2011-12 UAB Women's Tennis Information Guide by UAB Athletics

W o m e n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Te n n i s

Paula Alvarez Senior

2012 UAB WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TENNIS SPRING SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Location

Time

Jan. 28

MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Birmingham, Ala. #

9:00 a.m.

Jan. 29

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

Birmingham, Ala. #

8:30 a.m.

Feb. 4

AUSTIN PEAY

Birmingham, Ala. #

10:00 a.m.

Feb. 12

SOUTH ALABAMA

Birmingham, Ala. #

10:00 a.m.

Feb. 19

RICE *

Birmingham, Ala. ^

11:00 a.m.

Feb. 22

at Samford

Birmingham, Ala.

2:00 p.m.

Feb. 25

NORTH ALABAMA

Birmingham, Ala. %

12:00 p.m.

Feb. 26

UTSA

Birmingham, Ala. #

10:00 a.m.

March 2

at Presbyterian

Clinton, S.C.

2:00 p.m.

March 3

at Gardner-Webb

Boiling Springs, N.C.

1:30 p.m.

March 4

at Wofford

Spartanburg, S.C.

11:00 a.m.

March 8

at Jacksonville State

Jacksonville, Ala.

1:00 p.m.

March 10

ARKANSAS STATE

Birmingham, Ala. ^

11:30 a.m.

March 25

at Troy

Troy, Ala.

12:00 p.m.

March 30

at Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tenn.

1:00 p.m.

April 5

at Southern Miss *

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2:00 p.m.

April 6

vs. Memphis *

Hattiesburg, Miss.

12:00 p.m.

April 10

EMORY

Birmingham, Ala. &

1:00 p.m.

April 13

LOUISIANA-MONROE

Birmingham, Ala. ^

12:00 p.m.

April 14

TULANE *

Birmingham, Ala. %

11:00 a.m.

April 19-22

at Conference USA Championships

Memphis, Tenn.

TBD

* Match against Conference USA opponent. Home matches in BOLD CAPS. # Match to be played at Samford University. ^ Match to be played at George Ward Park. % Match to be played on campus. & Match to be played at Brook Highland Racquet Club. All times local to site and subject to change.

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UAB Women’s Tennis 1

Contents/Quick Facts

Roster Information

2012 Season Notebook

4-5

Coaching Staff

6-10

Returning Player Bios

11-13

Newcomer Bios

14-15 16-20 21 22-23 24

2011 Season Review History & Honors

Quick Facts

Conference USA UAB Administration Birmingham

25-27

UAB “At A Glance”

28-30

“Proud Past, Bright Future”

Blazer Highlights

UAB All-Americans

Excellence At The Next Level

34-35

Academic Support Services

36-37

Strength & Conditioning

38-39

Sports Medicine

University Quick Facts School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UAB University of Alabama at Birmingham Founded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1969 Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, Ala. Enrollment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,543 Nickname. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blazers Mascot Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blaze Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forest Green and Old Gold Affiliation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NCAA Division I Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conference USA (C-USA) President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Carol Garrison Faculty Athletics Representative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Frank Messina Director of Athletics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Mackin Athletic Department Phone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 975-8221 Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uabsports.com Women’s Tennis Quick Facts Head Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Krissy Hall (Virginia Tech, 2003) UAB Record (Yrs.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-33 (3) Career Record (Yrs.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49-76 (6) Assistant Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mallory Waites (North Alabama, 2010) Letterwinners Returning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Letterwinners Lost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Newcomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2011 Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13 2011 Conference USA Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4 Home Courts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UAB Tennis Courts

CREDITS: The 2012 UAB women’s tennis media guide is an official production of the UAB Athletic Media Relations Office. The guide was designed, written and edited by Tyson Mathews, assistant athletic media relations director. Photographs provided by Nik Layman and Steve Wood. “UAB At A Glance” section designed by UAB Creative Services.

Gene Bartow

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Roster Information 2011-12 UAB Women’s Tennis Roster Name Paula Alvarez Richole Berger Rachel Cohen Rachel Daniell Caroline Faught Isabel Fernandez Menanteau Moolman Sarah Witkowski

Class Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. R-Fr.

