Ram Roundup: Rowing, Cross Country and Basketball Honors; Plus NACMA Award
It was has turned into a banner month of Philadelphia University sporting accomplishments, the Department of Athletics has some exciting news to announce surrounding the women's rowing team, the men's cross country program and sophomore men's basketball standout Malcolm Ingram.
In addition, the department recently was awarded a $500.00 grant from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) as part of the NCAA Division II community engagement initiative. In particular, Philadelphia University was chosen for last fall's Ram Madness 2007 (shown below), which raised funds for the nearby Northern Home for Children.
The University was selected over other entrants from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and was one of 23 Division II institutions nationwide (one from each conference and one independent school) to receive the Community Engagement Award of Excellence from NACMA.
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Last Sunday, April 20, the Philadelphia University men won the team championship for the 20-km (12.4 miles) Distance Classic to kick off the 114th Penn Relays. Sophomore Shawn D'Andrea (shown above), freshman Jeffrey Kopczynski, sophomore David Snyder and junior Aaron Nawrot won the first event of the week-long Carnival by placing 6th, 12th, 13th and 18th in the 20-km race. The team won a coveted Penn Relays plaque as representatives of the University.
In the 5-km Road Race, sophomore Andrew Piotrowski was the overall winner of the race, with sophomore Kirk Tencate coming home 4th and junior Zach Whited placing 5th overall. In the women's division, senior Kara Laufer was 6th overall and winner of the 20-to-29 age group award.
All four student-athletes took home Penn Relays medals for their outstanding performances.
Penn Relays Links:
20-km Distance Classic results
5-km Road Race results
News article on last Sunday's races, includes
quotes from Piotrowski.
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The women's rowing program has also been featured in the national headlines, as the team's flagship boat, the varsity eight, is currently ranked third in the nation among Women's NCAA Division II participants. Check below for the entire rankings and a photo of the team in action during their winter preparations in Georgia. The team has performed at the top level in several prestigious regattas so far this season, such as the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia, the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J. and the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta in Knoxville, Tenn. Tomorrow, the rowers compete in the NCAA East Regional Invitational Championships and the Bergen Cup on the Schuylkill River.
The day starts with the NCAA East Region Invitational, which involves Dowling College, Assumption College, Mercyhurst College, Franklin Pierce University, Philadelphia University and University of Charleston (W.Va.). Later in the day, the crews will compete in the Bergen Cup, hosted by St. Joseph's University, in which Philadelphia-area schools compete for what amounts to the City Championship. In particular, the women's varsity heavyweight eight will compete for the Kelly Cup trophy.
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Women's NCAA Division II Varsity Eights | ||
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Team (1st-Place Votes) |
Points |
Previous Week |
|
1. Western Washington University (6) |
30 |
1 |
|
2. Dowling College |
24 |
2 |
|
3. Philadelphia University |
18 |
4 |
|
4. Nova Southeastern |
9 |
3 |
|
5. Mercyhurst College |
5 |
NR |
|
Not Ranked But Receiving Votes: Barry University 2 and Seattle Pacific University 2. | ||
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Finally, on Wednesday, sophomore men's basketball standout Malcolm Ingram (shown below in action) was named to the 2007-'08 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Men's Basketball All-Star team. Ingram, a Philadelphia product out of Solebury Prep, was a second-team pick. The 6'4" forward was also a first team All-CACC selection in his first year as a starter. He was also named to the Daktronics Division II All-Northeast Region second team after averaging 17.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per-game and shooting 49.8-percent from the field for the season. Ingram and the Rams finished the conference regular season an unbeaten 16-0 before capturing the CACC Tournament Championship on Saturday, March 8, gaining an automatic berth into the NCAA Northeast Region Tournament.
The staff of the Philadelphia University Department of Athletics extends congratulations to each of the individuals and teams honored. Thank you for your efforts, and much continued success!
