OLYMPIA,Wash.– For the second straight season, The Evergreen State College Geoducks will host a Bone Marrow Registry Drive on January 21, 2012 in conjunction with their Cascade Conference basketball doubleheader with Corban.

Teaming up with the Puget Sound Blood Center to conduct the drive, Evergreen hopes to not only raise awareness regarding the process of donating bone marrow but help add to the registry as well, particularly for minority patients, who have an even tougher time finding matching donors.

The drive is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at in the CRC on The Evergreen State College campus.  Staff from PSBC will assist fans in completing the necessary forms to join the registry as well as have the donor complete a cheek swab so that DNA can be entered into the database.

Volunteers must be between the ages of 18 to 60 and meet certain health requirements but even if someone cannot register to be a donor, PSBC will be on hand to share other ways that fans can donate to the important cause.

For more information regarding the national Be The Match Registry and the need for bone marrow donors, the Puget Sound Blood Center has a webpage at http://www.psbc.org/programs/marrow.htm.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Les Schwab Tires, one of the preeminent companies in the West and a leader in support of local amateur sports, will be the title sponsor of the Cascade Collegiate Conference “Champions of Character” activities during the 2011-12 academic year, CCC commissioner Dave Haglund announced.

The signature initiative of the NAIA, the mission of Champions of Character is to positively affect the culture of sport through character-driven athletics. Designed to instill an understanding of key character values, the program offers practical tools to equip student-athletes, coaches and parents in modeling these exemplary character traits.

Champions of Character has identified five core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership – that go well beyond the playing field to the daily decisions of our youth. These character values help young people – and those associated with their development – make good choices in all aspects of their lives and reflect the true spirit of competition.

“We are tremendously pleased to welcome Les Schwab Tires as a major partner of the CCC in support of this important element of our conference and its mission,” said Haglund. “Les Schwab is a natural fit for the CCC and the NAIA. The company has a long and demonstrated history of ‘pride in performance’ and ‘doing the right thing,’ and those are underlying themes of the Champions of Character program.”

Based in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, the CCC’s 10 member institutions are intentional about making the Champions of Character creed a primary focus of their athletic programs. CCC athletic departments help spread the message of the five core values in a variety of ways, including visible displays of sportsmanship, community service by student-athletes and coaches, an emphasis on academic success, public address announcements before every CCC event, and educational efforts built around national championships hosted by the conference office and its members.

In the upcoming academic year, the CCC will host a pair of NAIA championships –men’s and women’s cross country Nov. 19 at Vancouver, Wash., and men’s golf May 22-25 at Salem, Ore. Both events will feature unique Champions of Character activities involving participating NAIA student-athletes reaching out to local elementary and high school students in mentor/mentee situations.

The CCC annually recognizes one male and one female as Champions of Character award winners for best exemplifying the core tenets of the program. In addition, CCC teams in 15 sports are recognized for distinguishing themselves as Champions of Character programs.

Les Schwab is one of the leading independent tire dealers in the U.S. It has more than 7,000 employees and 400 store locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, California, Nevada and Utah. For more information on the Champions of Character program, visit www.championsofcharacter.org. For more information on Les Schwab Tires, visit www.lesschwab.com.

Press Release courtesy of Cascade Collegiate Conference

OLYMPIA, Wash. – In conjunction with the 40^th anniversary of The Evergreen State College during the 2011-12 academic year, the Evergreen Department of Recreation and Athletics is proud to announce the formation of the Evergreen Recreation and Athletics Hall of Fame, with the first class to be inducted on February 4, 2012.

The Evergreen Recreation and Athletics Hall of Fame aims to recognize members of the Evergreen community who have made significant contributions in all aspects of recreation and athletics.  Unlike many colleges and universities, the Evergreen Recreation and Athletics Hall of Fame will look beyond intercollegiate athletics in recognizing those individuals and groups that have left a lasting legacy in recreation and athletics at the institutional, regional, national or international level.

