will Mezger (Lampasas) pass, and the second a fumble recovery. Griffith recorded 2.5 tackles and two sacks.
"This is indeed a unique event," said Glyn Milburn, Wranglers General Manager and Director of Player Personnel. "We are able to not only showcase deserving local talent but also provide a fundraising opportunity to donate much needed medical supplies for local schools."
Milburn believes this may be the first of many such games in Texas and across the nation.
"It would not surprise me to see other franchises emulate what we are doing here," said Milburn. "This is a prototype of what could be a successful series of football all star games around the country."
Texas currently hosts a combined eight Arena-style pro football franchises, which includes the AFL's Wranglers and Dallas Desperados and arenafootball2's Rio Grande Valley and Amarillo. Already Wranglers President Doug MacGregor, a member of the Texas Holdings group that owns four of the six af2 teams, including Corpus Christi, Laredo, Lubbock and Houston (Texas Copperheads), has is sights set on next year's game.
"We are very pleased with what we have accomplished on such short preparation time," said MacGregor referring to his event created mid-December. "In 49 other states it's just football, but this is Texas and any opportunity to celebrate our local talent is always a good idea. We plan for the LSAFC to continue to grow and become an event the entire community can be proud of for many years to come."
