Nate Eachus makes Kansas City Chiefs roster
In the NFL preseason, former Colgate football standout and All-American Nate Eachus ’11 reported to Kansas City Chiefs camp as an undrafted free agent and impressed the team’s management enough to make the roster.
    “I made the team, but I’m not done yet. I want to help this team win,” Eachus told his hometown-area newspaper The Standard Speaker of Hazleton, Pa. “I understand what my role is as a rookie. I’ll do what it takes, be it on special teams or whatever, to help make K.C. a winner.”

In August, the Green Bay Packers and their president, Mark Murphy ’77, hosted Nate Eachus ’12 and his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in an NFL preseason football game. (Photo courtesy of the Green Bay Packers)

    Earning playing time during the preseason, Eachus started with joining the first team in the opening game as a fullback after injuries decimated others in the position. He wasn’t able to touch the ball in that game, but made up for it in the final two preseason contests. After a 98-yard rushing performance on 10 carries against the Seattle Seahawks, Eachus survived the first round of cuts. He had runs of 20 and 17 yards on his first two attempts and followed those with five more runs of 11 or more yards. He scored a rushing touchdown late in the game for Kansas City’s lone score in a 44-7 loss.
    In addition, Eachus laid a great block to allow quarterback Brady Quinn into open space to scamper for 41 yards. The block caught the attention of many on the coaching staff, including head coach Romeo Crennel.
    Eachus continued his success in the backfield in the preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. The Drums, Pa., native came through with another brilliant performance, with a team-high 99 yards on 21 carries. He ended up rushing for 206 yards during the preseason, which ranked him third in the National Football League.
    However, Eachus had an uphill battle — the team had already set Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis as the Chiefs’ top two running backs. Kansas City originally planned to keep four backs on the roster, but because of Eachus’s performance, the team kept five.
    He made his NFL debut on September 9 with the Chiefs. “I’ve dreamed about this my whole life,” Eachus told The Standard Speaker. “I always believed I could make it this far.”
    
Patriot League membership additions
The Patriot League has announced two new members that will join the league in 2013–2014. Boston University and Loyola University of Maryland accepted invitations into the conference, which increases the membership to 10 full members.
    Boston University — which will join in 18 sports — has had a remarkable recent history in numerous sports, including winning the Commissioner’s Cup in the America East for the past seven years. During that time, the Terriers have won 40 America East Conference championships in 14 sports.
    Signing on in late August, the Loyola Greyhounds will compete in 17 sports in the league and just recorded one of the school’s finest years on the field. The men’s lacrosse team won the NCAA title, while the women’s lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, and the men’s basketball team competed in the NCAA Tournament.
    Lacrosse and basketball were key elements in the decision for both schools to be invited. The Terriers and Greyhounds have nationally ranked programs in women’s lacrosse, which will make the league stronger. Women’s lacrosse will now get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, with eight teams playing in the conference. Neither school competes in football.

At the third-annual Kick with the Raiders event, kids got autographs from men’s and women’s soccer players and competed in relay races, shooting on the goalies, and one-on-one matches against the players. (Photo by Bob Cornell)

Vicky Chun ’91 named interim athletic director
Upon the departure of David Roach, Vicky Chun ’91, MA’94, was named interim director of athletics on August 1 and will carry on the duties while a nationwide search is conducted this year.
    Chun became senior associate athletic director/senior woman administrator in October of 2008, after serving as associate director of athletics beginning in July of 2007. She has overseen corporate sponsorship, event management, marketing, and promotions, as well as all personnel matters for the division. In addition, Chun has had supervisory duties for several teams, the sports medicine staff, and the Outdoor Education Program. She has also served as the administrative liaison for Daktronics Sports Marketing, ECAC Hockey, and Colgate’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
    “We are very fortunate to have someone of Vicky’s experience ready to lead the athletics division,” said President Jeffrey Herbst. “Given her years with Colgate and her involvement in athletic leadership positions in organizations around the country, I am confident the athletics department will excel in the short- and long-term future.”
    Nationally, Chun serves on the NCAA Championships cabinet and the executive board of the National Association of College Women Athletics Administrators, where she also chairs the Professional Development and Educational Committee. On campus, Chun serves on the Colgate Disciplinary Conduct Board, the university’s Advisory and Planning Committee, and as chair of the Faculty Affirmative Action Oversight Committee.
    She was inducted into the Colgate Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999, and has received the Howard Hartmann Award and the Maroon Citation.
    “As a fierce advocate of the Raider Nation, I have learned how to lead with passion and determination from our past three athletic directors: Dave Roach, Mark Murphy ’77, and Fred Dunlap ’50,” Chun said. “I am excited to partner with President Herbst, Dean Doug Hicks, the Board of Trustees, and, of course, the incredible Colgate students, coaches, staff, faculty, alumni, and parents as we continue to emphasize the important role athletics plays in developing strong, capable leaders at Colgate.”