Height 5-4 5-7 5-5 5-8 5-8 5-8 5-8 5-6

Hometown (Previous School) Pontevedra, Spain (IES Sanchez Canton) Hermiston, Oregon (Hermiston High School) Birmingham, Ala. (Mountain Brook High School) Douglasville, Ga. (Independent Studies at Johnson Ferry) Birmingham, Ala. (Vestavia Hills High School) Gijon, Spain (VCU) Bloemhof, South Africa (Bloemhof Girls’ High School) Peachtree City, Ga. (University of Memphis)

Coaching Staff Head Coach: Krissy Hall (Virginia Tech, 2003) Assistant Coach: Mallory Waites (North Alabama, 2010)

Breakdown By Class Freshmen: 2 (Daniell, Witkowski) Sophomores: 1 (Faught) Juniors: 4 (Berger, Cohen, Fernandez, Moolman) Seniors: 1 (Alvarez) Pronunciations Richole Berger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ri-COLE Rachel Daniell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (like Daniel) Caroline Faught. . . . . . . . . . . . . care-o-LINE Menanteau Moolman. . . . . . . . men-ON-too

UAB Women’s Tennis Team (Left to Right): Paula Alvarez, Sarah Witkowski, Richole Berger, Rachel Daniell, Isabel Fernandez, Menanteau Moolman, Caroline Faught and Rachel Cohen.

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2011-12 Season Notebook

A Look At Spring 2012 ... that group with action in 23 dual-match singles contests over her first two years with the program. Cohen has seen limited action through her first two years but is expected to be a significant contributor this spring. Berger missed the 2011 spring season because of injury but returns to the lineup this year. She saw significant action as a freshman in the 2010 campaign.

Hall Now In Season No. 4 UAB head coach Krissy Hall is entering her fourth season at the helm of the UAB program. Hall has guided the program since 2008 when she arrived in Birmingham from her previous stop as the head coach at Wyoming. Returning Wins Leaders Senior Paula Alvarez and sophomore Caroline Faught are the top returning players in terms of singles wins from last year’s team. Alvarez posted a 10-9 record in dual matches last year, playing mostly at the No. 3 position, and will play higher in the lineup this spring. Faught compiled a 9-11 record in her rookie campaign, spending the majority of her time at No. 4 and No. 5 singles.

New Faces UAB’s roster features three newcomers with one true freshman and two transfers. Rachel Daniell joins the program as a freshman from Douglasville, Ga., where she was ranked as high as the top 20 in the South Region during her junior playing career. Isabel Fernandez, a native of Gijon, Spain, comes to the Blazers as a transfer from VCU and will be a junior this season. Sarah Witkowski also transferred into the program, coming from Memphis, where she spent her first collegiate season. A product of

More Returning Players The Blazers also welcome back three more returning players this season in a trio of juniors -Richole Berger, Rachel Cohen and Menanteau Moolman. Moolman has seen the most court time of

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Peachtree City, Ga., Witkowski will be a redshirt freshman this season. Alvarez’s Career Wins Senior Paula Alvarez enters the 2012 spring season tied for 19th on UAB’s career list for dual-match singles wins. Alvarez owns 27 wins in her first three spring seasons and is tied on the list with Nadia Dellarciprete (2001-04) and former teammate Giorgia Romeo (2008-11). Alvarez enters her senior campaign eight wins shy of cracking the top 15 on the list. Replacing Seniors UAB must find a way in 2012 to replace a departed senior class that included three players ranked in the top 20 all-time in dual-match singles wins at the school. Jenny Cape (39 wins, 11th), Evelien Strijker (37 wins, 12th) and Giorgia Romeo (27 wins, T-19th) all completed their playing careers in 2011. Each on was a key contributor to the program for four seasons.

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Head Coach Krissy Hall Fourth season at UAB (seventh overall)

rissy Hall is in her fourth year at the helm of the UAB women’s tennis program after being named head coach on Aug. 22,

have had a total of 13 ITA Scholar-Athlete selections in that time. Hall has also coached 24 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections and five C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal recipients at UAB. On the court, Hall has coached the Blazers to a record of 23-33 in her three seasons with the program. After a 6-9 mark in her first season in 2009, Hall guided the team to 10 wins in her second season as the Blazers finished 10-11 in 2010. In the 2011 spring, UAB was 6-7 through the middle portion of its schedule before a tough finish left the Blazers 7-13 for the year. Cape, Evelien Strijker and Giorgia Romeo -2011 seniors coached for three seasons by Hall -each finished their careers in the top 20 on UAB’s all-time dual-match singles wins list. Cape ranks 11th in school history with 39 dual-match victories, followed by Strijker in 12th with 37. Romeo finished her career 19th on the list with 27 wins, tied with current Blazer Paula Alvarez entering the 2012 spring season. Strijker finished her career as a two-time AllConference USA selection, including the 2009

