Atlantic Sun Quarterly Issue 3 May 2016 by Craig Threlkeld

Atlantic Sun Q

Highlighting the Spirit of Building Winners for Life

May 2016

A new Day for the ASun

WNBA Draft Pick Did It Her Way Beginning a second decade of success

GRAB, GRIP & LIGHT IT UP SUPERIOR GRIP from thousands of micro-pebble touchpoints ENHANCED CONTROL through moisture-wicking channels EXCEPTIONAL FEEL by a Cushioned Core

THE OFFICIAL

WINNING MOMENTS BEGIN AT WILSON.COM

contents

NJIT’s faculty prognosticator

KSU’S DR. DAN PAPP

For 19 years NJIT math professor Bruce Bukiet has applied mathematical analysis to compute the number of regular season games each Major League Baseball team should win.

Kennesaw State President Dr. Dan Papp talks about the growth of KSU, the importance of athletics, and more.

STUDENT-ATHLETES USHER IN A NEW DAY ASUN student-athletes make history as they take to social media to unveil the conference’s new brand identity.

staying power UNF Men’s Golf coach Scott Schroeder begins his second decade of success with the Ospreys.

commissioner’s corner

institutional news

Who’s hot/ watch list

a-sun news

16 EAgle Flying High Whitney Knight made her own decision about her collegiate career and now she is primed for one in the WNBA.

18 opportunity knocks ASUN Assistant Commissioner Mike Hagen looks forward to the creation of more opportunity for student-athletes as the executive director of CCSA.

Connect with the ASUN AtlanticSunConference

@AtlanticSun @ASunBSB @ASunMBB @ASunWBB @ASunXCTF @ASun_Golf @ASunWLAX @ASunSoftball @ASunSoccer @ASunTennis @ASunVolleyball

@ASun_Patrick @ASun_Johannes @ASun_Wilder @ASunPR

@ASunCommish @ASunCompliance atlantic_sun Atlantic_Sun Atlantic Sun Conference

Conference Staff Commissioner Ted Gumbart

Associate Commissioner/SWA Meredith Eaker Associate Commissioner John Roberts Associate Commissioner Mike Hagen Assistant Commissioner Patrick McCoy

Director of Business Services Pat Bush Director of Public Relations Craig Threlkeld Director of Championships Keith Hendrix

Commissioner’s corner Friday, April 29, 2016, was a historic new day for the ASUN. As a conference we celebrated and enjoyed our student-athletes taking the lead in the revelation of the new ASUN brand identity, the development of which they fueled more than a year ago. To unveil a new brand identity with marks that reflect a dynamic personality and our bright standing in college athletics is tremendous for everyone associated with the ASUN. To have our student-athletes contribute significantly to the design process and to own the reveal process supports one of our primary beams--students first.

Ted gumbart Commissioner @ASunCommish

We look forward to connecting with today’s ASUN family, and tomorrow’s students and studentathletes by promoting the ASUN through this new identity. Always placing Students First, I am confident that the ASUN will continue to Rise, to Connect and to make an Impact as we move forward together.

Director of Media Relations Johannes Schneider

Director of Broadcast Services Olivia Walter

Executive Assistant/Office Manager Melody Battle

Assistant Director, Media Relations Wilder Treadway Assistant Director, Media Relations Walt Scher

SINCE 1978, the Atlantic Sun Conference has supported its member institutions in Building Winners for Life through vibrant intercollegiate athletic experiences. A-Sun members maintain the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement, creating balance between “student” and “athlete.” With emphasis on sportsmanship in the competition and fostering transformative leadership experience through community service, Atlantic Sun student-athletes, administrators and member institutions aim for a complete educational experience that is successful in Building Winners for Life.

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institutional news

as the asun continues to focus on impacting the community, its member institutions consistently join in the work by focusing on and investing in others – Compiled from staff reports

GCU’s inaugural Give Day, held April 26, was a resounding success, with 207 supporters giving $1.18 million to benefit students and university programs. The one-day fundraiser – which is expected to become an annual event — was an effort to build enthusiasm and giving among the growing alumni base as well as faculty, staff and the many members of the community with ties to the university. Of the 207 gifts received, 180 were made online, the largest number ever in one day.

During the Purple Heart Ceremony, the University’s Office of Military and Veterans Services rededicated a memorial to Purple Heart recipient Army 1st Lt. Jonathan “J.P.” Walsh, a 2008 Kennesaw State graduate who lost his life in action on April 22, 2012, while serving with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan.

of Clinical and Applied Movement Sciences were awarded a grant for more than $85,000 by the National Institutes of Health to continue the development of a team-based course to develop adaptive battery-powered toy cars for children with developmental disabilities.

The objective of the program is to provide training through a multiipscomb University’s annual disciplinary design course, where Service Day saw more than 800 engineering students and physical Lipscomb students, faculty and staff therapy students work together to dispersed between nearly 50 different design, fabricate and test adaptive agencies to serve the city of Nashville technology, targeting postural control, as a part of its annual Service Day on mobility, social participation and quality acksonville University last year Wednesday, April 6. of life for children with developmental extended its annual Charter Day disabilities. celebration to the community. A group of nearly 40 Lipscomb studentSC Upstate women’s soccer player athletes spent the afternoon at Carter This year, JU recruited more than 1,000 Alexa Hone was honored as one of Lawrence Elementary helping sort volunteers for Charter Day, with about five finalists at the 2016 Wooden through and organize books, tutoring 700 of those volunteers being students. students, assisting in educational Citizenship Cup awards dinner in Atlanta The amount of service projects nearly on April 27, 2016. activities in classrooms and campus doubled — from 18 to 30 — and, for the beautification and gardening. Service first time major local nonprofits Feeding Day is one of many coordinated The award is presented to two Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Humane volunteer opportunities that students distinguished athletes, one collegiate and Society and St. Vincent’s Healthcare one professional or Olympic, for their are encouraged to participate in mobile clinic joined as partners. character and leadership both on and throughout the academic year. off the field and for their contributions The three organizations were on campus to sport and society. Hone, who was JIT’s annual Miracle Network giving away 8,000 pounds of food, pet honored recently as Most Valuable Dance Marathon reached the food, scheduling free spay and neuter Player for the Women’s Soccer Team, end of its second year at the for pets and giving health screenings to institution with HighlanderThon on was recognized not only for her career neighborhoods surrounding Jacksonville April 2. This year, the event raised on the field and in the classroom, but University. $20,591.02 for Children’s Miracle for her tireless work in the community. Network Hospitals, a charity which She also serves as the Atlantic Sun ennesaw State University supports Children’s Specialized Hospital Conference Student-Athlete Advisory President Daniel S. Papp signed in New Jersey. Committee (SAAC) Vice Chair. a proclamation in recognition of the school’s “Purple Heart Designated The amount raised was roughly $4,000 ome Stetson students returning University” status. Kennesaw State is more than last year, with a majority of to college life in August will find the first University System of Georgia the money raised during the week of the themselves enjoying the cottage life. institution to achieve the distinction by event. The dance marathon planning The Military Order of the Purple Heart. team was able to find several partners Other students will be welcomed by In bestowing this honor on Kennesaw and philanthropists in the surrounding larger, cooler and “greener” residences, State, The Military Order of the Purple Newark area, including Chipotle and flood-free parking on the west side of Heart recognized the University for Panda Express, who donated large campus, and the new Marshall and Vera “its outstanding service to military and amounts of food to feed the participants Lea Rinker Welcome Center. veteran students and families.” More at the event. than 2,000 veterans and family members All are part of construction and are enrolled at KSU, including 1,100 who niversity of North Florida renovation projects scheduled to be receive VA benefits. professors in the School of completed before students return to Engineering and the Department campus on Aug. 19.

