SoaringGEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITYATHLETIC FOUNDATION

Spring 2012

Inside

SportS’ preview

winning the Mental gaMe: Scott wolfeS and charlie Martin

fall SportS’ photo albuM

eagle athleticS Spring Schedule

for all the right reaSonS

Scott Wolfes believes that golf is the toughest sport you can play, and that is exactly why he likes

to play it. Growing up he sampled other games, playing baseball until seventh grade and basketball through high school at Glynn Academy in St. Simons Island, Georgia. But it was golf that finally answered to his quest to match his abilities to a sport, and it was not just a physical talent needing to be exercised, it was a game that challenged him to compete on many levels.

What does it take to be a winner in

golf? According to Head Coach Larry

Mays it is a talented player who makes

no excuses. “You are out there on your

own island,” says Mays. “And we have

kids who get it…no excuses.”

For a group of student-athletes,

who are on their own on the links,

they can also rally together and win

for the team. Last year’s Southern

Conference Championship win is a

testament to the high level individual

skill and team commitment that brings

in big wins.

This year’s freshman class shows

new growth in the Eagle Golf program

with new players who have a winning

advantage not only in their skill level,

but in their approach to the game. “It

is fun to see kids coming here and we

are their first choice,” remarks Mays.

“Our freshmen are not intimidated by

the bigger schools. They say, ‘I don’t

care who I am playing with…they have

to beat me,’” – a new team motto,

according to Mays.

“I love playing golf – it is different. You can never expect anything to happen,” says Scott. “I consider it the toughest sport with so many aspects – mental, physical and emotional – it touches all of those, every day, when you are out there on the course. I just have a lot of love for the game.” And that is why he is here. Playing a sport at a collegiate level requires that raw, physical talent that needs to be developed and polished from an early age with the proper guidance of teachers and coaches. For Scott, that age came a little later than usual, starting the sport as a young teenager at 12 or 13. But as he began to slough-off other sports, the intricacies of playing golf began to intrigue him, and he came to enjoy the other aspects of the game. Scott, has the physical talent – many young players do. It is the mental and emotional challenges in the game that often rule-out the seeming all-stars. For one, you have to be focused, yet in a very defined way. “You do not want to be focused the whole round because it will just wear on you,” says Scott. “You want to be focused for about 10 or 15 seconds at a time when

Scott Wolfes

Scott at age 16, chipping in a tournament.

you are hitting that shot, and then you release all of that.” Such mental agility takes practice, something that Scott does not shy away from. “I practice the mental side just as I would practice my swing – which is more mental than physical I would say. Everyone on the team is capable physically, but the mental aspect changes the game.” Then there is the emotional side, the potential random intrusion that can impact the mental focus on the game and throw the whole physical side askew. “When I was younger I would get mad and think it was the end of the world if I hit a bad shot. I would then think, now I am going to play bad because I hit one in the water, but you have to let it go and think about the positives,” he remarks.

Winning the Mental Game

Determination is key to winning in sports, and having the resolve to set goals and meet them

builds champions. So faced with the challenge to raise his golf game, Charlie Martin got to work. It started with his step-brother’s college visit to Georgia Southern. Charlie came along with his own future ambition to join the golf team. He was already interested in GSU when he sat down to talk with Golf Head Coach Larry Mays. “Coach Mays told me that the way I was playing at the time was not what they were looking for, that my game was not quite to their standards – my

scoring average for tournaments in particular,” says Charlie. That was a cold hard truth. But Charlie accepted the reality. It was springtime, Charlie was a high school junior and he now had a goal to reach taking each round as it came. “I knew I had to work hard after my visit here, and after seeing the Bennett-Ramsey Golf Center and talking with Coach Mays, I knew I did not want to go anywhere else,” remembers Charlie. “I was ranked at 25th in Georgia before my junior summer, and Coach Mays told me that if I can get to the top 10, I would have a lot of schools looking at me, including Georgia Southern,” says Charlie. Little more needed to be said – Charlie was motivated. He played well during his junior summer, even attending the U.S. Junior Amateur. “There are different places you can qualify in the tournament and each place has about 90 players for three or four spots. There are around 172 players starting out, and I made it to match play after two days of stroke play, and got into the top 16,” beams Charlie. That summer was one of the best golfing summers he ever had,

Charlie Martin

Charlie, age ten, with grandparents, Jane and Charles Foster, from LaGrange, Georgia.

