Swarthmore's Celestin Combines Dance, Soccer

Junior Philippe Celestin and No. 7 Swarthmore College men's soccer team were the subject of a feature story in Thursday's Philadelphia Inquirer. The story focuses on the balancing act that Celestin - who scored the Garnet's game-winning goal on Sunday and performed a stomp music piece at the College's Rhythm and Motion performance - and many Swarthmore students face on a daily basis, as well as the recent success of the men's soccer team.

The article was written by Sam Lacy '11, while photos were taken by Hanna Kozlowska '13 and Jake Mrozewski '11 and video by Jared Brown.

No Money, No Problems: More Division III Perks

this article appeared in the November 5, 2009 edition of the Swarthmore Phoenix.

BY KEVIN FRIEDENBERG
Get-down-with-your-bad-self

After reading a Rick Reilly column on ESPN.com comparing the life of USC’s star freshman quarterback Matt Barkley with that of another USC freshman student, I began to reflect about my own experience as a scholar-athlete.

From reading Reilly’s column, it’s instantly clear that Barkley already lives the life of a superstar.

How could he not? The kid is 19 years old and is seen every week by hundreds of thousands of fans on the biggest stage in college football. There are already “mock drafts” that predict Barkley will be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft in two years.

Regardless of the fame, the potential big bills contracts, and the tremendous opportunities that are a reality for Barkley everyday of his life, I would never trade my experience as a scholar-athlete for his.

Sure, the cynics among you out there are probably saying this is all bogus; who wouldn’t want a life like Matt Barkley?

I’m not saying it isn’t a sweet deal to be a star quarterback at a storied university with a tremendous future. I’m just trying to say that the life of a Division III athlete isn’t half bad either.

With only one spring season left in my collegiate athletic career, it’s no secret that I’m in the autumn of my experience as a Division III lacrosse player. Looking back over my time at Swarthmore, a few things immediately come to mind when thinking about how my college experience has been different than Barkley’s.

I don’t speak on behalf of many Division I athletes by any means, but whenever I come into contact with Division I players (coaching camps, mutual friends, etc.) I always ask them if they like playing at the Division I level. Nine times out of 10, I hear “not really” or “I guess.”

Again, this is only a small sample of players I have come into contact with, but whenever people ask me if I like playing lacrosse in college my answer is unquestioningly, “I love every minute of it.” At the end of the day, if it isn’t fun, then why do it?

The one thing I truly believe makes Division III the best level of sports to participate in is the practices. Some of my fondest memories from college come from just being on the turf with 30 of my closest friends, watching the pieces of our team come together as a whole.

The overarching feeling, though, is that being out there is just plain fun. Even when we get fired up at each other, even when the snow is really coming down around us and even when I don’t have a great practice, I’d still rather be out on the field with my teammates than anywhere else.

I feel tremendously privileged to feel the way about playing a sport that I do, because I’m sure for many athletes like Matt Barkley, it isn’t all that fun.

I certainly don’t have to put up with national media outlets or disgruntled fans maligning me on the Internet after a bad loss. I simply get to enjoy the sport. Let’s not get confused though. Division III isn’t just about having fun, much like my Phoenix columnist brother Andrew Greenblatt noted in his column about D-III athletics. We are real athletes here to win games.

The real love for the game as Division III athletes comes out in the offseason. Swarthmore isn’t USC; our team doesn’t have a platoon of strength and conditioning coaches watching over our shoulders to see who’s improving and who needs to get in gear. We do it because we are highly motivated people who get a lot of intrinsic value out of making ourselves and our teammates better.

I see scholar-athletes of all sports working hard down in the weight room or out on the track and you can see it in their faces that they enjoy it.

You might not consciously admit that you like the feeling of burning lungs or aching muscles, but the bond between teammates that is forged through pain and hard work in the offseason is incredible.

You put in the work because you love the game and you love your team. It’s not even a hard decision to make. Winning games and being a committed team in the offseason doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive with enjoying the game for what it is.

Being part of a sport at this school has been one of the best experiences of my life.