N U

student-athletes | Atlantic sun Quarterly

madI talbert lipscomb A senior from Charlotte, N.C., Madi Talbert is making a statement in her final season with the Lady Bisons. The elementary education major currently sits fourth in the NCAA East Region in the 3000m Steeple, owning a time of 9:55.79. In the 5K, Talbert also leads the ASUN, while ranking 28th in the NCAA East Region at 16:18.14.

Who’s hot? vendy strakova & sara putt stetson Named the ASUN Beach Volleyball Pair of the Year, Vendy Strakova and Sara Putt aim to lead the Hatters at the No. 1 spot in the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. The duo went 32-2 in dual match play entering the NCAA Tournament, leading the Hatters in the top-10 of the AVCA Top 10 Coaches Poll all season long. andre dorsey kennesaw state Kennesaw State senior Andre Dorsey has continued his legacy of excellence this spring, notably in the long jump, owning the seventh best mark in the NCAA East Region for the event with a distance of 7.87m. Dorsey has claimed the A-Sun Field Athlete of the Week honor three times this year, and also ranks high in the high jump, checking in at 11th in the NCAA East Region with a leap of 2.17m.

danielle della rocca jacksonville A junior from Mount Sinai, N.Y., Danielle Della Rocca leads the Dolphins and ranks third in the ASUN in goals this season with 45, also adding 21 assists for a total of 66 points on the year. Della Rocca’s shot percentage of 59.2 is also tops on the squad and has helped Jacksonville to its fourth consecutive ASUN Regular Season Championship.

MARY DAWSON NORTH FLORIDA

A senior from Melbourne, Fla., Dawson helped lead the Ospreys to the first ASUN Championship title in just the program’s fourth year of existence. Dawson finished tied with teammate Megan Wilshire at the ASUN Championship for second place with a total score of 221. She was a unanimous First Team AllConference selection.

Lasse Muscheites north florida Lasse Muscheites was named the ASUN Men’s Tennis Championship MVP after boasting an impressive 10-0 mark from the No. 2 singles position for the year. The sophomore from Rastede, Germany, also compiled a 10-3 record on the doubles court when partnered with teammate Zach Goldberg. The First Team All-Conference member now awaits the NCAA Tournament as the Ospreys clinched the ASUN’s automatic bid for the first time in program history.

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Student-Athletes

Who to watch Luise Intert north florida First Team All-Conference member Luise Intert was named the ASUN Women’s Tennis Championship MVP after clinching North Florida’s fourth tournament title in the past five seasons. A native of Bad Segeberg, Germany, Intert finished the regular season a winner in eight of her last nine matches, all at the No. 4 singles spot. victoria brown jacksonville A threat on both the pitching circle and the plate, Victoria Brown leads the Dolphins in both wins and batting average. A senior from Plano, Texas, Brown has totaled 10 home runs on the season, while throwing 195.2 innings as of May 2, 2016. Brown currently ranks second in the ASUN with 18 wins on the year, with 93 strikeouts for JU.

nick morken north florida After being sidelined with injury for the Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field seasons, Morken has made an impressive return to action this spring in outdoor meets. The sophomore currently ranks 17th in the NCAA East Region in the 1500m, owning a personal and conference best time of 3:42.56.

fredrik nilehn kennesaw state Sophomore Fredrik Nilehn led his squad to the ASUN Championship after placing third in the event with a score of 216 to hit an even par at the Legends Golf Course. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Nilehn boasted the second-lowest score of the season for KSU with a 66 at the Linger Longer Invitational for the Owls.

stormm phillips jacksonville After an impressive Indoor Track and Field season, junior Stormm Phillips has continued her success in outdoor meets this spring. The Valdosta, Ga. native currently sits in a tie for 12th place in the NCAA East Region in the long jump, owning a distance of 6.35m, while also ranking 12th in the triple jump after a 12.99m performance at the UNF Spring Break Invitational in March.

austin upshaw kennesaw state Sophomore infielder Austin Upshaw currently ranks fifth in the ASUN in batting average, boasting a mark of .366 for the first place Owls. The Buford, Ga., native has been named the league’s Player of the Week twice this spring, and ranks second on the team with 29 RBIs this season, while leading the squad in slugging percentage at .555.

real passion real dreams real GAME.

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Inside story

Once again FGCU is in the chase for the ASUN All-Sports Trophy, as the Eagles claimed regularseason championships in men’s and women’s soccer and women’s basketball. FGCU led the 2015-16 Atlantic Sun Conference All Sports Race as the conference’s Spring seasons began.

FGCU will be looking to claim its third All Sports Trophy in four years. The Eagles won the Bill Bibb Trophy last year and for the first time in 2012-13.

The Eagles trailed only North Florida in the Men’s Race with 52.5 points out of a possible 66 (.795). In the Women’s Race for the Sherman Day Trophy, the Eagles were also in

2004.

front with a total of 87 points (87/96; .906) that included 18 points for cross country, 21 points for volleyball and 24 points for their championships in soccer and basketball. Women’s Soccer also collected a 2-1 victory against No. 22 South Florida in the First Round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. It was FGCU’s first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, and the first for the A-Sun in NCAA postseason play since

Women’s basketball also claimed its sixth straight A-Sun regular season title in 2016 and competed in the final of the WNIT with impressive wins along the way over Michigan, Wake Forest and Hofstra. The Eagles’ success also translated into A-Sun tournament titles in women’s soccer and men’s basketball. Other strong regualr season finishes included secondplace by men’s basketball and volleyball and third-place showings by men’s and women’s cross country and have FGCU in an enviable position as the Spring seasons continue.

Number of men’s golf teams currently ranked in the Top 55 nationally by GolfStat. North Florida checks in at No. 36, followed by ASUN Champion Kennesaw State at No. 47 and Lipscomb at No. 54. This trio is expected to play in NCAA Regionals, which will be announced May 5. ASUN runner-up Jacksonville is also hopeful for a regional bid, currently ranked at No. 69. ASUN Men’s Golf has had at least two teams participate in NCAA Regional play for the last eight years, and last had three or more teams in regional play in 2014, when four participated (Mercer, KSU, UNF, ETSU).

All seven ASUN softball teams are currently ranked inside the Top 150 in the May 2 NCAA RPI rankings. USC Upstate leads the way at No. 54, followed by Jacksonville (84), Lipscomb (103), Stetson (115), FGCU (119), Kennesaw State (124) and North Florida (142).