Scott at age 16, chipping in a tournament.

playing in a number of tournaments and finishing in the top five in a few. “Playing like that showed that I was working hard,” says Charlie. Coach Mays had told him to push a little harder and push he did. Charlie believes that the challenge of golf is never ending, and for him it is the mental part of the game that he enjoys the most. “You do not have a chance to win if you are not nervous, so I look forward to being nervous, having some pressure on me and putting some pressure on myself.” That pressure starts at the first tee, and it is his approach to each tee that sets his game, and for that matter, his life goals. “Golf makes you think about the future more than any other sport. That is why I love it so much – it really helps you mentally in all aspects of life. You can only deal with the situation that is in front of you. It is like a golf shot – don’t even think about the 18th hole while you are on the first tee of the round and what you do now will determine where you will be when you get to the later holes.” So Charlie took his golf and his life, one moment at a time, and now keeping his mind focused on just what is in front of him, he is finding success at Georgia Southern.

His approach to the game seems to be working. As a young man with a self-professed determined spirit, he has won the Georgia Junior Championship twice, holds the scoring record for that tournament, is the 2010 Georgia Junior Player of the Year and was a quarterfinalist in the 2010 U.S. Junior Championship. Often such talent comes from a family of players that often boasts a star. Scott had a great-grandmother who played golf all the time. She hit a hole-in-one once, and Scott now cherishes that very golf ball. But it is Scott who is the rising star.

Sports’ preview

GOLF

Every year the highly successful Eagle golf

team, under the skillful stewardship of twelfth-year Head Coach Larry Mays, looks to be the winner of the SoCon Championship, continue on to the

NCAA regionals and ultimately advance out of the regionals to the national championship in which the top 30 teams in the country compete. In the past 11 years, the team has competed in 9 out of 11 regionals since Mays has been head coach and has been able to make it to the national championship four times, a fine showing for Georgia Southern Golf.

Going into the spring, after the fall tournaments, the golf team has six or seven team members who are playing well. Lewis Gruber (above) is the team’s only senior and is in his second year with the team. “Lewis was a big part of our winning the SoCon Tournament last year,” says Mays. “He had three top 15 finishes in the fall and has the lowest stroke average on the team and the lowest tournament stroke average for the fall.”

Right there with Lewis are two freshmen, Charlie Martin (above left) and Scott Wolfes (left). “It is exciting to have young men come into the

program and make an immediate impact,” says Mays. Lewis, Charlie and Scott played every tournament in the fall and their scores were very close – all three of them within 10ths or 100ths of a point. “These are the three who are pulling the sled, as they say, for us right now,” remarks Mays.

Then there are more players who are fighting to earn one of the two spots on the five-man competition team who travel to tournaments. Hayden Anderson, a sophomore, played well in four out of five events in the fall. Rotating into the number five spot a little bit has given Zach Hartman, a freshman, the opportunity to play and he finished 7th in his first official tournament. “All three freshmen, Charlie, Scott and Zach

have been in the top ten in tournaments this fall so our future looks very bright,” beams Mays.

Other players vying for some playing time are Florian Sander, (left) a junior who has done a lot for the team in the past, Blake Olson, a junior who played well in town, but struggled a bit on the road in the fall, Will Evans, a sophomore who will be looking for some playing time, and Matt Mierzejewski, a walk-on last year, who did a good job and earned his spot on the team.

“This is one of the deepest groups I have had as far as young talent so it is going to be fun to watch our team over the next few years,” says Mays.

spring,” remarks Zieziula. “They both play high on the line-up, too, so they can lead by example on court.”

Another key part of the leadership is Oliver Webb (above right), a sophomore who is a transfer and has been through a full college season and knows what it takes to accomplish the team’s goals.

With a freshman class that is full of talent, Eagle Men’s Tennis is much deeper this year than last. “On any given day, our line-up could change which is a good thing because we have a lot of flexibility with doubles teams and combinations, and I think we are going to have a lot of confidence in different people being able to step into the line-up and still produce wins,” says Zieziula. Even if they are not competing the freshmen can contribute in practice. The level of play in practice this year is much higher which better prepares each player for matches. This depth of talent runs deep – last year’s recruiting class was ranked in the top 25 in the country for mid-major programs.

