Villanova University Athletics Student-Athlete Development Annual Report 2014-15
Mission The Villanova Athletics Department is committed to ensuring the success of our student-athletes during their time on campus. The Student Services Office provides many unique opportunities for student-athletes, through supplemental education: career development services, personal development and leadership training and participation in the local community through service. All student-athletes are encouraged to take advantage of the services provided by the Athletics Department and to be active members of the Villanova student-athlete community.
Community Service In the spirit of our Augustinian Foundation and Villanova s mission to serve the local community, the Villanova Athletics student-athlete community embodies the ideals and values of being active stewards within our local and global community. At Villanova, we are blessed to have many opportunities to learn from those around us and share our time and talents with those in need. At the core of Villanova Athletics is the notion that the members of our community strive to be actively engaged, both individually and collectively, to be devoted members of the greater Villanova University community. During academic year 2014-15, Villanova student-athletes completed just under 3,000 collective hours of service in our local community.
St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service September 27, 2014 The St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service is a celebration of our patron saint, St. Thomas of Villanova and his legacy of charity to those in need. Each year, nearly 4,500 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families work together in partnership with local agencies to perform service throughout greater Philadelphia.
Special Olympics Fall Festival Hosted by: Villanova University November 7-9, 2014 The Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival is annually hosted and organized by Villanova University students and is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world. We host approximately 2,000 Special Olympic athletes, their coaches, families and friends for this very special weekend each November.
Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.
Serving our Plymouth Twp. Community: Villanova Baseball Colonial School District 5K September 13, 2014 On September 13, the Villanova Baseball team volunteered in Plymouth Township at the Colonial School District 5K Walk/ Run. The event raised money for the Colonial School District Education Foundation to support the annual Fund for valueadded programs in the District. On May 7, members of the Villanova Baseball team attended Community Night at Plymouth Elementary School, located near the Villanova Baseball Field at Plymouth. Our student-athletes were guest readers as a part of the schools efforts to engage their young students in being active members of their local community. Community Outreach Night May 7, 2015
The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia & St. Christopher s Hospital for Children July 2014 & May 2015 Villanova Baseball and Football December 2014 Villanova Baseball visits!
Cats Give Back! Holiday Season 2014 In support of assisting those in need at the Holiday season, Villanova student-athletes partner with the North Light Community Center and City Team Ministries to host toy drives and adopt-children as an opportunity to help those in need!
MLK Day of Service January 19, 2015 Students from various schools in Philadelphia are invited to campus for the day to participate in healthy activities. In support of the Michelle Obama: Let s Move Campaign, student-athletes teach fundamentals of their sport and encourage healthy living with the students.
5th Annual Table Tennis Tourney benefitting: the each one counts Foundation Winter 2015 The annual SAAC Table Tennis Tournament raised over $1,200 for the each one counts Foundation. Founded in 2007, the foundation grew out of a personal resolve by founder Brian Harrington (VU MBB Alumnus) to lead a more meaningful life after a last minute client decision saved him from boarding United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. It s mission is to raise funds and provide grant funding to programs and individuals dedicated to easing the physical and emotional suffering of children with terminal or chronic illnesses. 3-Peat Winners! Tim Abbracciamento & Michael Rosengren
The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation Events On September 18, 2014 sophomore Men s Lacrosse student-athlete Nick Tortoriello donated his bone marrow to save a life. Three months before, Nick registered on the National Registry at the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Drive. When he received the call saying that he was a match for a patient, Nick did not hesitate to say yes. The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation annually raises money and awareness surrounding marrow donation and the importance of joining the Be The Match Registry.
Student-Athlete Habitat for Humanity Trip! May 10-14, 2015 Lancaster/North Umberland, Virginia; Habitat for Humanity 11 student-athletes and 2 members of our Athletics staff participated in a weeklong service trip to Virginia to assist a local Habitat chapter with building a house!
Personal Development A commitment to providing support for our student-athletes from their first exposure to the collegiate experience through their tenure on campus and in preparation for Life after Villanova.
Freshman Life Skills Program Building a foundation of skills, information and resources for our student-athletes successful transition to life in college. The Freshman Life Skills Seminars are designed to assist student-athletes during their first year at Villanova by exploring relevant transitional topics such as: Academic Services & Integrity Nutrition Athletes & the Law Leadership Positive Decision Making Drug, & Alcohol Education Career & Major Preparation Social Justice
Villanova Athletics Leadership Institute The Villanova Athletics Leadership Institute provides student-athletes the opportunity to learn about leadership through a series of interactive seminars and workshops presented by head coaches, staff, alumni, and friends of Villanova Athletics.
Career Development The Athletics Department is committed to providing supplemental career development services to ensure our student-athletes have every opportunity to succeed in life after Villanova. We work closely and in collaboration with the four academic colleges, as well as the Career Center to provide real-life and meaningful career development activities such as: Resume-building seminars Etiquette Dinners Networking Nights Strength-based surveys Internship Panels Interview-Prep Workshops
Athletics Eco-Reps Athletics Eco-Reps is a group of Villanova student-athletes working towards making our Athletics Department a more sustainable place. This group, led by the Villanova Sustainability Manager Liesel Schwarz, has taken on projects such as the Kill the Cup campaign, installing water bottle re-filling stations, replacing old lights with high efficiency bulbs, recycling old athletic shoes, and much more. In its first your on campus, the Athletics Eco-Reps found its biggest success in the planning and running of the first ever Zero Waste game. ZERO WASTE GAME! On February 24, 2015 Villanova University had is first ever Zero Waste Game. Spearheaded by the Athletics Eco-Reps committee, a group of dedicated studentathletes and other members of the Villanova Community worked to divert 90% or more of the waste stream generated at a home basketball game from the trash via recycling or composting. In this inaugural year the group fell just 5% short of its goal but hopes to reach 90% next year!