Jacksonville’s Austin Hays has 14 home runs on the season through May 3, good for best in the ASUN and ninth nationally. Hays is also third in the conference in Batting Average (.391) and fifth in Runs Batted In (38).

Spring Events May 5-8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Kennesaw, Ga. (KSU) ESPN3

by the Numbers

FGCU Eyeing Third ASUN All-Sports Trophy in Four Years

calendar

ASun news

May 11-14 Softball Championship Fort Myers, Fla. (FGCU) ESPN3

May 13-14 Outdoor Track & Field Championship Jacksonville, Fla. (UNF)

May 25-28 Baseball Championship Nashville, Tenn. (Lipscomb) ESPN3

asun saac | Atlantic sun Quarterly

STUDENT-ATHLETES MAKE HISTORY, impact in new brand identity

tudent-athletes from the Atlantic Sun Conference took to social media to make Friday, April 29, a historic day as the ASUN became the first collegiate conference to unveil a new brand identity solely on the efforts of its student-athletes.

Using the new logo, specially designed branding imagery and the hashtag #WeCan, ASUN student-athletes shared their excitement for the new brand identity that they helped create. Donning t-shirts with the new ASUN logo in their school colors, they exhibited their creativity using a variety of photos, videos and posts throughout the day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. The new ASUN brand will officially be rolled out for the ASUN’s 39th year of athletic competition on July 1, 2016.

The activity drew on the creativity of the student-athletes and allowed the ASUN yet another opportunity to be a trendsetter in the world of collegiate athletics, as the conference is certainly no stranger to firsts.

In 2012, it held the first conference championship for sand (currently beach) volleyball. Subsequently, it became the first conference to receive an automatic bid to the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.

In the same year, the ASUN became one of the first conferences to fully commit to a video initiative with ESPN3 that now provides more than six (6) million minutes of original content to the digital platform annually. That includes regular season and championship programming in soccer, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, beach volleyball, baseball, softball and events such as its Hall of Fame induction. In its latest “out of the box” execution, unveiling the new identity via its student-athletes displays the ASUN’s commitment to its student-first approach, a core element of the “We Can” messaging platform. Always placing Students First, the conference continues to Rise on the strength of past success and fulfill its mission of elevating student-athletes toward

brighter futures, to Connect all ASUN constituents in common objectives and to Impact lives in the classroom, in competition and in the community. “We pride ourselves on innovation and youthful energy, and we stand on a very strong foundation set by our student-athletes,” said ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart. “To unveil a new brand identity with marks that reflect a dynamic personality and our bright standing in college athletics is tremendous for everyone associated with the ASUN.

“To have our student-athletes contribute significantly to the design process and to own the reveal process supports one of our primary beams-students first. This is truly a new day for the ASUN, and we look forward to connecting with today’s ASUN family, and tomorrow’s students and studentathletes by promoting the ASUN through this new identity.” The new ASUN mark and the brand identity is the result of a process that spanned more than a year of creative input and development that began

Atlantic Sun Quarterly |

with its own student-athletes.

Seeing the need to re-examine and define what the conference stood for, along with the idea that the conference needed a more contemporary logo with which to identify, the ASUN StudentAthlete Advisory Committee began its provision of input to administrators and conference officials in January of 2015. Throughout the process of identifying the core values and messaging of the ASUN, along with providing input in the creative process of logo development, student-athletes took their place at the table alongside school administrators, conference officials, industry professionals, and even university presidents. “For me it’s been an amazing experience. These past couple of months, all the way from when we first came up with the idea, to the past couple of days of conference calls and walk-throughs have been amazing,” said FGCU SAAC president and baseball student-athlete Mario Leon.

administration, coaches, faculty and more.

“We have worked extensively within the conference world, and we love working in that space,” said Conor O’Flaherty, Director of Brand Strategy and Development at SME, Inc. “Particularly with the ASUN what interested us was the fact that this was the first conference we have worked with who was really willing to ‘walk the walk’ in terms of engaging and involving student-athletes and making them central to the brand. “It is the standard process for a conference to say ‘we are about the student-athlete’ but to not include them in governance and not include them in key decisions, but this almost turned

ASun saac

to work both ways. Having a client who is open to new ideas and willing to push things is really important.”

The versatility of the two-color mark will enable each of the eight ASUN member institutions and eight affiliate members to display the logo in their own colors. The student-led reveal highlights the start of a transition to the new identity which will be deployed universally beginning July 1. Fans will notice the branding in many applications including uniforms, merchandise, venue signage and awards, along with websites, social media and in live events available on ESPN3 and broadcast television.

“The new ASUN brand/logo reveal was a huge success,” said Stetson SAAC President and volleyball student“To know that my conference not only athlete Shannon Craighead. “The wants to know what my opinion is, conference sees enough worth but also wants to use my ideas and and value in the student-athletes value them, is a feeling that I can’t to allow us to be a part of the describe......I feel blessed to have entire process, which I believe been given the opportunity to be a part is unparalleled in any other of a historic day for our conference. conference.

I’m excited for the future and what’s to come with the ASUN.”

“From the beginning, they truly listened to everything we had “To know that my conference to say, which was evident as the – Mario Leon, FGCU not only wants to know what process moved along and we Campus SAAC President, Baseball Student-Athlete my opinion is, but also wants saw our input come to life. They to use my ideas and value didn’t brush us off or act as if them, is a feeling that I can’t describe. that process on its head in terms of they knew better - our input was just as Our administrators were so helpful with wanting them engaged and wanting a valuable as anyone else’s. When it came the whole process. We all knew what we brand that spoke directly to them.” to the reveal, they trusted us with it and had to do, and when to do it, and all the allowed us to have creative freedom resources were provided. I feel blessed The new mark incorporates a with our posts - it’s really refreshing to have been given the opportunity contemporary rising sun–representing to come from a conference where the to be a part of a historic day for our the promise of each day’s growth and relationships between the conference conference. I’m excited for the future the expectation of a continued bright office and the student-athletes is so and what’s to come with the ASUN.” future–into a bold, solid “A” symbolizing special, and it was rewarding to be able the ASUN’s strength and stability. to share that with everyone. The result is the new mark will be “In my experience to describe the used in association with each of the ASUN would be to say that it feels like “I feel really lucky to have been a part ASUN’s 19 sponsored sports. The ASUN a friendly, warm family,” O’Flaherty of the ASUN, where they truly value worked to develop the new identity in continued. “From the very beginning the student-athlete experience and partnership with SME Inc., a New Yorkof the process the Commissioner was genuinely want to continually make it based company that has successfully very open to new ideas, very open to better for us. Since I’m graduating, it’s positioned itself as an industry leader the fact that his perspective was not the fulfilling knowing that I will be leaving in the rebranding of a variety of major perspective of the student-athlete, and the ASUN in the best possible state it sports organizations. Fueled originally by that he and the ASUN was certainly can be in - we are moving in the right by the conference’s Student-Athlete open to being challenged. direction and most definitely have big Advisory Committee (SAAC), the ASUN things ahead.” and SME solicited input from a wide “For us that was very important because audience including student-athletes, our process is collaborative and it has

Coaching | Atlantic sun Quarterly

STAYING POWER

scott schroeder heads into his second decade of success with the ospreys t is a nice place to be in a program when you begin your first meeting of the season discussing a goal of competing for a national championship.