Sure, I’m not going to draw a multi-million dollar salary, I’ve never met Will Ferrell on the field after one of my games and kids don’t constantly snap photos of me on their phones (that I know of).

But I don’t envy Matt Barkley at all. I can’t even imagine the pressure that poor kid has to face every week, but I can certainly imagine that it makes him lose a little bit of the love for the game.

Fortunately as D-III athletes, we typically get to avoid the distractions that constantly attack large programs at large universities. We just have the sport, plain and simple.

When we are in season, I look forward to that time each day when I head down to the field house because there is nowhere I’d rather be than down on that field with my team.

Dickinson's Mitchell Does More Than Break Records

Mitchell doing more than breaking records
Dickinson signal caller helps to fight cancer one yard at a time ... while winning.

By Andy Sandrik, Sentinel Reporter

Last updated: Friday, October 16, 2009 10:26 PM EDT

When all is said and done in the football career of Dickinson College quarterback Ian Mitchell, he will go down as the most productive quarterback in the history of the Division III school.

The numbers don’t lie, Mitchell is a really, really good quarterback. Career accomplishments include:

* 2,214 career rushing yards. That’s the most-ever in Dickinson and Centennial Conference history.
* A Centennial Conference record of 11 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. That record was established this season and there are still at least four games remaining. The career record is 27 touchdowns — Mitchell has 24.
* Mitchell is the first Centennial Conference quarterback to rush for 2,000-plus yards and pass for 4,000-plus yards.



“My teammate Mike Maxwell says that I’m a running back that can throw the ball,” Mitchell said with a laugh. “Whenever I started setting some of these records, coach (Darwin) Breaux told me congratulations and that he was extremely proud of me. And then he told me that if I want this to continue, I need to focus on the team and the individual records will come on their own.”

With every yard gained by Mitchell, he comes that much closer to even more individual records. But college football isn’t all about personal glory for Mitchell, who was recruited by schools such as Richmond, James Madison, Lehigh, Lafayette and even given an opportunity to walk on at Florida.

After losing a high school friend, Evan Brady, to cancer, Mitchell has made it a mission to help support cancer victims.

With every yard Mitchell gains, on the ground or through the air, another cancer-stricken child can smile.

By getting people and businesses to pledge money for each yard gained, Mitchell has raised roughly $60,000 for Evanfest, a charity created in Brady’s honor to raise money for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Mitchell has raised this money in three years by doing nothing but wisely marketing himself and playing the game he loves.

“I’ve gotten lucky, this has spread through word of mouth and the media,” Mitchell said.

Those around Biddle Field last year for a Dickinson football game may have noticed Mitchell’s long, blond hair spilling out the back of his helmet. That, too, has been donated to charity. He had his hair donated to ‘Locks for Love.’

“I was told that an 8-year-old girl now has beautiful, blonde hair,” Mitchell said.

Beautiful blonde hair and charity aside, Mitchell is a great football player on a team contending for a conference title.

The Red Devils are 5-1 after last Saturday’s 23-12 loss to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.

“We played a good team on Saturday,” Breaux said. “They were as good a team as we’ve faced all year. Field goals didn’t get the job done, we need to put the ball in the end zone.”

All hope is not lost for the Red Devils. They have a bye week this Saturday and follow with games against Gettysburg (2-4), Muhlenberg (2-3), Juniata (0-6) and Ursinus (2-3).

If the Red Devils can run the table, they could earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs and may even have a chance at winning the Centennial Conference.

“This is a perfect time for a bye week,” Mitchell said. “After a loss, you feel a little bit more sore than usual and it takes a little longer to get past the game. Having this extra week is very crucial.”

With the next four opponents sporting a combined record of 6-16, winning out is a reasonable goal, especially if Mitchell and the offense can get back to their touchdown-scoring ways.

Before last week’s game, the Red Devils were averaging 35.8 points per game to rank second in the Centennial Conference. Mitchell has led the way with another exciting season. Mitchell has led the team with his arm (83-of-138, 952 yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs) and his legs (85 rushes, 655 yards, 11 TDs, 7.7 avg.).

Of course, Mitchell will be the first person to point out his teammates.

“Our core group has been together for a long time, we all know each other’s moves,” Mitchell said.