Wildcats Salute the Military During fall of 2014, in honor of Veteran s Day and Military Appreciation, and in partnership with the Villanova College of Nursing and its Joining Forces Initiative, Villanova Athletics co-hosted a cultural event open to the entire VU community in which, Retired Army Captain, Shannon Meehan, a recent Master s Degree graduate of Villanova, spoke about Courage, Leadership and Life after War. This was in conjunction with our Military Appreciation Football Game, held in November 2014.
Father Bill Atkinson, O.S.A. Humanitarian Award Recipient: Eric LeGrand, Rutgers Football Eric LeGrand was playing football for Rutgers University when a normal tackle gone horribly wrong left him paralyzed from the neck down. After recovering more than any doctor thought possible he now travels the country telling his story and is a source of inspiration to people everywhere. Eric is determined to one day step out of his chair and walk onto a football field once more. On February 12, 2015 Eric LeGrand became a part of NovaNation forever as the recipient of the 2014-15 Father William Atkinson O.S.A. Humanitarian Award.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee SAAC is charged with enhancing the studentathlete experience; by providing opportunity & service, creating a positive learning environment, open communication within our Department, along with promoting Athletes4Athletes, all student-athletes are encouraged to be active members of our community.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee The Villanova University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was founded in 1993 to give studentathletes a voice within the VU athletics department as well as to help develop each student-athlete as a whole. The committee is made up of two or more representatives from each of our 24 teams. Each member has made a commitment to excellence, both on and off the field of play. Year after year, SAAC strives to enhance the studentathlete experience through events and services which help to build the student-athlete community. Andrea Conte Secretary Field Hockey Chris Gough Co-President Football Katrina Bertrand Co-President W. Rowing 2014-15 SAAC Leadership Team
SAAC Initiatives 2014-15 Bystander Intervention Training Fall 2014 In Fall 2014, members of our SAAC Committee participated in a three-hour Where is the Love? Bystander Intervention Training in partnership with the Villanova University Office of Health Promotion. This training was primarily focused around situations of concern: alcohol poisoning and sexual assault; understanding consent, understanding how alcohol is involved in most incidents of sexual assault, safe and effective ways to intervene in social situations of concerns and resources on campus for all students. April 11-18, 2015 In celebration of National Student-Athlete Day, hosted annually on April 6, SAAC hosts an annual SAAC Student-Athlete Week which aims to celebrate the many accomplishments of our student-athletes over the past academic year: in the classroom, in the community and in competition. Student-Athlete Week highlighted all home contests during the week; it also featured: an Ice Cream Social, a Student-Athlete Breakfast, the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Testing Drive and visiting the Radnor Twp. Library as guest readers.
Annual SAAC Dinner with Father Peter Donohue, O.S.A. In April 2015, Father Peter Donohue, O.S.A., Villanova University President, hosted our 4th Annual SAAC Dinner which took place during Student-Athlete Week 2015 in the President s Lounge in the Villanova Connelly Center. This annual event features fine-dining and an opportunity to share our many successes: in the classroom, in the community and in competition over the past year with Father Peter.
#Athletes4Athletes
#Athletes4Athletes STUDENT-ATHLETES SUPPORTING ONE-ANOTHER AT HOME COMPETITIONS!
Wildcats on the Road!
Wildcats on the Road!
Wildcats For Life! Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat.
Senior Student-Athlete Reception May 14, 2015 Each year, the Villanova Athletics Department hosts the Senior Student-Athlete Recognition Reception which kicks-off Commencement Weekend for our graduating senior student-athletes and their parents. This event is to recognize the collective achievements of our student-athletes, as well as their hard work, dedication and passion for Villanova Athletics. Student-Athlete Class of 2015 13 NCAA Tournament Appearances * 15 All-America Selections * 17 BIG EAST Team Titles 18 Conference Tournament Appearances * 48 Individual BIG EAST Champions 6 Conference Major Award Winners * 158 All-Conference Selections * 4 Regional Team Titles 2 Regional Major Award Winners * 1 Regional Individual Champion * 15 All-Region Selections 36 National All-Academic Team Selections * 209 Conference All-Academic Team Selections Villanova Records Set: 7 ** Awards as of 5/14/2015
Senior Student-Athlete Reception May 14, 2015 Sam McEntee, Senior, Men s Track and Field and Stephanie Schappert, Senior, Women s Track and Field were named Villanova s 2014-15 BIG EAST Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The Sister Mary Margaret Cribben Award was established in 1985 to honor outstanding studentathletes. The recipients of this award are described as student-athletes who unselfishly sacrifice time, effort, body and soul to lead and motivate his or her teammates in excelling for Villanova University through inspiration. 2014-15 Male Sr. Mary Cribben Award Winner: Aaron Dennis, Senior, Men s Soccer Each year, Villanova Athletics recognizes two outstanding senior student-athletes from the graduating class. One male and one female senior are named Villanova s Senior Student-Athlete of the Year, the highest honor Villanova Athletics bestows upon its student-athletes. 2014-15 Male & Female Student-Athletes of the Year: John Robertson, Senior, Villanova Football Katrin Heider, Senior, Women s Swimming & Diving
University Commencement May 15-16, 2015 Once a Wildcat..
University Commencement May 15-16, 2015 Always a Wildcat!
BIG EAST Conference CHAMPIONS!
A Year to Remember!