Another boost to the team are the facility improvements to the tennis courts which will be a positive factor both immediately and down the road with recruiting. A great new venue for play and for spectators, there are some unique features in the facilities that other SoCon schools do not have.

Academically, Sebastien Felt, a senior who won the Southern Conference’s Colman Lew Leadership Award last year, and the other upper classmen on the team have set the bar high to do a good job and influence the freshmen. “It is important for our freshmen to have a good example from the upper classmen to start out on the right foot and make the adjustment from high school to their careers at Georgia Southern,” says Zieziula, proud of a team that is working together to win both on the court and in the classroom.

MEN’S TENNIS

Nick Zieziula capitalized on his debut as head

coach last year to make changes in training and to set new expectations and goals for the men’s tennis team. “We got a very good start last year, with

the program and some of the changes in training. The guys were really able to see their results on paper, so that was a big help,” says Zieziula. “This year when we started, the guys knew what the expectations were, and were feeling a bit more comfortable with the system and how we were running things and practices.”

With six new players of 11 on the team this season, a period of team building was required in the fall. Zieziula worked to bring his players together with activities including Southern Adventures which offers adventure programs to the University’s community.

His efforts were successful. “I am excited with where we stand coming back in January when we start the meat of our season,” says Zieziula. “We begin the year with three of our first five matches with teams that are normally ranked in the top 75 in the country.”

This year’s more challenging schedule should give the team a better stepping stone in preparation for conference matches.

Senior, Alain Garrido (above left), and junior, Matthijs Verdam (above center), are this year’s team co-captains and they know what it takes to compete in the SoCon. “The leadership that Alain and Matt bring has been important through the fall season and will continue to be in the

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The women’s tennis team jumps into its spring season

on a high note, coming off a strong fall. Building on the strength of the team are three new freshmen. “The freshmen will really bump up the level of play,

add some excitement and some new aspects of their game that will really help our team,” says Head Coach Amy Bonner.

Freshman, Alexis Prickett (top 1), a five-star recruit had a very strong fall. She and sophomore, Paola Garrido (top 2), won the Elon Invitational doubles title so the goal is to carry that success into the spring. Paola played number one last year, and with a year under her belt understands about the conference matches. “I think Paola is the one to look out for this spring and that is going to help us this year,” says Bonner. Paola, who is from Spain, also had a 4.0 in the classroom last year. “It is always exciting to see someone come from another country, jump into the classroom and the university setting, and have a 4.0 grade average,” says Bonner. “It is really impressive to be able to do that.”

Cameron Williams (top 6) and Scottie French (not pictured), the other two team freshmen, had strong fall seasons and are looking to the spring season. “I think they will work hard to try to earn a spot in the line-up and to be competitive for a spot because they are really fired up about the spring,” notes Bonner.

Senior Alessandra Dzuba (top 3) is working her way back from an injury and has been in rehab since May. “I hope she can get herself healthy

and finish up her senior year in the line-up,” says Bonner. “She is my captain and my only senior.”

Bonner notes that the team is still young, with six juniors on the team. “My junior class has had to step-up and become leaders since I only have one senior and she is injured. I have been really excited to see some of them jump up and take over the leadership role.”

Alexandra Langmo (top 5) and Natalie Maffett (top 4), both juniors, are two who became leaders in the fall. Another junior, Allison Beeler, has worked her way on the line as a freshman and a sophomore. “This year I have thrown her to the wolves, as far as, playing in higher flights than she would usually play – she has played number five and number six for me these past two years, and I put her into the two and three flights this fall. She came up with some big wins and therefore has some big wins under her belt this fall. She is one of the ones that I am looking for this spring to step up,” says Bonner.

Coming off of a 2010–2011 season with a talented team that fought hard and played well, but just did not come out on top has rallied this year’s players. “Last year was very motivating for us. This year, we want to beat who we beat last year, and then we want to turn around all those 4-3 matches that we lost and have a great year. We have to dig a little deeper. Everyone has taken on the one or two things they can do to improve themselves for the better of the team,” remarks Bonner.

From an academic standpoint the women’s tennis team wants to win the GPA award. They are working hard in the classroom to buff up those GPAs for this year.