Baum shines at Vail lacrosse shootout
Peter Baum ’13, the 2012 Tewaaraton Award winner, traveled to Vail, Colo., over the summer for the 40th annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout, which featured some of the best players in the country suiting up against each other in a bracket-style tournament.
    Baum played for the Maverik Elite team, which faced off in the championship game against a Merrill Lynch squad that featured Tewaaraton Award finalist Will Manny of the University of Massachusetts. Baum scored three goals in helping Maverik to the title with a 16-10 win, and he was named the tournament’s most valuable offensive player.
    In the semifinals of the tournament, Baum led Maverik with an impressive six goals in a 19-7 win to earn a spot in the championship game.
    The 10-day Vail Shootout features men’s and women’s elite teams, while also hosting high school teams and master’s squads. The event is considered the most prestigious annual club lacrosse tournament in the world, according to its website.

Despite the Raiders’ 10-0 lead early in the second quarter of the season opener for Colgate and Albany, the Great Danes came out on top with a 40-23 victory on their home turf. (Photo by Bob Cornell)

New softball head coach
Melissa Finley is the new head softball coach at Colgate, coming to Hamilton after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania.
    While with the Quakers, she was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. As Finley’s first recruiting class led the way, Penn won the 2012 Ivy League South Division title in 2012. She led the on-field practice planning and instruction for outfield, hitting, and pitching, and also was the director of the team’s softball camps.
    “We are thrilled to have Melissa Finley as head softball coach,” said Vicky Chun, interim director of athletics. “She brings a tremendous wealth of experience as an extremely decorated student-athlete at Princeton, and as a successful assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania.”
    Prior to her coaching career, Finley was a four-year starter in the circle and also in centerfield for Princeton. She had a career record of 22-18 and batted .334 in her four seasons. She led the Tigers to three NCAA Regional Tournament appearances by winning three Ivy League championships (2002, 2003, 2005). She was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2003 and an All-Ivy selection all four years. Finley holds Princeton’s all-time and single-season records for home runs and is third all-time on the list for RBIs.
    While at Princeton, she was a member of the Canadian National Softball Team and played in the Pan Am Games in 2003, the Canada Cup (2003, 2004), the U.S. Cup in 2003, and the International Sports Invitational in 2005.
        Finley graduated from Princeton in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. She also earned a degree in marketing from the
Wharton School of Business at Penn in 2010 and got her master’s in organizational dynamics from Penn in 2011.



Raider Nation
Fan spotlights with Jamie Mitchell, assistant athletic director

Beth Holcomb
Athletics administrative assistant
Game:
Volleyball; lost to Syracuse 3-1, 8/24/12

What is your favorite sporting event?
I will not miss a men’s hockey home game. The atmos-phere is amazing … the music, the crowd, the action on the ice — it’s thrilling! Plus, I know most all of the student-athletes on the team and they are all wonderful young men who are a blast to watch compete.

What’s it like working with our student-athletes?
I wouldn’t call it work at all. These young men and women are all incredibly talented, intelligent, and dedicated … who wouldn’t want to work with people like that?

What athletics events are you looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to seeing the Spink [Tyson ’16 and Tylor ’16] brothers on the men’s hockey team. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching them (hopefully) on the ice at the same time!  I predict they will be our ‘secret weapons’!

Mark Linebaugh ’04
Colgate’s director of men’s basketball operations
Game:
Field hockey; 5-1 victory over Siena, 8/30/12

What was your favorite moment as a Colgate student-athlete?
A home game during my junior season against American — we made a half-court shot as time expired and won. It was Senior Day, and that was a really special group of seniors that year, so to have their final home game end that way has always stuck in my mind.

How does it feel to now work at your alma mater?
I am extremely appreciative of this opportunity. Coach Langel has put a great staff together with guys who truly care about our kids and our school. I am excited to be able to help give back to the program that gave so much to me.

What was your favorite game that you watched as a student-athlete?
It is hard to choose between the 2003 football playoff game that we hosted in a heavy snowstorm and that sent our guys to the national semi-final, and our 2004 women’s basketball team who won the Patriot League Championship on Cotterell Court. It was an exciting time to be part of the Colgate community.

Nicole Zenker ’13
Game: Men’s soccer; tied American 1-1, 9/22/12

What are your career aspirations?
I am looking into either becoming involved in sports marketing or a teacher. I am working as a sports marketing and promotions intern for Colgate athletics, to gain experience in the field.

What groups and organizations do you participate in?
I am the captain of the women’s club soccer team, as well as a campus tour guide. Also, I am affiliated with Greek life, as part of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. I am part of the Waterville Elementary club, which involves student teaching in that school district.

What advice would you give prospective students looking to attend Colgate?
You only have four years — don’t waste your time. Get involved in as many things as possible. If you are interested in something, do it for yourself and not for anyone else. Also, have fun!