2008. Hall’s teams -- in addition to their play on the court -- have attained a high level of success academically, highlighted by the 2011 season in which her squad earned the Conference USA Sport Academic Award as the women’s tennis program with the highest GPA in the league. It was the first time any team other than Rice won the award since its inception with the 2006 season. She also coached recently graduated Jenny Cape, who became the first Academic All-American in UAB women’s tennis history when she earned second-team honors in 2011. Cape was also a two-time Academic All-District performer and a three-time selection to the C-USA All-Academic Team. Hall’s teams received the NCAA Public Recognition Award in both 2010 and 2011 for being among the top 10 percent of women’s tennis programs in the country in terms of multi-year APR scores. The Blazers have been named an ITA AllAcademic Team in each of her three seasons and

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season when she was a third-team honoree under Hall. Under Hall’s direction, UAB has moved a portion of its matches each year back to campus. The Blazers, which for years played all of their home contests at other locations in the city, have played 12 matches at the UAB Tennis Courts in her three seasons. UAB is 8-4 in those contests. Hall came to UAB in the fall of 2008 from the University of Wyoming, where she led the women’s tennis program for the previous three seasons. “We are excited about adding Krissy to our staff at UAB,” said Director of Athletics Brian Mackin upon Hall’s hiring. “She has a lot of energy and passion. “She comes from a tennis family that is well known in the Southeast region. We believe this will help recruiting and will continue to build on the success of our women’s tennis program.” In her final season at Wyoming, Hall guided her team to 11 wins and a first-round victory in the 2008 Mountain West Conference Tournament. The 11 wins matched the most in school history. The 2008 tournament win was also just the second for the Cowgirl program. Hall guided Wyoming to its first MWC Tournament victory just two seasons earlier in her first year with the team. She followed that up in 2007 by coaching Sarah Summerfield to All-MWC First Team honors. Summerfield was just the second Cowgirl ever to earn that distinction. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to be the head women’s tennis coach at UAB,” Hall said upon her hiring. “I look forward to building the program toward regional and national prominence. “The athletic department at UAB is a great

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Coaching Staff organization, and I’m grateful to be a part of the Blazer family.” Prior to her appointment at Wyoming, Hall served as an assistant coach at both Virginia Tech, her alma mater, and Washington State. She was at Virginia Tech for the 2003-04 season, including a short stint as the program’s interim head coach. Her responsibilities with the Hokies included coordinating recruiting efforts, organizing practices and assisting with the day-today activities of the program. Hall then went to Washington State as an assistant for the 2004-05 campaign. In addition to the responsibilities she held at Virginia Tech, she also handled scheduling and budgeting for the Cougars. Before beginning her coaching career, Hall was a standout as a four-year letterwinner on the women’s tennis team at Virginia Tech from 19992003. She was a three-year captain and a nationally ranked singles player during her senior campaign. For her career, she posted a school-record 81 doubles victories while posting 160 total wins to rank second all-time in school history. During her senior season in 2003, Hall was honored with the National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. As a player, she was also named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Year (2000), Atlantic 10 All-Conference (2000) and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete (2003). Hall, a native of Hilton Head, S.C., earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in 2003 and completed her master’s degree at the school in 2004. Formerly Kristen Stubbs, she was married to Matt Hall in July of 2005. The couple’s son Caleb was born Sept. 11, 2011.

Mallory Waites | Assistant Coach Mallory Waites is in her second season working with the UAB women’s tennis program. She was a volunteer assistant in the fall of 2010 before becoming assistant coach in the spring of 2011. A Birmingham native, Waites played tennis collegiately at North Alabama from 2007 to 2010. She was a first-team All-Gulf South Conference selection in 2009 and was named second-team all-league three times. In 2010, she was honored on the GSC All-Decade Team. Waites was also the GSC East Division Freshman of the Year in 2007. She helped North Alabama to appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Waites played her prep tennis in the Birmingham area at Oak Mountain High School, where she was a state champion. She has spent time teaching tennis at Inverness Tennis Center and Brook Highland Racquet Club in the Birmingham area, working with high school and middle school

The Hall File Head Coach UAB. . . . . . . . . . . . September 2008-present Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2006-2008 Assistant Coach Washington State. . . . . . . . . . . . 2004-2005 Virginia Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003-2004 Playing Career Virginia Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1999-2003 Education Bachelor’s. . . . . . . . . . . . Virginia Tech, 2003 Master’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . Virginia Tech, 2004

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teams as well as junior players. Waites earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from North Alabama in 2010 and is currently working on her master’s degree in coaching and sports management from the United States Sports Academy.