“There’s nothing like having an All-American receiver in Pat O’Connor. With a player like that and a quarterback that can run and some good running backs. There is so much that the defense has to focus on. The line doesn’t get much recognition, but I’d like to say that the offensive line holds those same records that I have.”

One thing’s for sure, things wouldn’t be the same without Mitchell.

“He’s one of the most athletic kids we’ve recruited and the most athletic quarterback we’ve had,” Breaux said. “It’s a team effort, but there’s no question, Ian is the trigger man.”

Already a noted philanthropist and an elite football player, the Religion Major plans on becoming a grad assistant for Dickinson after this season.

“I’ve realized that my future is not in the NFL,” Mitchell said. “If I have to stop playing football after this year, coaching football is probably the next best thing.”

Ward's Dream Continues at D-III

Jon Ward, a recent graduate of Parkland (Pa.) High School, could have been a big-time Division I basketball recruit. He found out that D-I is a big business ... a cutthroat business ... one that left a bitter taste in his mouth. In this story from Keith Groller of the Allentown Morning Call, Ward reflects on his D-I recruiting experience, he discovers that Ursinus, the Centennial Conference, and Division III may be just the place for him to continue following his dream.

Twitter and the Centennial Conference

From the NCAA News

to the Centennial SAAC ... what do you think?



"Twitter and college athletics may seem like an unlikely pairing, but dozens of coaches, conferences and athletics departments are aggressively using the microblogging Web service to keep pace with a new generation of prospects and fans.

Twitter, which limits users to 140-character posts known as “tweets,” is designed to provide a quick glance into what a person – or entity – is doing, thinking or feeling. Twitter doesn’t require an Internet connection and can be accessed with a cell phone, with the communication appearing as a text message. The service is free.

The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which stridently opposed text-messaging between coaches and prospects, hasn’t taken an official position on Twitter yet and will discuss the technology at its July meeting in Denver. The SAAC itself uses Twitter to communicate with members and potential members.

Chair Matt Baysinger, a former Kansas student-athlete, said that some of the SAAC’s main concerns with text-messaging – the cost and the lack of professionalism – are mitigated with Twitter. To receive tweets to a mobile phone, a prospect would have to sign up for Twitter, “follow” a particular coach and have the coach follow the prospect in return, and agree to have messages sent to a mobile device. Baysinger said it’s likely that people who would go through all of that would not be worried about the cost. He also said the frequent lack of professionalism in the medium is mitigated by the absence of personalization.

“At this point, I don’t feel Twitter is a personalized medium. It’s meant to be public information. It’s meant for everyone, which puts it in a different category from a text message,” Baysinger said."

A Player's View of an ACL Injury

McDaniel College basketball player Katherine Restrepo has undergone two reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries. In today's Reading Eagle, she writes about her experience, why women are at a greater risk for ACL injuries than men, and preventive measures that can be taken to help avoid the injury.

"Pivot. Pop. Scream. This sequence of events represents the cry of someone who has torn an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.

ACL tears happen more frequently as high school and collegiate sports become more competitive.

Almost every athlete has seen teammates sidelined due to an ACL injury, but it's hard to understand the major setback it creates until you suffer a torn ACL. Throughout my high school basketball career, at least three of my teammates tore their ACL's. Never once did I think this injury would get in the way of playing the sports I love. Within a span of three years, I tore both of mine.

In fact, I am recovering from my second ACL reconstruction surgery. This past basketball season at McDaniel College, I was down for the count."

NCAA No Friend of Facebook When It Comes to Recruiting

By Justin Pope | Of The Associated Press
April 11, 2009

"College sports fans, be careful of the company you keep on Facebook.

You might get yourself -- and the program you support -- in trouble.

That was the lesson this week for Taylor Moseley, a North Carolina State freshman who expressed a common-enough opinion on campus when he started the Facebook group called "John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!"

More than 700 people signed up for the group encouraging Wall -- a local standout and the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit -- to pick the Wolfpack by national signing day next week.

But the NCAA says such sites, and dozens more like them wooing Wall and other top recruits, violate its rules. More than just cheerleading boards, the NCAA says the sites are an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit.

