Davis & Elkins Ranks 10th in 2019-20 NCAA DII HelperHelper Community Service Report Holley Takes Part in NCAA-Hosted Career in Sports Forum Pierre Featured in Triathlete Magazine Buck-Gramcko Earns CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors Johnson Named to First Team

Pierre Featured in Triathlete Magazine

Junior Nora Pierre was featured in Triathlete magazine in an article that highlighted women of color who compete in varsity triathlon at schools across the country. A resident of London, Ontario, Pierre applied to Davis & Elkins College when she was looking for a school where she could continue her career in swimming. However, triathlon head coach Chris Hammer convinced her to join the triathlon team. In her sophomore year, Pierre placed fourth overall in Division II at collegiate nationals, and I was ninth overall among all DI and DII athletes. “Being black in triathlon is nothing new for me,” Pierre said in the magazine interview. “I came from swimming, where there are not many women of color in the entire sport. But just because I don’t see people like me in the sport doesn’t mean I don’t belong there. It pushes me to be better. I want to be a face in the sport, someone other people can look up to. I never had a role model in swimming growing up, so now I want to be that person for other kids coming up in triathlon.”

Nora Pierre

Buck-Gramcko Earns CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors

Davis & Elkins College standout Felix Buck-Gramcko added earning a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America third team for cross country and track to his long list of accomplishments for the 2019-20 season. The only male student-athlete from the Mountain East Conference to earn the distinction, considered to be among the most prestigious academic awards in collegiate athletics, Buck-Gramcko graduated in just three years after taking 20+ credit hours each semester and finishing with a 3.96 GPA.

Felix Buck-Gramcko

Johnson Named to First Team

Junior forward Jamiyah Johnson earned a spot on the 2019-20 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region Women’s Basketball Second Team.

Johnson was named a First Team All-Mountain East Conference selection and guided the Senators to a berth in the conference tournament in the team’s first year as a member of the league. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native capped a stellar junior season by tying the NCAA DII women’s basketball mark of consecutive double-doubles (24) in the conference tournament against Wheeling. She finished the year second in the nation in rebounding average (15.4), first in offensive rebounding average (6.5) and first in double-doubles (26). Johnson ranked seventh in the MEC in scoring average (18.8) and converted 54.4% of her shots from the floor.

She earned MEC Player of the Week honors in December and later earned U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women’s Division II National Player of the Week honors after averaging 27.0 points and 21.5 rebounds per game in two games against Notre Dame (Ohio) and Urbana. Johnson enters her senior campaign with 901 points and 780 career rebounds. She set the school’s single-season rebounding mark as a junior and is third on the D&E rebounding list, just 42 shy of tying Jorden Lykes (2010-14) for second.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative 3.30 GPA or higher, must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution. Nominees must also have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games and must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. “What an amazing honor for Felix. He is a testament of excelling as a student-athlete, from graduating in just three years, to being named All-MEC, All-Region and becoming a national qualifier in cross country,” head coach Jason Pyles said. “Felix is the most disciplined student-athlete I’ve ever coached, setting high goals and working tirelessly to achieve them.” A management/finance major, Buck-Gramcko was a 2019-20 MEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year finalist. Buck-Gramcko was among the top runners for the Senators this past season in both cross country and track, ultimately helping the squad quality for the 2019 NCAA DII XC Championships, marking the first appearance at nationals for the program in the NCAA era. Buck-Gramcko has already begun work on his master’s degree in Germany and has a long-term goal of competing in the Ironman World Championships. The CoSIDA Academic All-America teams are nominated for and voted on by the nation’s sports information directors.

Jamiyah Johnson

GIVING We Have Faith in the Future of D&E

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” These profound words, attributed to Dr. Forrest Shaklee, a chiropractor, philosopher and entrepreneur, have taken on a new meaning in the year 2020. While the struggle of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone across the globe, Davis & Elkins College didn’t let this unexpected occurrence define us. We have acknowledged the challenges, learned from them and made the necessary adjustments to move forward and ensure a safe educational environment for our students, faculty and staff. While no one could have predicted how the virus would change every aspect of our lives, it is up to us to create a bright future for our students and our College. Part of that future is making sure students can afford tuition, especially when loss of employment affected so many of them and their families. We are blessed to offer the Highlands Scholarship to qualified West Virginia students in addition to over 80 endowed scholarships. “The Highlands Scholarship was definitely part of my decision to attend D&E,” said Jacob Bice, a senior from Bridgeport, West Virginia. “I was on the borderline of not being able to afford tuition, but Highlands, along with other scholarships, made it affordable for me. “I want to thank all of the generous donors who make programs like the Highlands Scholarship possible and helps students like me secure their education,” he added. The vast majority of our students are first-generation college students who come from modest means. They are determined to complete their education and realize their dreams of success in their chosen career fields.

Davis & Elkins College has been resilient in its 116-year history and that resiliency is evident across many decades and with our current students. We are D&E Strong with Faith in the Future. Your gifts in support of scholarships will create a brighter future for today’s students and D&E – a prediction that is sure to come true.

Highland Scholarship recipient Jacob Bice

Varchetto Leaves a Legacy for the Future of His Beloved Davis & Elkins College

Throughout most of Rick education. The two taught for a combined 81 years and often let others Varchetto’s life, Davis & Elkins know it was D&E that opened their path to educating youth. In his math College held a presence classes at Elkins Middle School, where he was affectionately known as Mr. around nearly every corner – V, it was not uncommon to hear mentions of the excellent educational and literally and figuratively. The cultural offerings at D&E. 1969 alumnus was a legacy Varchetto put his belief into action. After his mother died in 2005, he student, D&E classmates established The Lucy and Richard Varchetto Endowed Scholarship to remained as his best friends benefit graduates of Elkins High School who plan to major in education at and the view from his Davis & Elkins College. The scholarship was fully endowed with a bequest backyard looked directly onto of $100,000 through Rick Varchetto’s will.the campus. The family’s home on Spruce Street in Elkins, along with five other houses, The College, though, was were also included in the bequest to the College. Falling in line with the much more than a fixture in Campus Master Plan to create a unique living and learning community, Varchetto’s world – it was a the addition of the properties can help combine the campus experience part of his life and community with enhanced community interaction. The residences may be updated that he truly cherished and for faculty and staff housing, while additional acreage is available for new wanted others to experience. structures such as townhouses or apartments. Varchetto died in October Rick Varchetto 2018 and left a legacy of his own – funding to endow a Varchetto’s love for D&E will undoubtedly touch many lives for years to come, just as he had intended. scholarship for local students and six properties adjacent to the campus that To contribute additional gifts to The Lucy and Richard Varchetto Endowed will play a significant role in the College’s future. Scholarship in honor of Lucy or Rick, or to leave a legacy through estate When Varchetto enrolled at D&E in 1965, he followed in the footsteps planning, contact Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Cathy of his mother, Lucy Del Signore Varchetto ’39, and earned a degree in Nosel at noselc@dewv.edu or 304-637-1339.