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2008–2009 Annual Report

School of Health, Exercise Science & Athletics Department Highlights The School of Health, Exercise Science & Athletics (HESA) and the majors and minors within our program had another highly successful year during 2008–2009 as outlined below:

Physical Education

Led by Dr. Scott Frazier, the UWSP physical education department hosted the Wisconsin Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (WAHPERD) State Convention in October. Over 50 physical education majors attended this convention and 15 majors assisted with convention planning and presentations. Ten students attended the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance National Convention (AAHPERD) in Tampa, Florida in April. Dr. Kristi Roth had 4 majors present at the Northwestern Wisconsin Education Association (NWEA) District Workshop in October. The Students for Health, Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (SHAPER) club had 45 active physical education majors as members and the club was also recognized at the United Way’s Volunteers Rock Celebration. In addition, the physical education department had several students volunteer their time during the 2008–2009 academic year including 28 majors assisting with the Head Start Activity Night, 25 participating in the Portage County Fit Kids Event hosted on campus, 3 leading activities at the UWSP Open House, as well as several students that conducted activities for the Boys and Girls Club from February to May. Cup stacking at the UWSP Open House

Athletic Training During 2008–2009 our athletic training program received the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Public Relations Contest for Athletic Training Award for Best Student Effort. Our students continue to score much higher than the national average on the NATA Board of Certification (BOC) ratings as 80% of students passed on the first attempt and 100% passed

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when they took the test again (compared to national averages of 39% and 37% respectively). In addition, this past year we obtained 100% placement for graduating athletic trainers in either athletic training jobs or graduate school. As a result of the high BOC examination performance of our students, as well as very positive annual reports, we received a one-year accreditation extension from the Commission of Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Our athletic training program entered into the first year of a new partnership making Aspirus Health System the premier sports medicine provider for UWSP athletics. Highlights of this collaboration include the addition of two athletic trainers for increased medical care, a new clinical site for athletic training students for general medical rotation, and the addition of a general medical clinic at the UWSP Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Clinic.

Athletics

UW-Stevens Point finished the 2008–2009 season ranked seventh in the Directors’ Cup Standings, which measures the nation’s top overall NCAA Division III athletics programs among all 443 D-III Schools. (We were the only campus in Wisconsin to finish in the top 10.) This marks the 12th straight season UWSP has finished in the top-25 of the prestigious Directors’ Cup standings. The Pointers won eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships in 2008–2009 and four WIAC Tournament championships. Football, women’s soccer, men’s cross-country and women’s golf won four of the seven fall championships, with women’s soccer also capturing the conference tournament crown. In the winter seasons, men’s and women’s basketball won conference regular season and tournament crowns. Men’s swimming and diving also won their 10th straight WIAC championship. This spring, baseball also won the regular season and tournament titles (their fifth straight WIAC tournament championship).

UW-Stevens Point qualified teams or athletes to NCAA tournament competition in 15 sports. Women’s golf had the highest finish of any team this past year, placing second at the 2009 Division III Championships, while men’s cross-country finished the 2008 season in fourth place.

The UWSP women’s golf team poses with their 2009 second place NCAA Division III Championship trophy

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UWSP won the WIAC Combined All-Sports Award and the men’s All-Sports Award for the 2008–2009 season. The All-Sports Awards are given annually by the conference according to the final conference standings in each sport. The men’s award is the first since 2004 and the 10th in school history and the combined trophy is the 3rd in school listings. Five teams earned All Academic honors this past year including men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, and wrestling. The following coaches received Coach of the Year awards during 2008–2009:

Matt Interbartolo John Miech Women’s Golf Football National Coach of the Year Wisconsin Coach of the Year WIAC Coach of the Year

Bob Semling Shirley Egner Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Wisconsin Coach of the Year Wisconsin Coach of the Year WIAC Coach of the Year WIAC Coach of the Year

Sheila Miech Rick Witt Women’s Soccer Men’s Cross-Country WIAC Coach of the Year WIAC Coach of the Year

Health Education Minor

Over 100 students are enrolled in the health education minor and (under the direction of faculty member Dr. Sheila Miech) these students conducted health fairs at several elementary and middle schools as well as various community sites. Dr. Miech was also selected to attend the School of Health Education Academy held in Atlanta, Georgia and sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (There was a competitive selection process for this academy.)

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Adventure Education Minor

The adventure education minor currently has an enrollment of 52 students. Many of these students are active on campus and offer adventure education activities at special events such as College Days for Kids and the UWSP Open House. During the past year our program also initiated a UWSP Adventure Education Club.

