Oswego Sports Information Department
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) presented Oswego State Athletics with two first place awards out of three categories for the NADIIIAA/JOSTENS Community Service Awards, given at the NCAA Convention on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. Senior wrestler Sean Maloney – at the convention representing 5,000 student-athletes of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) – was on hand to accept one award while Director of Athletics Sue Viscomi accepted the other. Oswego claimed the top spot in both the An Array of Projects category as well as the On-Going Project category.
It is the fourth, first-place award in eight years and the seventh time in that span that Oswego has been recognized in the An Array of Projects category, be it first, runner-up or honorable mention. In 2015-2016, the 24 Laker teams set new marks for the number of different projects (60) and the number of various organizations supported (42). Many projects were continued annually by their respective teams (Lighthouse restoration by track and field, Green/Gold/Pink Game by men's lacrosse, Skate with the Lakers United Way benefit by the ice hockey teams, Special Olympics bowling event by baseball and the For the Kids benefit for the Children's Advocacy Center of Oswego County by men's ice hockey), while other events were first-time benefits (Alex's Lemonade Stand by volleyball, Stride to SAVE Lives 5K by four squads, bell ringing at Salvation Army kettles by women's lacrosse and field hockey, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraisers by women's basketball and participating in Oswego's first-ever Yards for Yeardley event by 12 teams).
In the On-Going Project category, Oswego claimed its second first-place award for its annual St. Baldrick's event. The April 2016 St. Baldrick's event was the athletic department's 10th annual fundraiser for childhood cancer research and the proceeds surpassed the half-million-dollar mark, with $531,095 raised between 2007 and 2016. Men's lacrosse had 34 registered "shavees" while men's ice hockey and cross country also volunteered to have their heads shaved for the cause. The field hockey and women's lacrosse teams participated by helping fundraise and by recruiting local barbers.
The department received a trophy and a $1,000 check for each of the accolades, to be deposited in the general scholarship fund in recognition of its selection. Oswego State Athletics would like to thank all of the student-athletes for their dedication and hard-work, along with Community Service Coordinator Dan Witmer for his outstanding efforts.