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Returning Players

Paula Alvarez 5-foot-4 >> Senior Pontevedra, Spain >> IES Sanchez Canton

2010-11 (Junior): (Spring 2011): Went 10-11 in dual-match singles ... spent most of her time at the No. 3 position, where she was 9-8 ... had a 3-1 record in three-setters ... put together a six-match winning streak near the end of the season ... posted 7-10 mark in doubles, playing mostly at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions ... went 5-5 with Evelien Strijker at the top spot ... (Fall 2010): Had a 3-5 singles record and a 1-3 doubles mark in the fall ... competed in the singles main draw at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional. 2009-10 (Sophomore): (Spring 2010): Posted a 10-11 singles mark in dual matches, splitting time between the No. 1 (2-5 record) and No. 2 (8-6 record) positions in the lineup ... went 3-1 in three-set matches ... went 6-12 in doubles action, seeing time at all three positions ... played most often with Jenny Cape as the duo combined for a 5-7 record, including a 4-2 mark at No. 3 doubles ... (Fall 2009): Went 4-5 in singles during the fall tournament schedule ... took third place in her flight at the Blue & Gray Classic ... posted a 5-4 fall doubles record ... advanced to the semifinals of the A doubles draw with Giorgia Romeo at the Troy Fall Invitational ... competed in both singles and doubles at the ITA Southern Regional. 2008-09 (Freshman): (Spring 2009): Enrolled at UAB in January 2009 and competed for the first time in the spring season ... posted a 7-8 singles record, playing mostly at the No. 2 position ... went 2-1 in Conference USA singles matches ... four of her eight losses came in three sets ... won three of her final five regular-season singles matches ... managed a 9-5 doubles record, including an 8-4 mark with Evelien Strijker at the top doubles spot. Pre-UAB: Was highly successful as a junior player in Spain ... trained at the High Performance Sporting Centre of Galicia for coach Marco Antonio Casal ... finished in the top eight of the Marca Master National Under-16 Tournament ... reached the semifinals of the Galician Regional Senior Championships ... played in the Spanish National Under-18 Championships ... competed in several International Tennis Federation junior tournaments.

Alvarezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Career Record

Personal: Paula Alvarez Pino ... born Feb. 28, 1990 ... daughter of Jose Felix Alvarez and Maria Cristina Pino ... majoring in general engineering.

Singles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2008-09 7-8 -- 7-8 2-1 2009-10 14-16 4-5 10-11 3-4 2010-11 13-14 3-5 10-9 1-3 Totals 34-38 7-10 27-28 6-8 Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2008-09 9-5 -- 9-5 1-2 2009-10 11-16 5-4 6-12 2-3 2010-11 8-13 1-3 7-10 1-2 Totals 28-34 6-7 22-27 4-7

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 1-0 4-7 2-1 -- -- -- 2-5 8-6 -- -- -- --- 1-1 9-8 -- -- -3-5 13-14 11-9 -- -- -#1 #2 8-4 1-1 1-4 1-6 5-5 2-3 14-13 4-10

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#3 -4-2 0-2 4-4

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Returning Players

Richole Berger 5-foot-7 >> Junior Hermiston, Ore. >> Hermiston HS

2010-11 (Sophomore): (Spring 2011): Missed the spring season because of injury ... (Fall 2010): Went 3-3 in tournament singles action ... won her first two rounds of singles in the B draw at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional. 2009-10 (Freshman): (Spring 2010): Went 2-6 in singles action, playing seven of her eight matches at the No. 6 position ... spent most of her time in the doubles lineup at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, compiling an overall record of 2-9 with various partners ... (Fall 2009): Managed a 3-4 singles mark in tournament play and a 3-3 record in doubles ... advanced to the quarterfinals of the B doubles flight at the UCF Fall Invitational with Jenny Cape. Pre-UAB: Lettered four years for coach Curt Berger at Hermiston High School ... was a four-time district champion and four-time state champion in Oregon, claiming the titles three times in doubles and once in singles ... compiled a career record of 90-2 in high school competition ... champion of the Coke Classic ... was ranked as the top recruit in Oregon and No. 4 in the Northwest by tennisrecruiting.net at the time she signed with the Blazers ... competed in several national junior tournaments. Personal: Richole Berger ... born March 12, 1991 ... daughter of Curt and Roxane Berger ... sister Rachel played tennis at Eastern Washington and sister Rebecca played at Wyoming ... father wrestled at Oregon State ... majoring in pre-health science.

Bergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Career Record

Singles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2009-10 5-10 3-4 2-6 0-3 2010-11 3-3 3-3 -- 0-0 Totals 8-13 6-7 2-6 0-3

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 -- -- -- -- 0-1 2-5 -- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- 0-1 2-5

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2009-10 5-12 3-3 2-9 1-2 2010-11 0-0 -- -- 0-0 Totals 5-12 3-3 2-9 1-2

#1 #2 #3 0-1 0-3 2-5 -- -- -0-1 0-3 2-5

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Returning Players

Rachel Cohen 5-foot-5 >> Junior Birmingham, Ala. >> Mountain Brook HS

Sophomore (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Saw action in two dual matches at No. 6 singles and two at No. 3 doubles ... (Fall 2010): Posted a 4-6 singles record in tournament action ... went 2-1 in her round-robin flight at the Rice Invitational. Freshman (2009-10): (Spring 2010): Played one singles match at the No. 6 position ... saw doubles action in two matches at the No. 3 spot ... (Fall 2009): Went 2-3 in singles and 1-3 in doubles during the fall tournament schedule, partnering with teammate Krista Cole. Pre-UAB: Played at Mountain Brook High School in the Birmingham area, where she was a standout in both singles and doubles ... made four state finals appearances in singles, including a state championship in her flight as a freshman ... also named her team’s MVP that year ... made three state finals appearances in doubles, winning state titles as both a junior and a senior ... a team captain ... also an accomplished USTA junior player ... climbed as high as No. 3 in the rankings in the state of Alabama and reached the top 100 in the South region. Personal: Rachel Elizabeth Cohen ... born Jan. 30, 1991 ... daughter of Adam and Brenda Cohen ... majoring in health science.

Cohen’s Career Record

Singles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2009-10 2-4 2-3 0-1 0-1 2010-11 4-8 4-6 0-2 0-1 Totals 6-12 6-9 0-3 0-2

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 -- -- -- -- -- 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 0-2 -- -- -- -- -- 0-3

Doubles Total Tournament 2009-10 1-5 1-3 2010-11 1-2 1-0 Totals 2-7 2-3

#1 #2 #3 -- -- 0-2 -- -- 0-2 -- -- 0-4

Dual C-USA 0-2 0-1 0-2 0-0 0-4 0-1

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Returning Players

Caroline Faught 5-foot-8 >> Sophomore Birmingham, Ala. >> Vestavia Hills HS

Freshman (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Joined Paula Alvarez as the only two Blazers to play singles in all 20 dual matches ... managed a 9-11 record in singles ... played most of her matches at the No. 4 (5-8 record) and No. 5 (3-3 record) positions in the lineup ... was 2-2 in three-set matches ... compiled a 7-11 mark in doubles ... teamed with four different partners and played every position in the doubles lineup ... played most often with Brittany DeFelice ... the duo posted a 4-6 record at No. 3 doubles ... (Fall 2010): Went 9-9 in singles action in fall tournaments ... won three of her first four matches of the fall ... played in the B singles consolation final at the UTC Steve Baras Fall Classic ... posted a 4-8 doubles record. Pre-UAB: A 4-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net ... ranked as high as No. 132 in the nation ... consistently listed among the top three in the state of Alabama in the USTA rankings and held a final ranking of No. 21 in South in the Girls 16’s ... team captain and MVP at Vestavia Hills ... helped her team to three consecutive state championships ... began playing on the Vestavia Hills varsity team in seventh grade and advanced to the state semifinals at No. 2 singles her first two years ... won the No. 2 singles state title as a sophomore and finished as the state runner-up at the No. 1 position as a junior ... started playing tennis under the tutelage of UAB men’s tennis coach Derek Tarr, who also teaches at Brook Highland Racquet Club. Personal: Caroline Davis Faught ... born Aug. 3, 1992 ... daughter of John and Elizabeth Faught ... has two younger sisters ... grandfather Harold Faught played basketball at Birmingham-Southern ... majoring in exercise science.

