National recognition for athletics director
June was an exciting month for Dave Roach, director of athletics at Colgate. Members of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) elected him president for 2010-2011. The announcement was made in conjunction with the association’s 45th Annual Convention, which was held June 22–25 at the Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. The NACDA is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
    In addition, at the convention, the NACDA named Roach the 2009–2010 Division I Football Championship Subdivision Northeast Region Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year.
    “This award really goes to Colgate athletics and our tremendous staff and excellent coaches,” he said. “I have been truly blessed to work with a group of educators who are dedicated and committed to the Colgate mission.”
    Under Roach’s watch, Colgate has made tremendous strides to meet the rapidly changing world of Division I athletics. Among his accomplishments, Roach has initiated an agreement to enhance the overall look of Colgate’s athletics venues; coordinated the development of a new logo and mascot; created the Raider Academic Honor Roll; upgraded the department’s ticket office, including online ticket sales and season ticket plans; enhanced the corporate sponsorship program; and signed an agreement with Time Warner Sports to televise selected athletics events, including the entire home football schedule.
    A strong leader in the community, Roach has been the driving force behind the athletics department’s Adopt a Classroom program, in which teams are matched with Hamilton Elementary School classrooms to serve as role models for younger students. Roach also began the monthly Colgate Athletic Council luncheons where the community has the opportunity to hear from both student-athletes and coaches.
    Academically, 14 Colgate teams have received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA.
    During Roach’s six-year tenure at Colgate, the Raiders have placed 12 teams in NCAA tournaments, captured 15 Patriot League titles, and won one ECACHL regular-season championship.


The Colgate field hockey team shut out Robert Morris 5-0 in the team’s season opener on August 24 at Tyler’s Field. (photo by Andrew Daddio)

Patriot League recognizes 124 student-athletes
In July, the Patriot League named 124 student-athletes from 13 different Colgate teams to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. The honor roll recognized varsity athletes from the winter and spring seasons who earned a GPA of at least 3.20 during the spring semester.

Lacrosse alumni join pro teams
Former Colgate lacrosse player Chris Eck ’08 was selected for the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) all-star team last summer. Eck is a face-off specialist for the MLL’s Boston Cannons, and was one of 20 players on the all-star team.
    Two other former Colgate men’s lacrosse players were selected in the 2010 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft on September 8 in Toronto, Canada. Ryan McClelland ’10 was selected 10th overall by Rochester Knighthawks in the first round, while Tyler Collins ’10 was selected 46th overall by the Boston Blazers in the fifth round.

Colgate rowers represent at world championships
Two Colgaters played different roles — one as a team member, the other as a coach — at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships July 22–25 in Brest, Belarus.
    James Clinton ’11 rowed as a member of the Canadian men’s coxed four team. Clinton and his team finished fifth overall, defeating Croatia before falling to Italy, which went on to place first.
    Meanwhile, men’s head coach Khaled Sanad coached the U.S. men’s four with coxswain. His team came in ninth, and upon returning to the United States, won the U.S. Club Nationals and then the Royal Canadian Henley (the North American championships) in the Senior 8 event. “It was a fun experience and serves as a great tool to further our rowers,” said Sanad, who will be coaching at the world championships again next year.
    The World Rowing Under-23 Championships serve as a showcase of nearly 600 up-and-coming athletes from more than 40 countries, all with the potential to develop into elite rowers. Many athletes featured at the event are hopefuls to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Welcoming new coaches
Over the summer, the athletics department welcomed new faces to its coaching staff, among them several new head coaches and alumni.
    Fernando Canales became the Mark S. Randall Endowed Coaching Chair for men’s and women’s swimming and diving. Canales comes to Colgate from the University of Michigan, where he served two stints as assistant coach before becoming the development officer for athletics.
    Keith Tyburski was named head coach of men’s golf. The Hamilton native graduated from Western Carolina University in 2006 and then played professionally on various mini-circuits around the country.
    Maxim Wynn ’03 rejoined the football team as a defensive assistant coach. He returns to his alma mater from Rutgers University, where he was in player development.
    Heather Davis ’08 also came back to Colgate, as an assistant field hockey coach. Davis embarked on her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at SUNY Oneonta.
    Lastly, men’s lacrosse welcomed back Andrew Watkins ’09 as an assistant coach. Watkins was a four-year letter winner for the Raiders and served as a two-time team captain during his junior and senior seasons.