Partnerships/Community Service Our athletic training program continues to work with the following established clinical sites: Aspirus Clinic in Stevens Point, McDonough Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Clinic in Wisconsin Rapids, Physical Therapy Associates in Stevens Point, Riverside Hospital in Waupaca, the Bone and Joint and Sport and Spine Clinics in Wausau, and the Marshfield and the Rice Clinics in Stevens Point. In addition, students enrolled in this program collaborated with athletic training staff from several area schools including Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) as well as Pacelli, Mosinee, Lincoln, Assumption, and Auburndale High Schools. The athletic training program also sponsored the 2nd Annual Spring Thaw 5k run which had over 200 participants. The proceeds of the event will be used to raise awareness for eating disorders as well as donated to the National Eating Disorder Association Research Participants in the 2nd Annual Spring Thaw 5k Foundation and the Portage County Aging and Disability Center. Our physical education, adapted physical education, health education, and adventure education programs continued to have strong partnerships with Stevens Point Public Schools, Stevens Point Christian Academy, and Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools. These collaborations provide an excellent opportunity for our students to interact and work with K-12 children. Additionally, numerous students from our physical education major, coaching minor, as well as members of our athletic teams served as coaches for area elementary, middle and high schools.

During 2008–2009 the Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP) completed its 15th year providing Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Exercise classes for both the older population and persons with special needs in our community. Student-Centered Excellence Forty physical education majors attended the 2008 Wisconsin Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (WAHPERD) State Convention and 10 majors attended the National Convention where UWSP’s Justin Nass received the Physical Education Major of the Year Award.

Major of the Year Justin Nass

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Carrie Myers received two competitive scholarships, the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Undergraduate Scholarship and the Wisconsin Athletic Training Association (WATA) Mueller Sports Medicine Scholarship. Annie Stoecklein and Brandon Warner were Chancellor Leadership Award winners this past year. (Brandon also received the Albertson Medallion Award.) In addition, strength and conditioning minors Bryan Blum and Meghan Vandenheuvel received National Strength and Conditioning Awards.

Diversity & International Focus

The School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics maintained its focus on the issue of diversity by sending faculty members Kristi Roth and Keith Turner to a diversity awareness training program for College of Professional Studies faculty and staff. In accordance with the UW-Stevens Point initiative on diversity, each HESA course is also striving to have at least one diversity-based objective. We are committed to providing educational opportunities for our students on a global scale through the following efforts:

• In February, physical education faculty and staff coordinated classes and activities for 14 high school students from England interested in physical education.

• Five athletic training students attended the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. While oversees these students also spent time helping in Chinese orphanages.

• HESA is in the preliminary examination and evaluation phase of an educational experience that would send our physical education students to England in March 2010, while our athletic training staff is examining the possibility of leading a group of students to Jamaica in the near future.

Life and Look of the College

During 2008-2009 the School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics made several upgrades to our facilities on campus including:

• New flooring, strength and conditioning equipment, and a remodel of the Strength Fitness Center at a cost of $175,000

• Athletic locker rooms were created for men’s baseball, men’s and women’s cross-country, and men’s and women’s track and field at a cost of $75,000

• State funded monies were used to remodel the Multi-Activity Center (MAC)

• Quandt and Berg Gym floors were resurfaced

• $25,000 worth of new bleachers were installed on the east side of the soccer complex

• Started development of a 5-year replacement plan for cardio equipment in the Strength Fitness Center

• $15,000 was spent to replace the 20-year-old carpet in the football locker room UWSP’s Strength Fitness Center

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Development

Under the guidance and direction of Development Director Kathy Buenger, Assistant Director of Development – Athletics Tony Romano, and College of Professional Studies Dean Joan North the School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics has been fairly active in development and has a number of future directions in mind:

A project funded by basketball boosters, former athletes and fans to remodel the Quandt lobby and rename the floor the “Bennett Court” continues to progress.

Wrestling booster club members are working to redesign the wrestling area and create a tribute room (the John Roberts Wrestling Room).

Plans are being drawn up to redesign the women’s locker room (sub-Berg Gym area) to create three separate rooms for women’s volleyball, soccer and softball along with a large general locker room space.

The Health Enhancement Center (HEC) restroom renovation project is advancing which should enhance the present restroom facilities as well as improve our storage areas.

The ROTC addition to the HEC is on schedule to be completed by April of 2010 and meetings this past spring on this project (as well as the MAC storage areas) are set for final revisions, prior to project initiation in October 2009.

Significant Staff Achievements Scott Anderson Assistant coach of men’s basketball team that finished the season 1st in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with a 24-5 record, won the WIAC Tournament, and qualified for the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Scott also works to support local and statewide youth basketball tournaments and is the assistant director of the highly successful UWSP boy’s summer camps. Pat Bloom Head coach of baseball team that tied for 1st in the WIAC conference, won their 5th consecutive WIAC Conference Tournament, and qualified for the NCAA Division III National Tournament (finishing with a record of 31-16). Pat also conducts numerous baseball camps at UWSP to support the baseball program.