Such is the enviable situation created by Scott Schroeder, Men’s Golf Head Coach at the University of North Florida. In his 11th season of guiding the Ospreys, Schroeder is arguably one of the most successful coaches in the ASUN over the last decade. UNF has captured four ASUN Championships including three of the last four titles (2012, 2013, 2015). In addition, UNF has made seven NCAA Regional appearances, including in each of the last six seasons, claimed a regional title in 2013 and advanced to the NCAA Championship round three times. “The program is close to where I want it to be,” says Schroeder. “Just a few years ago we competed to make match play a couple of times, so we are two years from having made the NCAA Finals. That is one of those goals, that we would like to be there every year. We haven’t been in that position for two years, and that is the ultimate goal - to make it to NCAA match play – so since we haven’t accomplished that yet we are still chasing a few things.”

The chase is on every year for UNF. To begin each season, the goal first and foremost is to get to regionals. Next what follows is winning the conference. The Ospreys also have either won or finished runner-up in all but two ASUN Championship events during his tenure. “In our first meeting of the year, I would say our goal is to compete for a national championship. Obviously there are a lot of steps along the way, and making regionals and winning the conference are different steps. However, one of the best years we have had was one in which we did not win conference but went on to finish 11th at nationals.” Schroeder makes no secret of how he has built the Osprey program. In 11 years, he has yet to sign a student-athlete from outside of the state of Florida. Why should he? Under his guidance Osprey golfers have excelled on and off the course, including: A Ping Division I All-American, three ASUN Golfers of the Year, four ASUN Freshmen of the Year, 21 ASUN All-Conference honorees, 14 ASUN All-Tournament finishers, 10 ASUN All-Freshman team selections, one NCAA Regional individual qualifier, a pair

of ASUN Academic All-Conference honorees and 41 ASUN Academic Honor Roll team members. He has also been recognized as the ASUN Coach of the Year five times (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015). “Early on getting players the quality of Sean Dale, Kevin Phelan and MJ McGuire was difficult,” said Schroeder. “We have built a brand and built an image and really tried to get the kids from the Jacksonville region to stay home, to not go to Florida or Florida State or “name schools.” It took four or five years to get close to that. Kevin (Phelan) was the first to commit to come to UNF, and at the same time Kevin showed up on campus as a freshman, Sean (Dale) transferred back. If you look at our roster now there are a lot of kids that feel the same way.”

Schroeder’s philosophy revolves around identifying players who want to play professional golf. Phelan, Dale and Maguire were those types of players, as is graduating senior Taylor Hancock. “If they are chasing the dream of playing professional golf at 23 or 24, I shouldn’t have to convince them to work hard at 19, 20 or 21,” said Schroeder.”

But the search doesn’t end with talent. “I also look for kids I think will fit our mold from a character perspective,” Schroeder continues. “We spend a lot of time at a lot of private golf courses in Jacksonville, and they need to be able to fit in from an image standpoint, be pretty clean cut and be able to mingle with our donors and our sponsors.”

Coaching continues to be a dynamic process for Schroeder, and there are several ideals on which he does not compromise. First, Schroeder himself is a fiery competitor. He understands that the pressure that he puts on himself to succeed is likely greater than that put on him by his administration, players and others. However, he says that is what has driven him and enabled him to raise UNF Men’s Golf to the lofty level at which it now resides. “I am really, really competitive. My assistant coach and players will tell you that no matter what we do, I handle losing the right way, but they know how much it eats at me,” said Schroeder. “There is a giant difference. You don’t have to like losing, but you should handle it professionally, but it will eat at a guy like me for a little while.”

Atlantic Sun Quarterly |

Conveying that message of personal responsibility and having quality communication with his players are of the utmost importance to Schroeder. “First, you need the young man to be able to look at himself in the mirror and blame himself and not blame you. Too many kids are looking for an excuse, so I try to not allow them to have an excuse and have it be my fault. “Also I think one of the most important things is to be able to communicate with your players. It is virtually impossible in society today to treat each player exactly the same. But, that being said, I think you can treat every student-athlete fairly. Some need more of your attention, while others need very little. You have to know what players need.” Along with responsibility and communication, motivation is another key that Schroeder values. He calls it keeping the competitive spirit alive. “Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say that you gave it and sacrificed everything that you needed to in order to be successful? That is how I am as a coach and hopefully that is how they will be as players.”

As a coach, Schroeder has found a kindred spirit in the Ospreys’ Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Driscoll. Discussions of how to find and inspire players who want to strive for greatness is often a topic of discussion for the duo. Plus, they understand what it means to have the support of fellow student-athletes and coaches on campus, which led their two teams to a regular fall activity called birdies and buckets, in which they compete in a short game contest as well as a variety of basketball skills. “If you look at the team he had this year, I would walk into the gym and they would be in there all of the time. I have the same type of situation with my golf team right now,” said Schroeder. “If Coach Driscoll and I went away right now for three or four days, they would do the same thing they always do. To me that is really important in having a great team.”

Schroeder admits that players have changed over the last decade, directly affecting that key identification process. “Players have changed some, for one thing they are more confident now. There are a lot more kids who think they are really good now than there used to be,” said Schroeder. “Plus, today the differential between a good player and an average player is far smaller than it was a decade ago. There are a lot of talented players playing college golf.” Schroeder himself was a good collegiate golfer, finding success in tournament wins including his biggest, an

coaching

amateur win at the 1998 Oglethorpe Invitational in Savannah, Ga. “These players are way better than I was,” Schroeder adds. “The players that I have now can execute golf shots that maybe on my good days I could do, but they are so much more consistent. A little of what I look for in recruiting is what I couldn’t do as a player.”

One of the things about golf that is so hard is that a performance is often based on just one week. On tour, the good players don’t play well every week, that’s just golf. With a team loaded with young players this season, Schroeder found that particularly important to reiterate to his players.

“I try to put performances in perspective that one week doesn’t mean that you are good, and one week doesn’t mean that you are bad,” said Schroeder. “The great ones show up every week. A great college player is a guy that is almost never finishing outside of the top 15 or 20 no matter how good the field is. With these young guys you go through the peaks and valleys but you are trying to just stay even keel because that is what they need from an emotional standpoint.” There is no better example of how things change then examining Schroeder’s recent teams as compared to those championship teams of four and five years ago. Last year when the Ospreys won the conference tournament, it was a bunch of different guys who played well down the stretch. This year UNF finished dead last in its first event of the year, and Schroeder played three freshmen almost every week. Now they are ranked in the top 40 in the country. To say that this year and last year’s teams have been very different than the UNF teams of four years ago would be a definite understatement. Historically golf is a sport in which the ASUN has been competitive outside of the Power 5. Getting the right student-athletes and building the right brand, according to Schroeder, is what ASUN teams are currently doing, and they are staying and becoming more competitive. It is about building a culture and finding young people that fit your team’s culture.