Foyle retires from NBA play after 13 years
Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle ’98 has retired from NBA play after 13 seasons. (A subtle tribute to Colgate?) The 35-year-old center chose to retire after a right-knee injury often prevented him from practicing with the team during the 2009–2010 season.
    “It just never really quite got back to where I could feel like I could keep pushing it and do what I wanted to,” Foyle told the Orlando Sentinel.
    He spent his first 10 seasons with Golden State and is the Warriors’ all-time leader in blocked shots, with 1,140. He is also fifth on their all-time list for offensive rebounds and sixth for defensive rebounds. In 733 career NBA games, including 269 starts, Foyle had career averages of 4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. He had been selected by the Warriors with the eighth overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft.
    At Colgate, Foyle led the Raiders to their first two NCAA postseason tournaments while establishing national records for shot blocking.
    ESPN.com posted Foyle’s “Love Song to a Game,” a retirement poem that he wrote in tribute to basketball. In it, he honors his alma mater: “Colgate’s golden steeple, a sojurn where ancient teachings flooded my mind. There in the Chenango Valley where 13 sang my soul to flight, basketball laid siege to my soul.”
    Shortly after Foyle announced his retirement, the Magic named him the team’s director of player development. Additionally, Foyle plans to continue his humanitarian work with the two foundations he started, Democracy Matters and the Kerosene Lamp Foundation.

Alumnus, 102, joins Raider Nation at football game
At age 102, Charles Strobel ’33 still keeps his unwavering enthusiasm for Colgate. When the football team played Furman University on September 11 in Greenville, S.C., Strobel, one of Colgate’s oldest living alumni, was in the stands cheering on his alma mater.

(photo by Bob Cornell)
    Donning a maroon hat, Strobel joined other faithful fans for pregame festivities before enjoying the game from the comfort of the stadium’s presidential box. He also met with Raider players and coaches at Friday night’s team dinner.
    “Dad told me that he woke up this morning thinking about how happy attending the dinner and game had made him,” said his daughter Marian Strobel, who accompanied her father.
    Strobel, who practiced law through his 90s, recently moved to Greenville from Rochester, N.Y., to be closer to his daughter, a professor at Furman. His granddaughter is a senior there.
    Having played freshman football at Colgate (just prior to the notorious 1932 undefeated, untied, unscored upon, and uninvited season), Strobel is also one of the oldest living former Colgate football players.
    Born July 7, 1908, he attributes his longevity to keeping his body and mind active.
    “He finally gave up his law practice when he outlived his clients and their children,” his daughter noted. “His mind is not perfect today, but he still reads The New Yorker magazine.”

Blogger lauds Seven Oaks
A writer on the blog search engine Technorati.com recently declared Colgate’s Seven Oaks Golf Club “worth the trip.” The blogger Matt W, who traveled up to Hamilton from Philadelphia, wrote: “The Robert Trent Jones designed course is not only beautiful as the school that owns it, but it’s as challenging, too.” He goes on to describe the layout of the course, the challenges (the stream running through the course and the fast greens), and the other attractions Hamilton offers, like the farmers market. He stated: “For those of you who don’t think of Hamilton, N.Y., as a golfing destination, you might be singing a different tune shortly.”



Raider Nation
Fan spotlights with Vicky Chun ’91, senior associate athletic director

Albert Boateng ’14
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Game: Women’s Volleyball vs. Syracuse, 8/28/10, in front of a full house! 3-1 loss

Is this your first Colgate athletics event? Yes! This is my fifth day at Colgate, and I’m having a lot of fun watching volleyball with all of my new friends.

How do you feel on your fifth day here? I am really happy, excited, and tired. I’m having so much fun and this is all more than what I had expected.

What cheer have you learned? “LET’S GO, COLGATE, LET’S GO!!!”

Do you plan on coming to more athletics events? Without a doubt!
 
Maddie Watrobski ’09
Major: Molecular biology
Colgate activity: Field hockey player
Game: Field Hockey vs. Robert Morris, 8/28/10. The Raiders won 5-0.

What brought you to this game? I wanted to see the team’s season opener. I love and miss Colgate.

What are you doing now? I am working in a neurodegenerative research lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center. I’m also coaching, officiating, and playing field hockey.

What does Colgate University and its athletics department mean to you? It was a second home to me, and the field hockey team was my extended family.

What is your favorite Colgate athletics moment? Beating nationally ranked Albany 1-0 my senior year.

What do you think of today’s game? Great start to the season! The players did a lot of things well, and they know what they need to improve upon.

Steve Hansen ’10
Major: Political science
Occupation: Account executive at Cigna Health Care
Colgate activities: Football; president of Delta Upsilon
Game: Football vs. Monmouth, home opener 9/04/10, 30-29 win

What do you think of today’s game atmosphere? This is my first time in the alumni lot. A lot of alums are back and everyone is excited for the game.

What is your favorite football moment? When Ryan Meyers [’10] scored the winning touchdown that marked Coach Dick Biddle as the winningest coach in Colgate football history.

Favorite Coach Biddle quote? “You’re as soft as soft-serve ice cream.”

What is your favorite non-football athletics moment? Traveling to Bucknell my sophomore year to support our women’s soccer team in the Patriot League Championships. We left right after practice and came with our face paint and noisemakers.

Do you have any advice for the current Colgate students? Be enthusiastic, approach everything with optimism, and enjoy every second at Colgate.