Al Boelk Head coach of men’s swimming and diving team that finished 1st in the WIAC for the 9th straight year and 8th nationally. Al is also the head coach of the women’s swimming and diving team that finished 2nd in the WIAC Conference Meet and 27th nationally.

Amy Brugge Amy is an advisor to the UWSP Sports Medicine Club, volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross, and a member of the Wisconsin Athletic Training Association (WATA) Student Education Committee and Strategic Planning Task

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Force. This past year she also attended the 2008 National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Convention and the 2009 WATA Annual Meeting and Symposium. Amy resigned in April of 2009 to become the Clinical Director of a master’s degree program in athletic training at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.

Shirley Egner Head coach of women’s basketball team that finished 1st in the WIAC conference with a record of 14-2, won the WIAC Conference Tournament, and qualified for the NCAA National Tournament (ranked 9th nationally). This past year Shirley was also named the WIAC Conference Coach of the Year as well as the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. She is also very active in UWSP women’s basketball camps that enrolled over 200 athletes last summer,

does volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and PEP Day at Roosevelt Elementary School, is the NCAA Women’s Basketball Central Regional Chair, and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Chair of the National Committee. Shirley was also an invited speaker at the 2009 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National Convention.

Colleen Evans-Fletcher Colleen is the Chair of the Wisconsin Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (WAHPERD) Technology Division. In addition, she is a member of the teacher Education Subcommittee, the Faculty Mediation Committee, and the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee.

Scott Frazier Scott serves as parliamentarian on the executive council of WAHPERD and was the Convention Committee Chair for WAHPERD 2008–2009 and 2009–2010. He also attended the National AAHPERD Convention with 10 physical education majors. In addition, Scott is the External Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant Reviewer for Mosinee and Medford School Districts and coordinated the physical education section of the Best Practices Workshop in 2008 and 2009.

Fred Hebert Fred volunteers his time for Camp Hope and is also a member of the Board of Directors Lakeside Wellness Conference planning team and PI-34 planning team within the School of Education. He retired from HESA in December and was last seen in Australia assisting his wife on an international semester abroad program.

Tom Henke Head coach of fastpitch softball team that finished with a 21-20 overall record and 5-11 in the WIAC. (This marks the 16th straight season the Pointers softball team has finished with 20 or more victories in a season.) Tom also promotes and assists many area youth softball programs.

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Matt Interbartolo Head coach of women’s golf team that finished 1st in the WIAC Conference Tournament and 2nd in the NCAA Division III National Women’s Golf Tournament.

Johnny Johnson Head coach of wrestling team that finished 2nd in the WIAC and 17th in the nation, featured two All-Americans, and was named a NCAA Division III Scholar Team. Johnny is also the Coordinator of the adventure education minor and the Pathways-To-Point Program (a wilderness orientation program for freshmen entering the UWSP campus).

Tom Journell Defensive coordinator for football team that finished the season with a 9-2 record and tied for 1st place in the WIAC. Tom also coordinated facility upgrades that led to new flooring in the MAC, new equipment and flooring in the Strength Fitness Center, and altered security plan approaches. In addition, he worked to restructure MAC, Quandt and Berg Gym usage patterns and student-worker usage and facility policies. Tom also presented four statewide defensive team strategy clinics and

attended seven Midwest region football coaches conventions or clinics as well as the 2009 Wisconsin Football Coaches State Convention.

John Miech Head coach of football team that finished the season ranked 17th nationally with a 9-2 overall record, tying for 1st place in the WIAC (the 14th title in school history and first since 2001). This past season John was also named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He also coordinated the recruitment of approximately 60 student athletes, attended the 2009 Wisconsin Football Coaches

State Convention, and served as guest coach at youth camps in Marshfield, Stevens Point, Amherst and Appleton.

Sheila Miech Sheila is the head coach of the women’s soccer team that finished with a 19-4 overall record, 1st in the WIAC conference (8-0 record), won the WIAC Tournament, and qualified for the NCAA National Tournament (finishing in 9th place). She also serves as the Chair of the UWSP Hall of Fame Committee and coordinated summer youth soccer camps, four “Health Fairs” within community elementary schools, and the Wisconsin High School Girls All-State Selection

Program. In addition, Sheila was selected to participate in the 2009 American Cancer Society/Center of Disease Control (ACS/CDC) School of Health Education Academy. (There was a competitive selection process for this academy.)