“The level of golf in the ASUN has risen a lot,” Schroeder said. “We still have the potential of having four schools out of seven make regionals this year and that is pretty impressive. On any given week, any of those four (UNF, KSU, Lipscomb, JU) can win, depending on what type of field they are playing and on what type of golf course. Just like I said about collegiate golf in general, there are a lot more talented kids playing in the ASUN as well and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon.”

administration | Atlantic sun Quarterly

from the board room to the score board kennesaw state ceo Dr. Dan papp is a strong believer in the student and the athlete

Through its first semester and a half, what are some early results of the consolidation with Southern Polytechnic State University?

they increase their chances that they are going to graduate. Given the plethora of student-oriented activities that we had at Kennesaw State and the activities that existed at Southern Poly, now students at both campuses can take advantage of any of the opportunities at either campus.

The consolidation is going very well. Of course there were some pains associated with it, primarily losing the identity of Southern Polytechnic as a separate institution and in all honesty some folks lost their For example, Daniel S. Papp has served as president of Kennesaw State University, position. Regarding there were a Georgia’s third-largest university, since July 2006. Under his leadership, the identity, as part of significant number Kennesaw State has risen in academic stature as it became a doctoratethe consolidation we of students at the granting institution and launched its first Ph.D. program. In 2014, U.S. News renamed what was the Marietta campus & World Report ranked Kennesaw State as an “Up-and-Comer” for Regional College of Engineering who were rugby Universities in the South and its first-year experience program was ranked and what was the players, but there among the best in the nation for the eleventh consecutive year. College of Engineering was no rugby club Technology the at Southern Poly Since Papp became president, the University also has completed its Southern Polytechnic but we had one at transition to NCAA Division I and expanded its infrastructure with the College of Engineering Kennesaw. So now opening of state-of-the-art buildings such as the five-story Science Lab and Engineering the rugby players Addition, the Health Sciences Building and the KSU Sports and Recreation Technology of at Southern Poly, Park including the 8,300-seat KSU Stadium. Kennesaw State instead of going out University. Most of the and playing for a of funding away from duplicative people who lost positions as a result community team, are playing for their administrative structures and of consolidation found positions very university team, the Kennesaw State duplicative back office structures, and quickly and other folks moved on into Rugby Club. we are succeeding in doing that. We retirement. currently are redirecting about $5 million away from administrative office Conversely, at the KSU campus we It is most rewarding to already see so had a few “motor heads,” students functions towards teaching, education, many students already wearing the who were very interested in auto research, scholarship and creative Kennesaw State Gold and Black, so the mechanics, etc. We did not have enough activity and toward service functions. consolidation is moving forward very of them to form a chapter of the Society nicely. It has taken enrollment as of last The other goal was the maximization of Automotive Engineers Competition fall to 33,400. Racing Teams, but at Southern Poly of opportunities for students.Studies there was a very active chapter of continue to show that to the extent One major goal of the consolidation the SAE Racing Team. Now the motor that students get plugged in beyond was to redirect significant amounts heads at the Kennesaw campus have the pure academics of education that

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colleagues at the Marietta campus who they can work with and try competitive motor sports. As a member of the NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors, you have served in key roles in NCAA oversight, including Chair of the BOG Finance Committee. What insight into NCAA matters have you garnered from that service, and why is that important for the ASUN and its membership? I scarcely know where to start. There are some huge issues in front of the NCAA - full cost of attendance, images and likeness issues, concussion issues, overall student welfare issues - these are all major questions that the NCAA has had to grapple with as an organization. I have been involved in one way or another in college athletics for a long time and what I have learned and observed as a member of the D-I Board of Directors within the NCAA is that it is really a very carefully constructed minuet, if you will, to try to balance all of the disparate needs of the various types of organizations that make up the NCAA. I knew that beforehand but to see it on an almost daily basis is quite an amazing undertaking for sure.

All of these issues are incredibly difficult and hopefully solvable, but again it is a very difficult task. I have grown truly to respect these folks who are working these NCAA issues on a day-to-day basis, they have a series of monumental tasks. In the long run I think it makes sense for the NCAA to stay together as a single institution, so the interests of student-athletes going all the way from the smallest Division III school to the most powerful and largest Division I institution can stay together under a single hood, so to speak. The $200 million disbursement is only at the Division I level and will

take place over the next year or two. Given the vast magnitude of differences in Division I, what is the fairest way to split up that amount of money. The $200 million itself is generated primarily, if not exclusively, from March Madness. The Autonomy 5 group, which pull in the bulk of the 68 teams that participate in the NCAA Tournament have the argument that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hey we are most of the schools, therefore we should get most of the money.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kick it around, though, and one of the things that makes March Madness so fascinating is the fact that so many of the Cinderella stories end up knocking out some the Autonomy 5 schools. The Atlantic Sun, for example, over the last couple of years had FGCU and Mercer knock out of some of the power players. So I think that the argument from the Autonomy 5 group that most of the money should go to

those who go deep into the tournament is more than offset by the other stories that occur, particularly in the earlier rounds. Kennesaw State has seemingly mirrored the ASUN in its growth and success since becoming a member in the conference. How has that membership made both organizations better? We like to think that Kennesaw State being one of the key players within the ASUN adds quite a bit to the conference. Not only our membership but our location gives the ASUN a direct window into Atlanta, one of the

administration

largest media markets in the United States. By providing that window we also provide the opportunity for other member institutions to become marketable in this area and attract students and student-athletes from the Atlanta area due to increased visibility. For Kennesaw State, the ASUN helps get our name out throughout the Southeast. Now also with NJIT joining the conference it helps get our name out in another big market in New Jersey and New York. With your background in athletics, as a student-athlete you certainly had the opportunity to gain appreciation for the mission of Building Winners for Life. How has that type of experience impacted your guidance and involvement in KSU athletics?

I have always been, even as an undergraduate, strong in emphasizing the student part of studentathlete. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that, while at one point some time ago I considered myself a decent athlete, I had no presumptions of going professional in sports so if you have none of those presumptions you had better emphasize the student part of studentathlete. While we have extremely competitive athletics programs throughout all of the ASUN institutions, in reality we will have very few of our student-athletes at ASUN schools go professional. We have to emphasize that and I think all of our schools are doing that. I did my undergraduate work at Dartmouth and I actually played intercollegiate ball for only one year. I played football and baseball. I switched quickly over to club sports and played basketball, rugby all the way through graduate school and beyond. I am a strong believer in both the student side and the athletic side, but fully understanding that the spigot going

administration | Atlantic sun Quarterly

up to professional athletics gets very narrow very fast.

Kennesaw State is certainly a central member and you have been a big supporter of the ASUN. What has impressed you to this point about the conference and what do you see in its future? There are two or three things. First, the ASUN schools, and when I say that I mean the schools, the presidents, athletic directors, faculty athletic representatives, senior women administrators, etc. Everyone gets along really well. We have differences of opinion on occasion but people get along extremely well. That makes it a convivial conference to be in and it also helps us move forward with shared and unified conference objectives.