Moseley got a cease and desist letter from N.C. State's compliance director, Michelle Lee, warning of "further action" if he failed to comply. In an interview Friday, Lee said that people who act as boosters but fail to follow recruiting guidelines could face penalties such as being denied tickets or even being formally "disassociated" from the athletic program.

Adam Kissel, director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said the NCAA can impose rules on its member colleges. But universities -- especially public ones -- can't enforce them if it means punishing students in any way for expressing an opinion.

"A student doesn't lose First Amendment rights because of a contract the university signs with [the NCAA]," he said.

Moseley, the student, didn't respond to a request for comment, but the group has been renamed "Bring a National Title back to NC STATE!" and features a photo of Wall.

Though Lee sent Moseley the tough warning, even she finds the rule exasperating. The NCAA, she says, simply isn't keeping up with the technology reality.

''I think nationally the NCAA needs to address further Facebook and how these groups play a part in recruiting,'' she said. ''Is it realistic for us to be able to monitor them? What harm is a group like this causing? But as the legislation stands right now, this is the position we have to take.''

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said the group considers its rules ''technology neutral.'' A Facebook page is simply a high-tech way to try to influence recruits.

The NCAA's concern is "intrusions into a high school student's life when they're trying to decide where to go to college," he said. He said the NCAA is keeping up with technology, noting new rules on text-messaging from coaches.

Christianson said the NCAA expects institutions to act as N.C. State did, reaching out to the creators of such groups to "educate" them about the rules. He added he was not aware the NCAA had ever initiated any action related to a Facebook group or notified an institution about one.

But dozens of Facebook groups are still up in plain site for current recruits, including Wall, and other top undecided basketball players such as Xavier Henry and Lance Stephenson.

Wall, a 6-4 playmaker, averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Raleigh Word of God this past season. He's the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, and among the last top players yet to commit. A Facebook search reveals groups including "Bring John Wall to Baylor," "John Wall Belongs at UNC" and "John Wall, come to DUKE!!"

Kissel, of the education rights group, and Aden Fine of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that while the NCAA -- a private entity -- could pursue sanctions against a student like Moseley (such as denying him access to an entirely NCAA-run event), it was troubling that the letter and threatened sanction came from the university.

"The school is potentially finding themselves in a tricky situation, because of the NCAA rules, but that doesn't mean public universities can censor lawful speech," Fine said.

Recession Alters College Admission Process

"Do you sit on pins and needles between now and May 1 wondering who is going to say yes?" CBS news anchor Russ Mitchell asked Jim Bock, the dean of admissions at Swarthmore College.

"Absolutely," Bock said. "So the big fear, the question I get all the time, is we want a class of 390 for next year, and we admitted 950 or 959. What if they all came? The anxiety for those who sit in my position is what will the yield be this year? Do we admit more, do we admit less less?"

At Swarthmore, Bock feels many parents don't realize that the average student who receives aid will get around $35,000 in financial help.

"Some of the most selective schools out there can actually be some of the most affordable options," Bock said.

NCAA Double-A Zone: Should Swimming Turn Back Time? April 2, 2009

NCAA Double-A Zone: Should Swimming Turn Back Time? April 2, 2009

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Officiating Recruitment Effort Produces Results

April 1, 2009 - NCAA News Online

"A new program to encourage college students to become referees is off to a good “start” after producing newly registered officials to work five spring sports at the high school level.

The new Students of Today are Referees of Tomorrow (START) program – sponsored in part by three Division III conferences -- produced referees for baseball, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, softball, and track and field

The Capital Athletic Conference, Centennial Conference and Colonial States Athletic Conference, working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), recently recruited 61 college students who participated in five February START classes held at schools in the conferences.

Planning has begun to offer a similar program during April, focusing on four sports.

The goals of the START program are to recruit new officials in all sports on the participating leagues’ campuses, and to increase opportunities for scholastic officials to advance to the intercollegiate level.

“The START program is an excellent recruitment vehicle for current and former student-athletes to stay in the game as officials in their favorite sports,” said Robert Lombardi, PIAA associate executive director."