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Wil Nichol Head coach of men’s hockey team that finished the season with a record of 15-10-2 and 5th in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). Will also engages in numerous summer hockey camps throughout the upper Midwest.

Ann Ninnemann Head coach of women’s ice hockey team that finished the season with an overall record of 16-6-6 and 3rd in the NCHA. Ann also engages in numerous summer hockey camps throughout the upper Midwest.

Frank O’Brien Frank is the director of athletics for our Athletics Department that finished 7th in the country this past season in the Directors Cup, which measures the nation’s top overall NCAA Division III athletics programs among all 443 Division III schools. He is also the Board of Directors for Camp Hope and a member of many campus/community committees including: Wisconsin Special Olympics, Community Parks Improvement, Kiwanis, and Sentry Classic Committee. In

addition, Frank worked hard to move the Goerke Park field turf project forward and is currently involved in Quandt lobby and wrestling program renovation projects.

Kristi Roth Kristi is the WAHPERD Chair, Adapted Physical Education and Central District Coordinator, member of the Advocacy Committee of the Adapted Physical Activity Council, advisor to the UWSP SHAPER Club, coordinator of the DPI Adapted Physical Education Information Board, and editor of the Adapted Physical Education Resource Manual.

This past year she also served as the facilitator of five UWSP student presentations at the 2008 WAHPERD State Convention, developed a Major of the Month award and Super SHAPERS program to increase student morale and retention for the club, and co-authored a textbook in Adapted Physical Education (Principles and Methods of Adapted Physical Education and Recreation, 11th ed. McGraw-Hill). Assitionally, Kristi presented at both the Northwestern Wisconsin Education Association (NWEA) District Workshop and the 2008 National Consortium Conference.

Holly Schmies Holly serves as Committee Chair for Women in Athletic Training and Secretary for the Wisconsin Athletic Training Association (WATA). This past year she also attended the 2008 National Athletic Training Association (NATA) Convention, the 2009 NATA Educator’s Conference, and the 2009 WATA Annual Meeting and Symposium.

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Bob Semling Head coach of men’s basketball team that finished 1st in the WIAC, won the WIAC Conference Tournament, had an overall record of 24-5, and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship (finishing the season ranked 17th nationally). Bob also coordinated the highly successful UWSP Summer Basketball Camp, was named the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Rory Suomi Rory is the director of the Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP), a member of the Individually Planned Major Committee, and became Chair of the School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics in January.

Keith Turner Offensive coordinator of the football team that finished the season with a 9-2 record and tied for 1st place in the WIAC. Keith also assisted in a diversity committee through the College of Professional Studies, attended the 2009 Wisconsin Football Coaches State Convention, and is very active in area youth sports programs.

Jon Verdegan Jon is an assistant coach of the football team that finished the season with a 9-2 record and tied for 1st place in the WIAC. He also implemented new approaches and programs in strength and conditioning training for our 650 student athletes, coordinates the strength and conditioning minor, and attended the 2009 Wisconsin Football Coaches State Convention.

Rhonda Verdegan Member of Wisconsin Athletic Training Association (WATA) Safety and Liability Committee, volunteer examiner of the National Athletic Training Association (NATA) National Exam, and volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross. Rhonda also attended the 2009 WATA Annual Meeting and Symposium, was a Recipient of WATA and NATA Graduate Scholarships, and is working on a Ph.D. through Capella University.

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Nate Weiler During 2008–2009, Nate reorganized UWSP Sports Medicine policies and procedures (establishing evaluation tools and detailed job descriptions) in addition to directing the UWSP Sports Medicine Clinic as an Affiliated Provider within the Security Health Plan. He is also the Co-Chair of the WATA Employment and Reimbursement Committee, attended the 2009 WATA Annual Meeting and Symposium, and provided leadership and direction in the second year of our athletic training partnership with Aspirus.

Stacey White Stacey is the head coach of the volleyball team that finished the season with an overall record of 12-23. She also participated in two conferences on teaching and learning this past year and was an advisor for the men’s volleyball and “Any Swing Goes” ballroom dancing clubs.

Rick Witt Rick is the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross-country teams and the men’s and women’s track and field teams. Under his direction, the men’s cross-country team finished the season ranked 1st in the WIAC and 4th at the NCAA National Championships, the men’s indoor track and field team finished 2nd in the WIAC and 8th at the NCAA Division III National Meet, and the men's outdoor track and field team finished 2nd in the WIAC and 25th at the NCAA Division III National

Meet. Rick also continues to conduct highly successful running camps for both high school level athletes and adults, is a member of the executive committee of the USA Track Coaches Association, and was named WIAC Coach of the Year for men’s cross-country.