Closely related to that is the fact that all eight of the institutions place the focus on turning out Student-Athletes, with the emphasis not just on winning but on Building Winners for Life. What are some current challenges and/or opportunities presented to university CEOs? For Kennesaw State? Going beyond athletics is obviously budgetary challenges. You have to get that money, whether it be from state sources, private sources, federal sources, wherever. We are being expected to do more and more things as institutions of higher education. For example, when I was an undergraduate the amount of advising that you received was akin to someone throwing a catalog at you and saying ‘go figure it out.’ Now if you don’t have an extensive battery of advisors at the freshman year and throughout the major, it is a significant detriment to recruiting students. Students expect to have advisors from their freshman year through graduation.

Facilities on campus now are just stunning. If you tried to recruit students to live on campus in barrack style residence halls you wouldn’t recruit many students. Information technology - now to recruit

faculty members you have to come up with a $10,000 computer plus all of the network to support that. The financials are just a huge part and are a great departure from just 20 years ago. Talk about the strengths of KSU as an institution and what it brings in complement to the other ASUN member institutions.

If you look at the academics of Kennesaw State we are absolutely first rate. We started 52 years ago as a two-year institution, and we are now a doctoral institution. If you looked at some of the recent recognitions, Carnegie Foundation promoted us to the ranks of Doctoral Research universities. Carnegie also last year promoted us to the ranks of one of America’s Leading Engaged Universities. This is something they give to only the top 10 percent of universities in the country. This year Kennesaw State won three of the six annual awards presented by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers. We won the Georgia Engineer of the Year, Georgia Engineering Student of the Year Award, and Georgia Engineering Technology Student of the Year Award. Our games programs was also just recognized as one of the top 20 collegiate gaming programs in the United States.

I could go on and on, program by program but you see the level to which our programs are excelling.

You are approaching a decade of leadership at KSU. In the last 10 years, how have your leadership approach and/or priorities changed? What currently excites you most about your role? I would like to think that my priorities have not changed all that much. I was blessed to have what I think was almost an ideal background in the educational industry before I became president at Kennesaw. I was on the faculty and in senior administration for 24 years at Georgia Tech, the seventh-best public

university in the country according to U.S. News & World Report.

I got a sense of how a major R1 and a major Division I athletic program operation worked. I had the opportunity to learn how to do things at all levels of an institution, along with serving as an interim president for about 16 months at Southern Polytechnic and also serving in the Georgia System office as well. While my priorities have not changed, I would like to think that my ability to deliver on the priorities has improved over the last 10 years. The consolidation is still a very exciting time. Most of the bugs have been worked out with the consolidation, and we still have some months to level out. Hopefully we can get everything leveled out over the course of the next 12 months. As president of what is one of the 50 largest public universities in the country, how do we energize faculty, staff, alumni, students, into realizing that we are now one of the major players in higher education, not just in Georgia, not just in the Southeast, but in the United States. That is a huge change conceptually for all of those constituents, and this is all extremely exciting.

In your mind, what are some of KSU’s greatest athletic accomplishments since joining the ASUN? What will KSU Athletics be focused on next? A couple of years ago our baseball team almost made it to the College World Series. Our indoor track team won its fifth consecutive indoor track championship and we have sent individuals to nationals. Our men’s and women’s golf teams are annually championship caliber.

We have hired new basketball coaches who we feel will be instrumental in building those programs and begin to make more noise in men’s and women’s basketball. We started our football program last fall, and it was a multi-year process. As it turns out the decision was made after about four years of study and it was the right decision to make.

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faculty

NJIT Professor loves baseball, Just Does the math Just prior to the beginning of the 2016 Major League Baseball season about a month ago, NJIT math professor Bruce Bukiet once again held to tradition and released his annual baseball regular season prognostication.

This is the 19th year that Bukiet has applied mathematical analysis to compute the number of regular season games each Major League Baseball team should win. Though his expertise is in mathematical modeling (rather than baseball), his projections have consistently compared well with those of so-called experts. The numbers indicate that the New York Mets will win 98 games, the most in baseball. They are followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers (97 wins) and the Toronto Blue Jays (97 wins), who should repeat as champions in their respective divisions (the National League East, West and the American League East). The Houston Astros will win a division title for the first time since 2001, when they were in the National League (NL) by winning 90 games to top the AL West. The Cleveland Indians (92 wins) should take the American League (AL) Central title for the first time since 2007 and the Chicago Cubs (97 wins) will win the NL Central division for the first time since 2008.

In the National League, the San Francisco Giants (96 wins) and the Washington Nationals (94 wins) should make it to the postseason as the wild card teams while the St. Louis Cardinals (93 wins) should miss by a single game making this season the first time since 2010 that the Cards won’t be in the playoffs. The rest of the NL teams should finish well behind with no other team winning more than 84 games. In the American League, the battle for the wild card spots will be among five teams expected to have mediocre seasons. The Boston Red Sox should win 84 games while the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays should win 83 and the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners should win 82. Bukiet says that if he had to choose, it would be the Red Sox and the Rays who make the postseason.

“Surprisingly the World Series Champion Kansas City Royals should fall to fourth place in the AL Central, winning only 75 games,” he said. “However, the model also picked them to finish in fourth place last year, so maybe there’s something special and different about the Royals.” At the other end of the spectrum, the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves should tie for the worst record in baseball with 63 wins each. A complete listing of what the standings should look like Oct. 3, 2016, is found below.

He makes these projections to demonstrate and promote the power of math. As a recruiter for the math department, he wants to show young people that math can be fun, that it can be applied to improve one’s understanding of many aspects of life and that if you love mathematics, it can be a great college major and lead to a satisfying career. “Anything I can do to show how math can be applied in so many ways of every day life, that is so rewarding to me,” said Bukiet. Bukiet bases his projections on a mathematical model he started developing in the late 1980s. He has made various revisions over the years. His results have been noted in many publications and he has been predictions champ at baseballphd.net several times. See more results for his baseball modeling, including the projected wins for each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, at http://web.njit. edu/~bukiet/baseball/baseball.html and at http://www. egrandslam.com.

