For Immediate Release December 17, 2010 Media contact: Lynn W. McGee, Vice Chancellor for Advancement lmcgee@uscb.edu; 843.208.8240 Athletic Director Ty Rietkovich may be contacted directly. trietkov@uscb.edu; 843.208.8060
Sand Shark Athletics to Field Women’s Soccer Team Fall 2011 The University of South Carolina Beaufort announced today that its Sand Shark athletics program will field a women’s soccer team in NAIA Sun Conference competition in the fall of 2011. Athletic Director Ty Rietkovich will begin the search for a head coach immediately, with a desired hiring date of February 1, 2011. Women’s Soccer will bring the number of intercollegiate teams at USCB to nine. Over the spring, a competition-level soccer field will be developed from a recreational field, thus making soccer the first on-campus NAIA competition opportunity for the campus community and local soccer fans. Women’s soccer is expected to bring 25 new student-athletes to the university. In making the announcement, Coach Rietkovich noted the impact of the expanding Sand Shark athletics programs: “With the new residence halls opening in the Fall of 2011 bringing more students to campus, the timing for introducing soccer just made sense for the University. Women’s soccer will give us a fall team sport that students, faculty and fans can rally around — and enjoy right on campus. The additional 25 student-athletes will bring more life and strong, committed students to the University. This announcement, combined with other Athletic Department initiatives, will almost double our student-athlete population on campus for 20112012. It is a great time to be a Sand Shark fan.” Chancellor Jane Upshaw noted that the amazing success of the current programs led to enthusiasm for fielding a soccer team. “The quality and success of all our programs, which have sent teams and individuals to national competition in every sport in only two and a half years since we began NAIA intercollegiate sports reflects the level of excellence we expect in all areas of the University. With a golf team ranked #1 nationally for the spring season and a baseball team ranked #18 in the country, we look forward to giving our Lowcountry community access to excellence in college-level sports. It is a great day for Sand Shark Athletics and for this region’s hometown university sports fans.”
ABOUT USCB SAND SHARK ATHLETICS: The University of South Carolina Beaufort announced its intention to start intercollegiate athletics in March of 2007 and joined the Sun Conference of the NAIA. The team mascot, the Sand Shark, was unveiled January 2008. Teams now competing include baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s distance track, and men’s and women’s golf. Softball will begin in January 2012.Teams and individuals from all teams have competed successfully in regional and national contests. In 2010, the men’s golf team was 4th in the nation; the women’s golf team was 7th in the nation. For more information, please visit www.uscbathletics.com online or call the university’s Sports Information Director at 843.208.8067. ABOUT USCB: The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a senior institution of the University of South Carolina system serving coastal Georgia and South Carolina. The university’s two campuses, located on the waterfront in historic Beaufort, S.C. and at the gateway to Hilton Head Island in Bluffton, S.C., serve a diverse student body of 1750. USCB offers students an exceptional place to learn and live in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity. For more information about The University of South Carolina Beaufort, please visit www.uscb.edu online or call the university’s Office of Advancement at 843.208.8240.
XXX