TRACK AND FIELD

W ith a philosophy of accountability

and a goal to bring back pride to the Track and Field program, first year Head Coach Marlo Mincey, a Georgia Southern alumna, former

GSU Track and Field record holder with six SoCon titles beside her name, and a record of coaching successes is charged with transforming the team. “We know that the program can be built-upon and we can succeed on the past. As a new staff, we are firm believers in our philosophy of discipline, hard work and making sure we prioritize things so we are successful with our athletics, our academics and our families.”

Working on technique is the first order of the day to build a strong foundation. “The way we want things done is extremely new, so we do a lot of repetition of things. As a high repetition team, I would say that in technique, posture and power in the weight room we are stronger than we have been.” Through a strategically-run training room program, they have been able to work with the weight room staff to improve on the track, as well as in the weight room. “At the end of the day, it is always about the student-athlete working along with the coaches and the weight people,” remarks Mincey.

Mincey is focused on both short- and long-term goals with an eye on the team succeeding as conference champions. “We are going to move-up in our standings in the championship and eventually we will be an NCAA qualifying team. We want to start here on our conference stage – improving to have more conference champions and having more individuals contributing to our team with scoring in all areas on the track,” says Mincey.

The fall cross country events claimed freshman Rebecca Greenwall (top 1) as the number one runner in the history of the school when she broke the school record at the end of the year. Yet, her twin sister, Rachel (top 2), and junior, Sara Curry (top 3), also broke the school record making the trio the top three runners in the history of the program. For Mincey, that says big things.

There are a number of well-rounded student-athletes who will be contributing to the spring track and field season. In the hurtles, junior, Jasmine Billings (below) has run the second fastest time in the history of the program. In sprints, junior, Ebony Carter (top 4), who is a returning conference champion is one to watch, and freshman, Kimberly Thomas is going to contribute in the longer sprints.

In the field in multi-events, expect a lot out of sophomore, Stephanie Hicks (top 5), who was the all-conference freshman last year. This year she has the opportunity to be a conference champion. Sara Hall, a freshman, is a thrower and she was already a stand-out in her first meet.

Mincey holds to her ideals of personal accountability with her team. “Track is about self-discipline. At the end of the day, self-discipline is going to win-out along with hard work and consistency in the training,” says Mincey.

That self-discipline holds true in academics, too. “We put academics first,” says Mincey. “If a team member is not doing well in an area we make sure she is reaching her academic goals before she gets back on the track. As coaches, we strive to recognize along with other program staff, when someone is having trouble academically. Our team must be on-goal with their academics before they can compete.”

Fri, Feb 17 UT MARTIN at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb 18 UT MARTIN at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Sun, Feb 19 UT MARTIN at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Wed, Feb 22 GEORGIA TECH at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Fri, Feb 24 RADFORD at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb 25 RADFORD at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, Feb 26 RADFORD at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Tue, Feb 28 MERCER at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Thu, Mar 1 North Florida at Jacksonville, FL 6:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 2 North Florida at Jacksonville, FL 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 3 NORTH FLORIDA at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 4 NORTH FLORIDA at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Tue, Mar 6 Charleston Southern at Charleston, SC 2:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 9 Elon * at Elon, NC 4:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 10 Elon * at Elon, NC 2:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 11 Elon * at Elon, NC 1:30 p.m.

Tue, Mar 13 Wake Forest at Winston-Salem, SC 4:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 16 UNC GREENSBORO * at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 17 UNC GREENSBORO * at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, Mar 18 UNC GREENSBORO * at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Tue, Mar 20 JACKSONVILLE at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 23 Furman * at Greenville, SC 6:00 p.m

Sat, Mar 24 Furman * at Greenville, SC 4:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 25 Furman * at Greenville, SC 1:00 p.m.

Tue, Mar 27 Georgia Tech at Atlanta, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Wed, Mar 28 Georgia Tech at Atlanta, Ga. 4:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 30 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON * at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 31 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON * at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, Apr 01 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON * at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Wed, Apr 04 BETHUNE-COOKMAN at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Baseball Schedule

Thu, Apr 05 Davidson * at Davidson, NC 6:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 06 Davidson * at Davidson, NC 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 07 Davidson * at Davidson, NC 2:00 p.m.

