deserve media buzz
By GUEST COMMENTARY BY MYLES BRAND
Critics of intercollegiate athletics who are convinced the term “student-athlete” is an oxymoron were probably not in Indianapolis last month for the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner, when 52 female student-athletes — representing each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — gathered for a ceremony honoring the national winner.
The reason: Too many examples who are contrary to their premise.
One of those examples: University of Portland’s Imani Dorsey, the Santa Monica High School graduate who lost her mother, Dora Menchaca in 2001. She was killed when American Airlines flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on 9/11. Dorsey plays defender for the University of Portland’s soccer team in Oregon.
It’s cliché but also fact to note that there was only one winner but no losers. The winner was Kelly Albin from the University of California, Davis.
But, collectively, the state winners, including Dorsey is an extraordinary group, boasting a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.77, with seven having perfect 4.0’s. They boast an amazing array of majors, including education, political science, chemistry, biology, math, philosophy, art history, psychology, aerospace engineering, international business, business administration, business management, marketing, journalism, accounting, animal science, food science, exercise science, women’s studies and telecommunications.
As athletes, 13 competed on national championship teams. Forty-five were athletic all-Americans and 40 were academic all-Americans. More than 40 have served as team captains or co-captains. Eighteen competed in more than one sport. Eleven received NCAA postgraduate scholarships. Twenty-five represented their fellow student-athletes on their campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
They also come from all levels of NCAA competition. Thirty are from Division I, 11 from Division II and 11 from Division III. They compete in 12 sports: basketball, cross country, rowing, gymnastics, lacrosse, softball, skiing, soccer, swimming, track and field and volleyball.
Given their ability to perform and achieve at such high levels both in the classroom and on the field of play, one might think these women would be able to manage time for little else in their demanding lives. Instead, what truly distinguishes these exemplary student-athletes is their commitment to community service and helping to improve the lives of others.
They have volunteered at hospitals, soup kitchens, senior citizen centers and in clothing, gift and food drives. They have participated in mentoring and tutoring programs and helped children and adults learn to read. They have gone on overseas missions and raised funds and awareness for breast cancer and other afflictions.
To read the biography of any of the 52 is to feel buoyed, uplifted and optimistic, not just for how these women are representing their institutions today, but how they might be serving their communities tomorrow.
Are they exceptional? Yes. Are they exceptions? No.
Indeed, during my tenure as president of the NCAA, I am constantly encouraged by the number of student-athletes — female and male — who value and take full advantage of the opportunities provided by participation in intercollegiate athletics, compile significant academic and athletic achievements and serve both their institutions and their communities.
Their stories and achievements need to be told and re-told and I eagerly wait for the day when the media give these young people the attention they deserve. In the meantime, the NCAA Woman of the Year is one such way to bring greater recognition to these women who are outstanding students, athletes and, yes, outstanding citizens. (Myles Brand is the president of the NCAA.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 6, 2004. Read the original PDF.