The student-athlete experience. We often talk about that term at Towson.
We want to insure that our student-athletes are having an outstanding
experience – from an athletic, academic and community viewpoint.
This weekend, I attended the Lacrosse Homes Collegiate Invitational at Prospect Bay in Grasonville, Maryland.
It’s a 19-team college golf tournament and as was reported on our web
site the Tigers rallied on the second day to move up six spots and
finish 11th in the field. The results tell only part of the story.
This tournament marked the 10th season that head coach Brian Yaniger has hosted a Towson
invitational. With great care, he has shaped this tournament into one
of the most anticipated events on the spring schedule for most of the
teams in the field. I know this because the coaches and
student-athletes said as much as I visited with them on Saturday night
at the tournament banquet.
First,
he has arranged for an outstanding venue. Matt Tengwall, who was Coach
Yaniger’s first captain and a 1998 graduate, arranged for Prospect Bay.
Second, he found a great corporate partner in Lacrosse Homes. Lindsay Dixon, a 1992 alumnus and former Towson
lacrosse standout, is President of the company, which has been the
title sponsor of the tournament the last two years. Lacrosse Homes,
established in 1994, is a premier home builder on the eastern and
western shores of Delaware and Maryland. Lindsay, who was an All-American at Towson, is married to the former Julie Heilman ‘92, who was part of the very successful gymnastics program while at Towson. It’s great to see these former student-athletes giving back to their alma mater.
Third,
Brian has strengthened the field over its history, giving his Tigers
the chance to test their skill against some of the top programs in the
East, including North Carolina-Greensboro who made its first appearance
in the event this year. This season’s field stretched from Boston
College down to Greensboro and included two Big East schools, three
from the Ivy League, two Atlantic 10 squads and both Army and Navy.
Brian also does a great job remembering his roots, inviting Loyola and Long Island to the tournament all 10 seasons.
Fourth,
Brian assembled a terrific officiating crew. Randy Reed, who served as
the head rules official for the seventh straight year, was honored at
the banquet for his service.
And
finally, from the 20-page program that profiles each of the teams, to
the early breakfast at the Hilton each morning, the golfers knew that
they were participating in an event that values the student-athlete.
Brian’s comments at the banquet really summed up his feelings and
motivation. He said that there are hundreds of junior golfers trying to
earn spots on college golf teams and everyone in the room should be
proud that they have achieved a spot on a Division I golf team. He said
it was quite an honor and he backed that up by the way he treated each
competitor during the weekend. It was truly a positive student-athlete
experience for all 100 golfers in the event.