Tue, Apr 10 KENNESAW STATE at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Wed, Apr 11 Jacksonville at Jacksonville, Fla. 6:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 13 APPALACHIAN STATE * at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 14 APPALACHIAN STATE * at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, Apr 15 APPALACHIAN STATE * at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Tue, Apr 17 Florida at Gainesville, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 20 Indiana at Bloomington, Ind. 3:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 21 Indiana at Bloomington, Ind. 1:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 22 Indiana at Bloomington, Ind. 1:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 27 The Citadel * at Charleston, SC 6:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 28 The Citadel * at Charleston, SC 2:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 29 The Citadel * at Charleston, SC 1:00 p.m.

Wed, May 2 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Fri, May 4 SAMFORD * at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, May 5 SAMFORD * at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, May 6 SAMFORD * at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Fri, May 11 WESTERN CAROLINA * at STATESBORO 6:00 p.m.

Sat, May 12 WESTERN CAROLINA * at STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, May 13 WESTERN CAROLINA * at STATESBORO 1:30 p.m.

Tue, May 15 Kennesaw State at Kennesaw, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Fri, May 18 Wofford *at Spartanburg, SC 6:00 p.m.

Sat, May 19 Wofford *at Spartanburg, SC 2:00 p.m.

Sat, May 19 Wofford * at Spartanburg, SC 5:00 p.m.

*Conference Games

Golf - 2011-12 Schedule

Sat, Feb 11 - Sun, Feb 12 Gator Invitational at Gainesville, Fla. All Day

Sun, Feb 26 - Tue, Feb 28 John Hayt Invitational at Ponte Vedra, Fla. All Day

Mon, Mar 5 - Tue, Mar 6 Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate at Aiken, S.C All Day

Fri, Mar 16 - Sun, Mar 18 Schenkel Invitational at Statesboro, Ga. All Day

Sat, Apr 7 - Sun, Apr 8 Gary Koch Invitational at Tampa, Fla. All Day

Sun, Apr 15 - Tue, Apr 17 Southern Conference at Charleston, S.C. All Day

* Conference Games

Eagle Athletics Spring Schedule

Golf - 2011-12 Schedule

Sat, Feb 11 - Sun, Feb 12 Gator Invitational at Gainesville, Fla. All Day

Sun, Feb 26 - Tue, Feb 28 John Hayt Invitational at Ponte Vedra, Fla. All Day

Mon, Mar 5 - Tue, Mar 6 Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate at Aiken, S.C All Day

Fri, Mar 16 - Sun, Mar 18 Schenkel Invitational at Statesboro, Ga. All Day

Sat, Apr 7 - Sun, Apr 8 Gary Koch Invitational at Tampa, Fla. All Day

Sun, Apr 15 - Tue, Apr 17 Southern Conference at Charleston, S.C. All Day

* Conference Games

Fri, Jan 27 MERCER at STATESBORO 2:00 p.m.

Sat, Jan 28 NORTH FLORIDA at STATESBORO 1:00 p.m.

Fri, Feb 3 Florida Atlantic at Boca Raton, Fla. 2:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb 4 Florida Gulf Coastat Naples, Fla. 12:00 p.m.

Sun, Feb 5 Central Floridaat Orlando, Fla. 1:30 p.m.

Sat, Feb 11 Liberty at Greenville, N.C. TBA

Sun, Feb 12 East Carolina at Greenville, N.C. TBA

Sat, Feb 18 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE at STATESBORO 1:00 p.m.

Sun, Feb 19 KENNESAW STATE at STATESBORO 12:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 3 DAVIDSON * at STATESBORO 11:00 a.m.

Sun, Mar 4 UNC GREENSBORO * at STATESBORO 12:00 p.m.

Fri, Mar 9 STETSON at STATESBORO 2:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 11 GEORGIA STATE at STATESBORO 12:00 p.m.

Thu, Mar 15 Chattanooga * at Chattanooga, Tenn. TBA

Sat, Mar 17 Samford * at Birmingham, Ala. 11:00 a.m.

Mon, Mar 19 ELON * STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Fri, Mar 23 APPALACHIAN STATE * STATESBORO 2:30 p.m.

Sun, Mar 25 Furman * at Greenville, N.C. 11:00 a.m.

Mon, Mar 26 Wofford * at Spartanburg, S.C. 10:00 a.m.

Sat, Jan 28 Charleston Southern at Charleston, S.C. 11:00 a.m.