Bukiet’s favorite team is the New York Mets, which usually means he has plenty of time to do math over the summer. However, with the Mets coming out as the team that (mathematically) should earn the most wins in baseball, he says: “Well, work will have to take a back seat – just don’t tell my boss.” He can be contacted at bukiet@m.njit.edu or 973-596-8392

winners for life | Atlantic sun Quarterly

WNBA DRAft Pick Whitney Knight did it her way

hen the Los Angeles Sparks selected FGCU’s Whitney Knight with the 15th overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, she became the first FGCU student-athlete ever to be drafted to the WNBA. What an affirmation for a gifted young lady whose goal was to blaze her own trail. Knight turned away from conventional wisdom and the preferences of her own family and bypassed the traditional larger schools who all wanted Knight as part of their programs. She would do it her way in order to get the playing time in college that she desperately wanted, while at the same time helping to put an unknown program on the map. Knight is the seventh player from the Atlantic Sun Conference selected in the history of the WNBA draft and now boasts the highest selection among that elite group. She is the first player to be drafted since 2010 and the only player drafted from a current member institution. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to be drafted to the WNBA,” said Knight. “This has been my dream since I was a kid and it actually came true. I’m so thankful for my family and my coaches and my teammates. They’ve all helped me to get to this point and I really couldn’t have done it without them. Hearing my name called by the LA Sparks was just an amazing moment. “Right now I feel like things are going well. I am just learning the basics of what to do, where to be, and what Coach Agler expects of me. It is a lot of hard work but we still have some time until the last preseason game, so I am going to do everything I can to contribute and to show that I belong here.” During her senior campaign, Knight shot 34.4 percent from the floor with 83 makes from 3-point range and a 79.4 percent success rate from the free-throw line. Defensively, Knight pulled down 216 rebounds with 55 boards in the team’s last six games. The senior topped the team and the league with 99 blocks and finished the year ranked 12th nationally, despite playing just 77 percent of the season. Even with the limited playing time, Knight also ranked among the nation’s top-35 in 3-pointers made.

In her 30 games on the court in 2015-16, the team went 27-3 with a 21-game win streak and a run to the WNIT Championship final. With Knight, the Eagles outscored opponents by an average of 63.4 to 46.3 points per game and continued their run to national prominence. Rounding out her senior season, the two-time ASUN Player of the Year picked up her third-consecutive First Team AllConference honor this season and was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention. “We are really proud of Whit,” said FGCU head coach Karl Smesko. “Being drafted by a WNBA team is an impressive accomplishment. Whit has a rare combination of skills and I am glad the Sparks took notice.” A year ago, Knight was the nation’s only player to lead a conference in blocked shots and 3-pointers made. The 6-3 combination guard led the Eagles to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a junior and returned to lead the team this season. Through a five-year career that included a redshirt year due to an ACL injury, Knight set the league’s all-time record with 333 career blocks. The mark is also FGCU’s all-time record and stands as one of her many positions in the program record book. She finished her career with FGCU with 1,574 points and 735 rebounds to rank second in the FGCU all-time records. The North Carolina native also ranks second in field goals made (523), 3-pointers made (294) and steals (206) to stand as one the program’s most well-rounded and decorated athletes. Undoubtedly Knight left an indelible mark on the FGCU record books, starring for a team and program that just five years prior had not even been on the radar of father Vernon Knight as he and mother Gloria planned with Whitney about her collegiate career. Prior to her junior year of high school, Whitney was playing with an AAU team in North Carolina and then went

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to participate in AAU ball with Boo Williams in Virginia. Following completion of the AAU season, out of nowhere Knight became ranked as the No. 19 overall player entering her junior year. “Everyone and their Mama came after Whitney,” said father Vernon. “She had the pick of the litter and before JP McCauley came to Duke, we were all in agreement that if the opportunity came, that she would go to play for Gail Goestenkors at Duke.” As things began to change Vernon admits that Duke wasn’t necessarily his first option. “That was her mother’s first option because she wasn’t thinking about basketball, she was thinking that being a graduate of Duke, you can do anything that you want to do, and that was especially true in her major.” Whitney decided that wherever she went would be her decision. After she verbally committed to Duke and it came time to sign those papers at the end of her senior year, she had already made the decision that she wasn’t going. Her mom continued to encourage her to sign and Whitney declined and decided to open up her recruitment. “I thought then that I might have a backdoor chance in getting her to WVU and she told me that she wasn’t going there either,” said Vernon. “Everyone came back trying to recruit her – North Carolina, Ohio State, Minnesota, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas, LSU – and she wouldn’t talk to anybody.” When FGCU assistant Abby Scharlow showed up to see Whitney on senior night, Vernon didn’t even know who she was. “To be honest with you, I thought she was coming to see one of the other girls on the team. But I guess that Whitney and Abby knew what they were doing and then Abby and Karl came and talked with us. I did all of my background research and found out the history of the program and came to find out that they weren’t even eligible for the NCAA Tournament her freshman year. “ When Whitney decided to sign with FGCU, Dad Vernon recalls that he and Whitney did not speak for six months, He also remembers that “I gave Karl, Ken Kavanagh and Dr. Bradshaw hell because I did not want FGCU to recruit Whitney.” Raised to be an independent thinker, Whitney admits that time was difficult on her as well. “That was tough for me,

winners for life

because my Dad was who I always talked basketball with. We would always talk after games and I wasn’t used to him not being there for that part of my life.” Parents Vernon and Gloria will be the first to tell you that Whitney has her own mind and she is very methodical. Vernon discovered later that Whitney had reached out to Smesko and FGCU, had visited the campus and decided that was a place that she could be happy. After everyone calmed down she explained everything to her parents. “Her thought process was ‘Why go to these BCS program when all you do every year is look over your shoulder for the next All-American trying to take your spot and you get limited minutes?’ Witney adds that “you don’t have to do what everyone else does to be successful. I had been researching mid-majors and I found out about Florida Gulf Coast, about Coach Smesko and about their success. I wanted to blaze my own trail and be a part of helping put them on the map.” Selfishly, Vernon admits that even following that conversation and Whitney’s return to FGCU that he still held out hope that she would end up transferring. But right on cue, during her freshman season Whitney began to have some good games in which she had double figures, then everything took off for her during the ASUN Tournament. She played well and made the All-Tournament team as a freshman. Following the loss to St. Bonaventure in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the elder Knight knew his daughter had made the right decision. Vernon says that looking back now he is most proud of Whitney for the same reason that he was incensed when she first chose FGCU, for being a rebel and going against the norm. “She blazed her own trail and did her own thing, passing up on the big schools and choosing to be the underdog,” said Vernon Knight. Two weeks into the Sparks’ training camp, Whitney is sharing the same court with one of her all-time idols in Candace Parker. “It is still so surreal to me,” says Whitney. “I am taking in everything I can from her, not only in things like what to do and where to be on the court, but off the court as well. She is such a good person and I am taking every opportunity to pick her brain and learn everything I can from her.”