With the induction of the first class coming up in just over six months, the committee would like to extend a call for nominations to anyone who feels they might know of a qualified candidate.  While all nominations will be accepted and considered for selection, desirable qualifications include:

Alumni

• Completion of undergraduate or graduate degree
• Regional, national or international achievement
• Continuing contribution to Evergreen

Staff/Faculty

• At least five (5) years of service at Evergreen
• OR alumni of Evergreen
• Regional, national or international achievement in recreation and/or athletics
• Continuing contribution to Evergreen

Special Contributors

• Individuals who have contributed to the successes of Recreation and Athletics without other affiliation to Evergreen

For more information or to submit a nomination, please contact Chris Thompson at thompsoc@evergreen.edu or 360-867-6525.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Following a national search, The Evergreen State College has hired Matt Newman as Director of Recreation and Athletics.  He will take over for Wendy Endress, who has served as Interim Director of Recreation and Athletics since November 2010 and will be returning to her permanent position as Executive Associate to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

“For all of the right reasons, Evergreen offers a broad-based Recreation and Athletics program in an effort to provide positive and healthy opportunities for students, faculty and staff, alumni, and the community,” said Newman.  “This fits with my philosophy about the role of athletics in higher education, and I couldn’t be more honored and excited to become part of the Evergreen team.”

Newman comes to Evergreen following three years as commissioner of the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference, where he planned and oversaw operations for the 18-sport and 3,600-student-athlete league.

“I am excited to have Matt join us,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Art Costantino.  “He has experience in all aspects of the job, a reputation as a strong administrator and a real interest in working at Evergreen.”

Prior to the Northwest Conference, Newman was Associate Dean of Students and Director of Athletics and Recreation at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, N.Y.  Newman also has athletic administrative experience at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and Savannah College of Art and Design and has coached at both the high school and collegiate levels, including six years as a collegiate baseball head coach in both the NAIA and NCAA.

Newman has worked extensively with both the NAIA and NCAA and their respective committees, including Committee on Women’s Athletics, Student Records Review Committee and Regional Advisory Committees for both baseball and golf.

A 1990 graduate of University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in speech and hearing science, Newman also holds a Master of Science from Idaho State University and is in the final stages of his Doctor of Education coursework at University of Virginia.

Newman, and his partner Monica Nixon, who is currently the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Seattle University, reside in Seattle.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Looking forward to the 2011-12 season, the Evergreen Geoducks have permanently appointed two coaches for the fall, filling a pair of interim positions from the previous season.  Evergreen alumnus Adam Fenster will retain control of the women’s soccer program while Greg Spector has been hired to head up the women’s volleyball team.

Fenster, a 1997 graduate of The Evergreen State College, will continue to lead the women’s soccer team that he took over in 2010.  Prior to Evergreen, he was the head men’s soccer coach at Bellevue Community College, where he was named NWAACC Coach of the Year in 2009 after leading the Bulldogs to the conference title.

“As an alum, Adam brings great passion for the Evergreen educational experience partnered with his success in coaching and regional connections in the soccer community,” said interim director of recreation and athletics Wendy Endress.  “We are fortunate to have him continue his relationship with Evergreen in this capacity!”

Adam played four years for the Geoducks, twice being named All-PNWAC Second Team.  A native of Seattle and graduate of Seattle Prep, he is one of three siblings to attend Evergreen, including NAIA All-American soccer player Tiffany Fenster.

“I’m very excited about being head women’s soccer coach,” said Fenster.  “It’s been a position I’ve wanted to hold since my graduation from Evergreen back in 1997.  I look forward to the future of Geoduck soccer.”

While the women’s soccer program will have a longtime Geoduck at the helm, the volleyball program will be bringing in a new coach for the sport’s 11th season at Evergreen in Spector.  Formerly the head women’s volleyball coach at NCAA Division III Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va., Greg brings a wealth of volleyball experience to Olympia.

“Greg will bring enthusiasm and skill to Evergreen’s volleyball program, with significant college and post-college experience in many parts of the country,” said Endress.  “We’re looking forward to welcoming him to the Geoduck team!”

Prior to Bridgewater, he was the assistant women’s volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division I Marshall University, helping the Thundering Herd earn back-to-back trips to the Mid-American Conference finals.  Spector has also coached at Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio and Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis.

A graduate of San Diego State University, Spector played two years of men’s volleyball for the Aztecs.  He was also a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team for the World Maccabi Games, earning the bronze medal in 1993 and 1997 and a silver medal in 2001.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity for everyone to come together and build upon,” said Spector.  “I expect great things over time. It’s a fantastic time to join the program and build Geoduck volleyball throughout the community.”

The Geoduck women’s soccer team will open up the 2011 season on August 20 against Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, Wash.  The Evergreen volleyball program will hit the court for their first match on September 2 as they jump right into conference play with a Cascade Conference counter at Eastern Oregon.