Sun, Jan 29 Coastal Carolina at Conway, S.C. 12:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb 4 Presbyterian at Clinton, S.C. 11:00 a.m.

Sun, Feb 5 Mercer at Macon, Ga. 1:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb 18 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE at STATESBORO 10:00 a.m.

Sat, Feb 25 Florida Atlantic at Boca Raton, Fla. 1:00 p.m.

Sun, Feb 26 Stetson at Deland, Fla. 12:00 p.m.

Thu, Mar 1 WESTERN CAROLINA * at STATESBORO 2:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 3 FLORIDA A&M at STATESBORO 3:00 p.m.

Tue, Mar 06 CAMPBELL at TATESBORO 2:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 10 Samford * at Birmingham, Ala. 2:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 11 Chattanooga * at Chattanooga, Tenn. 12:00 p.m.

Thu, Mar 15 TROY at STATESBORO 10:00 a.m.

Fri, Mar 16 APPALACHIAN STATE * at STATESBORO 12:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 18 FURMAN * at STATESBORO 12:00 p.m.

Sun, Mar 25 UNC Greensboro * at Greensboro, N.C. 12:00 p.m.

Mon, Mar 26 Elon * at Elon, N.C. 2:00 p.m.

Sat, Mar 31 DAVIDSON * at STATESBORO 11:00 a.m.

Sat, Apr 7 WOFFORD * at STATESBORO 11:00 a.m.

Fri, Apr 13 College of Charleston * at Charleston, S.C. 2:30 p.m.

Thu, Apr 19 - Sun, Apr 22 SoCon Championship at Charleston, S.C. All Day

*Conference Games

Men’s Tennis Schedule Women’s Tennis Schedule

INDOOR SEASON

Thur. Jan. 12 - Fri. Jan 13 Blazer Invite at Birmingham, Ala. 4:00 p.m.

Sun, Jan 22 Gator Invite at Gainesville, Fla. TBA

Wed, Jan 25 - Thu, Jan 26 Samford/UAB/BSC-Multi at Birmingham, Ala. TBA

Fri, Feb 3 - Sat, Feb 4 VT Elite at Blacksburg, Va. TBA

Fri, Feb 10 - Sat, Feb 11 Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson, S.C. TBA

Thu, Feb 23 - Fri, Feb 24 SoCon Indoor Championships at Birmingham, Ala. TBA

Fri, Mar 9 - Sat, Mar 10 NCAA Indoor Championships at Boise, Idaho TBA

w

OUTDOOR SEASON

Fri, Mar 2 - Sat, Mar 3 UNF Spring Break Invitational at Jacksonville, Fla. TBA

Fri, Mar 9 Palmetto Classic at Charleston, S.C. TBA

Sat, Mar 17 Black & Gold Challenge at Orlando, Fla. TBA

Fri, Mar 23 - Sat, Mar 24 FSU Relays at Tallahassee, Fla. TBA

Mon, Mar 26 Weems Baskin Invitational at Columbia, S.C. TBA

Fri, Mar 30 North Florida Invitational at Jacksonville, Fla. TBA

Fri, Apr 6 - Sat, Apr 7 Pepsi Florida Relays at Gainesville, Fla. TBA

Sat, Apr 21 - Sun, Apr 22 SoCon Championships at Cullowhee, N.C. TBA

Thu, May 24 - Sat, May 26 NCAA Preliminary Rounds at Jacksonville, Fla. TBA

Wed, Jun 6 - Sat, Jun 9 NCAA Outdoor National Championships TBA

at Des Moines, Iowa

Track & Field

GSU Football: 2011 SoCon Champions and NCAA FCS Semi-finalists

Fall Sports’ Photo Album

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, and Cross Country

Name Sport Class GPA MajorAdrian Mora Football Graduate 4.00 BusinessBilly Greer Football Senior 3.83 FinanceRoberto Lopez Men’s Soccer Sophomore 3.73 Civil EngineeringTrent Doty Men’s Soccer Sophomore 3.57 Pre-BusinessAleksandar Tomic Men’s Soccer Junior 3.45 Construction ManagementHunter Norton Men’s Soccer Sophomore 3.37 PsychologyWitt Carlisle Men’s Soccer Junior 3.34 Sport ManagementMoriah Bellissimo Volleyball Junior 4.00 Nutrition/Food ScienceLauren Larocque Volleyball Sophomore 3.83 BiologyEnjoli Johnson Volleyball Sophomore 3.82 PsychologyKate Van Dyke Volleyball Junior 3.69 PsychologyBrittani Martin Cross Country Senior 3.80 Early Childhood EducationSara Curry Cross Country Junior 3.77 RecreationAsea Mayfield Cross Country Sophomore 3.54 Early Childhood EducationMcKenna Storey Women’s Soccer Junior 3.86 International StudiesKatie Merson Women’s Soccer Sophomore 3.76 NursingAlex Murphy Women’s Soccer Sophomore 3.57 Justice StudiesLindsay Hammer Women’s Soccer Sophomore 3.55 Early Childhood EducationCourtney Collins Women’s Soccer Junior 3.54 PsychologyMorgan Springer Women’s Soccer Junior 3.48 Exercise ScienceSara Oland Women’s Soccer Senior 3.40 Middle Grades EducationSydney Keer Women’s Soccer Sophomore 3.35 Exercise Science

Athletics Posts Highest Program GPA in Fall Semester

Georgia Southern’s 15 varsity teams put together their best semester in history

with a 2.92 GPA in the fall semester. The Men’s and Women’s athletic programs also posted their highest GPA term with a 2.71 and a 3.20 GPA, respectively. 32 members of the teams were named to the President’s list. Over 200 made a 3.0 or better in the fall, and 65 more student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List. Congratulations Eagle Athletics!

Georgia Southern earned 22 slots on the 2012 Southern Conference Fall Academic All-Conference team. Two Eagles, Football’s Adrian Mora and Volleyball’s Moriah Bellissimo kept their perfect 4.0 GPAs alive. Overall, seventeen SoCon student-athletes accomplished the feat.

To be eligible, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average entering the fall season and were required to compete in at least one-half of their team’s competitions during the recently-concluded fall campaign. In addition, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least 24 credit hours in the previous two semesters. Georgia Southern was led by the Women’s Soccer team which posted eight honorees, followed by Men’s Soccer at five and Volleyball at four. The Eagle Cross Country team earned three nods, while the GSU Football team garnered two spots.

22 Eagles Named Fall Academic All-Conference

ON THE COVER:

Georgia Southern Eagles Chris Beck (right) and

Victor Roache (left) rank among Major League

Baseball’s top-ten draft prospects for 2012. Both

Juniors, they are ranked at numbers eight and

ten, respectively, on a list of 50 draft-eligible high

school and college players on the league’s

website.

SoaringWelcome to the Eighth edition of the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation’s quarterly newsletter, Soaring. Support Georgia Southern University student-athletes. Call 1.912.478.5520 or visit www.ringsanddiplomas.com to find out how you can help.

As recruiting periods are in full swing, just a reminder that fans/donors are prohibited

from making any form of contact with a prospect, prospect’s coach or prospect’s parents. Actively participating in recruiting activities is limited to coaches. The only parties that are permitted to directly be involved in the recruiting process are coaches. Coaches are the only persons allowed to:

a. Meet with a prospect or the prospect’s parents in person on or off campus;

b. Place a phone call to the prospect or the prospect’s family;

c. Write to a prospect or the prospect’s family.

John MulherinPresidentjohnmul@georgiasouthern.edu

David BeaubienEagle Fund Executive Directordbeaubien@georgiasouthern.edu

Frank HookDirector of Donor Relationsfhook@georgiasouthern.edu

Lindsey C. RandolphAtlanta Regional AthleticsDevelopment Directorlrandolph@georgiasouthern.edu

Kathryn BryantOperations Directorkathrynbryant@georgiasouthern.edu

Dee ParkerDonor Records Directordparker@georgiasouthern.edu

Caroline BevillardEagle Fund ProgramCoordinatorcbevillard@georgiasouthern.edu

Gordon HunterEagle Fund SpecialProjects Coordinatorghunter@georgiasouthern.edu

Sally ScottDonor Fulfillment Specialistsarahscott@georgiasouthern.edu

John RamfjordAthletics Ticket Managerjramfjord@georgiasouthern.edu

Writer/Editor: Bonnie Jaeger

Graphic Design: Hilde Keldermans

NCAA COMPLIANCE REMINDER