asun staff | Atlantic sun Quarterly

opportunity knocks

Mike Hagen continues the asun/ccsa connection for student-athlete opportunity

s a former student-athlete in the non-revenue sport of track and field, Mike Hagen appreciates the idea of having equal opportunity to succeed. Now in the position of executive director of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, Hagen is in the business of providing and growing those opportunities both now and for the future. “When approached about assuming the role of executive director, I thought it would be a great opportunity to continue the work that the ASUN has already begun, which is to be a leader in collegiate athletics,” said Hagen. “My goal is to be that innovative leader as an individual just as the CCSA has been a creative leader in the region.” As the ASUN’s Associate Commissioner for Institutional Services, a bulk of Hagen’s day-to-day activity is serving as the conference compliance administrator. Hagen’s background in compliance began at his alma mater Liberty University, where he served on the senior leadership team as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance before joining the ASUN in 2012. He was also a four-year member of the Liberty Track and Field team competing in pole vault and hurdles, an experience that he feels provides him some additional insight into leadership for the CCSA. “I hope my perspective as a former student-athlete and an administrator on campus brings a helpful perspective when we make changes, and how those will be perceived on campus,” said Hagen. “I think specific to the CCSA, as a former non-revenue olympic sport athlete, I understand the desire to have the same opportunity to succeed as your peer student-athletes from revenue sports.” Hagen’s decision to join the ASUN provided him the

opportunity to work with many institutions and to get experience in college athletics from a role outside of the campus environment, preparation that also certainly will serve him well in his dual role as CCSA Executive Director. “I think at the conference level you are in a different role and you are having a different kind of impact,” said Hagen. Making an impact is certainly something that the CCSA was designed to do. Founded in 2008 as the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, the CCSA has always built championship athletic opportunities for college students. The CCSA was founded jointly by the Atlantic Sun, Big South, Mid-Eastern Athletic (MEAC), and the Southern Conferences to provide a championship opportunity for swimming and diving student-athletes at their member institutions. Over the next decade, the CCSA grew to include members as far north as Newark, NJ and west as San Antonio. In the summer of 2015, the CCSA expanded its championship opportunities to include Beach Volleyball as the first sport addition since the formation of the league. With the addition came a change of name to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association and the naming of

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Hagen as executive director. The CCSA was one of only five conferences to sponsor Beach Volleyball in its first year as a championship sport in the NCAA, and with the addition also came expanded opportunities for students pursuing athletics. The first inaugural Beach Volleyball Championship was held last week in a combined championship event with the ASUN at LakePoint Sporting Community in Emerson, Ga., with Florida State University claiming the CCSA title. “The CCSA provides stability for sports that need it, and most importantly a championship atmosphere for our student-athletes,” said Hagen. “As an example, at our inaugural beach volleyball championship last week, coaches and administrators approached me and shared how great it was that their seniors, who had been with their beach program from the beginning, had the chance for a Player of the Week award, to receive all-conference and all-academic awards, and had the chance to win a trophy. That is what this is about. We want to provide the same championship and competitive atmosphere that multi-sport conferences provide for sports like basketball, soccer, baseball and football.”

asun staff

“As an organization we also have some work to do. Bringing four conferences together to put on one championship is a challenge in itself. There is a need to bring forth a single vision, a single operating manual, and to identify how we will proceed as one conference managed by multiple individuals. Hagen believes that his expertise in compliance provides him a benefit and valuable insight and understanding in his approach to leadership of the CCSA. “I think compliance plays a very important role in maintaining competitive equity and enforcing the rules. Effective compliance is more like visiting your doctor for a checkup than it is for an emergency.” A point that Hagen is quick to make regarding compliance is that one of the challenges is first understanding that as the membership, the institutions, the conference, the coaches, and administrators, “We are the ones that set the rules. So it is easy to point a finger at Indianapolis and say ‘look what the NCAA is doing.’ But much like as a conference we enforce the rules that our membership adopts, the NCAA is simply asked to enforce the rules that the broader membership has adopted.”

As the collegiate athletics landscape continues to see conferences realign, traditional geography comes to mean COASTAL COLLEGIATE less and less, and budgets Hagen adds that because Division SPORTS ASSOCIATION I is very diverse, too often it become more constrained, it is Hagen’s goal that the CCSA is attempted to manage with a will continue to be a leader providing a secure home for “one rule fits all” mentality. He says it is important to sports that are non-revenue or geographically sparse, and understand that specific rules, despite their intent, welcome the addition of future sports and provide more don’t always fit every sport, every institution, and every opportunities for institutions and student-athletes. student-athlete. Of course with new opportunities come a few challenges, ones that Hagen understands and is prepared to work with the CCSA membership to address and move beyond. “One of our challenges is the diversity of our membership.” said Hagen. “We have institutions with great resources and institutions with few resources. We have coaches and administrators who see other championship experiences in their own conferences. And we have the ability to create something of our own, but we also have the challenge of different expectations based upon everyone’s own experience. It is a challenge to bring 21 institutions into one championship experience.

“It is rewarding to know that as conferences we can effectively manage the rules and hopefully bring some common sense and effective application to our institutions and student-athletes,” said Hagen. “Also, the rules enforcement part of compliance is what the public typically perceives, but the role of compliance is more often navigating through the rules and frequently finding - through waiver or other outcomes – a chance to provide an outcome for the benefit of our institutions and student-athletes. “At the the end of the day, all of this will serve the primary goal of continuing to establish that the CCSA will be a leader in meeting the needs of student-athletes in the Southeast.”

The Atlantic Sun Conference STRENGTH IN THE NUMBERS

Number of consecutive seasons the conference earned a postseason victory in men’s basketball as FGCU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 96-65 in the NCAA First Four and NJIT advanced to the CIT Semifinals with wins against Army, Boston U. and Texas-Arlington. The Highlanders fell in the semis to Columbia, 80-65.

Percent of ASUN teams that cleared the NCAA’s benchmark in the annual Academic Progress Rate report.

6,200,000 Total minutes of original A-Sun content that was viewed on WatchESPN in 2014-15. That content included every ASUN conference basketball game along with steadily increasing numbers of live events that included softball and baseball championship games, as well as men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and lacrosse championship programming.

7/1/2015 New Jersey Institute of Technology officially becomes the newest member of the ASUN.

FGCU Women’s Soccer collected a 2-1 victory against No. 22 South Florida in the First Round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. It was FGCU’s first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, and the first for the ASUN in NCAA postseason play since 2004.

Record percentage of ASUN student-athletes who posted a 3.0 GPA or better in 2014-15. That number included nearly 86 percent of Lipscomb student-athletes as the Bisons repeated as Academic Champion.

6,155 Conference Record number of fans who packed out UNF Arena for the 2015 ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship final between North Florida and USC Upstate.

For the first time in A-Sun history, two Men’s Soccer players were first round picks and were picked in the same draft. The 2015 ASUN Player of the Year, Rodrigo Saravia (FGCU, top right), was selected 19th in the opening round of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew SC, becoming the highest draft pick in conference history. At No. 22, North Florida’s Alex Morrell (right) was selected by the Chicago Fire.

Building Winners For Life

The ASUN celebrates its 30th season of softball in 2016. Two-time defending A-Sun Champ USC Upstate advanced in the NCAA tournament for the third straight year in 2015, marking the sixth straight time that an ASUN team won an NCAA Regional match up .

Record number of consecutive years that more than 60 percent or more of ASUN teams were honored in All-Academic honors.

The number of ASUN women’s basketball players who have reached the 1,000-point club during the 2015-16 season.

FGCU claimed its sixth straight ASUN regular season title in 2016. The achievement ties the Eagles with FIU as the only two teams to win six straight regular season titles in conference history. The Eagles posted wins against Michigan, Wake Forest, Tulane and Hofstra in a run to the final of the Women’s NIT before falling to South Dakota in the final, 71-65.

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The Official Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball