Kaitlyn Miller and Mikhail Attong have been selected by the NCAA Education Services Group to represent Marywood University at the 2008 NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida at the Walt Disney World Resort from May 25th through May 29th. The duo will engage in a variety of leadership training activities with student-athletes from all three divisions of the NCAA.
Excelling in the classroom as a Communication and Sciences Disorders major, Miller has been named to the PAC All-Academic Team her first two seasons and has served her community in a number of ways, including coordinating EOTC Field Days, and volunteering her time to such causes as Volunteers in Action, Elderly Companions, and Chase Away Autism, among others.
Attong (Trinidad and Tobago) was a captain of Marywood’s men’s soccer team as a junior in 2007, helping the team set a school record for wins in a season. Attong has appeared in 46 matches for the Pacers, starting in all but two, registering three goals. The defender scored his lone goal this past season in a win over Elmira College. He is a three-time PAC All-Academic Team selection.
A standout in the classroom as well, Attong, an Industrial/Organizational Psychology major has been named to the Dean’s List every semester at since arriving at Marywood. Attong is active in the local community as well, participating in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and serving as the treasurer for Diversity United. The junior also led a recycling drive and serves as a psychology tutor.
The NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference provides NCAA student-athletes with a forum to openly discuss issues that may affect them on their campuses and in their communities, while also providing them with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills. The conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities.
Two-sport athlete Lizzy Green (Shenandoah, PA) was selected as Marywood’s alternate for the conference. Green, a sophomore member of the volleyball and women’s basketball teams has earned Dean’s List and PAC All-Academic Team honors as an Interior Architecture/Design major. Among Green’s community service activities are her participation in the Relay for Life and involvement with the Red Cross Bloodmobile.
Jerome Gosney (Binghampton, NY), a member of the men’s basketball team, was also nominated for the conference. A sophomore forward majoring in Health and Physical Education, Gosney served as a tri-captain this past season and was named to the All-PAC Sportsmanship Team. Gosney has been a member of the Dean’s List and volunteers as a Little League coach.
The conference is an outgrowth of the successful CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and involves student-athletes representing CHAMPS/Life Skills colleges and universities as well as the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees. Each institution nominates four student-athletes who have demonstrated an ability or strong desire to be leaders and would benefit from a significant leadership experience. In order to be eligible, applicants must be in good academic standing and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year.
In conjunction with the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, the NCAA Foundation in 1996 created the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference. The mission of the conference is to provide a diverse group of the nation's top student-athletes an opportunity to actively participate in challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become better leaders on their campuses and in their communities.
The inaugural conference sponsored by Entergy Corporation and Walt Disney World Sports was held in May 1997 in Orlando, Florida.