Faught’s Career Record

Singles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2010-11 18-20 9-9 9-11 0-4 Totals 18-20 9-9 9-11 0-4

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 -- -- 1-0 5-8 3-3 --- -- 1-0 5-8 3-3 --

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2010-11 11-19 4-8 7-11 0-3 Totals 11-19 4-8 7-11 0-3

#1 #2 #3 1-1 2-3 4-7 1-1 2-3 4-7

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Returning Players

Menanteau Moolman 5-foot-8 >> Junior Bloemhof, South Africa >> Bloemhof Girls’ HS

Sophomore (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Went 3-4 in dual-match singles action with a 1-0 record at the No. 5 spot and a 2-4 mark at No. 6 ... won three straight matches after dropping her first ... also saw doubles action at the No. 3 position ... (Fall 2010): Posted a 7-10 singles record during the fall tournament season ... advanced to the finals of her singles flight at the UTC Steve Baras Fall Classic. Freshman (2009-10): (Spring 2010): Enrolled at UAB in January 2010 and posted a 4-12 singles record in dual-match play ... saw most of her action at the No. 4 position, where she played 14 of her 16 matches ... finished with a 2-11 record in doubles, playing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions with three different partners. Pre-UAB: Chosen to play on provincial and national teams since 2003 ... played in various junior International Tennis Federation tournaments worldwide ... ranked first in South Africa in doubles and ninth in singles ... personal-best ITF ranking was 550 ... three-year captain of her high school team ... part of one of the most succesful programs in South Africa at Bloemhof Girls’ High School, which has won the Amanda Coetzer National Tournament for nine straight years ... a key player on four of those championship teams ... ranked 18th in her high school class at Bloemhof, one of the top academic schools in South Africa. Personal: Menanteau Eleonora Moolman ... born Jan. 8, 1991 ... daughter of Jansie and Maritha Moolman ... majoring in accounting.

Moolman’s Career Record

Singles Total Tournament Dual C-USA 2009-10 4-12 -- 4-12 0-3 2010-11 10-14 7-10 3-4 0-0 Totals 14-26 1-10 7-16 0-3

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 -- -- 1-1 3-11 -- --- -- -- -- 1-0 2-4 -- -- 1-1 3-11 1-0 2-4

Doubles Total Tournament 2009-10 2-11 -- 2010-11 1-11 1-5 Totals 3-22 1-5

#1 #2 #3 -- 1-5 1-6 -- -- 0-6 -- 1-5 1-12

Dual C-USA 2-11 0-3 0-6 0-1 2-17 0-4

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Newcomers

Rachel Daniell 5-foot-8 >> Freshman Douglasville, Ga. >> Independent Studies at Johnson Ferry

Pre-UAB: A four-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net ... cracked the top 50 rankings in the USTA South Region in every age group ... reached as high as the top 20 in the region and the top 100 nationally ... attended the Independent Studies at Johnson Ferry private school ... competed out of Atlanta Tennis Incorporated ... was the No. 1 player on the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association Challenge Ladder in 2008 ... won singles and doubles titles along with the sportsmanship award in the 18â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s division at the 2009 Georgia State Winter Open ... won a silver medal in doubles at the USTA National Open ... was vice president of her National Honor Society chapter. Personal: Rachel Alexandria Daniell ... born June 15, 1993 ... daughter of Ray and Ali Daniell ... has one sister ... majoring in biology with a pre-med focus.

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Newcomers

Isabel Fernandez 5-foot-8 >> Junior Gijon, Spain >> VCU

Pre-UAB: Began her college career at VCU, where she joined the Rams team in January 2011 and played her first collegiate season that spring ... was part of a Rams team that spent much of the year in the top 25 of the ITA rankings and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament ... went 1-1 during the dual-match season in limited action as a newcomer ... was ranked among the top 10 in her age group during her junior career in Spain. Personal: Isabel Fernández Fernández ... born Dec. 12, 1989 ... Nieves Fernández Riesgo and Antonio Fernández Casielles ... has one sister ... majoring in economincs.

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Newcomers

Sarah Witkowski 5-foot-6 >> Redshirt Freshman Peachtree City, Ga. >> Univ. of Memphis

Pre-UAB: Spent her first collegiate season at Memphis ... went 2-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles during an injury-shortened fall season ... also missed the spring campaign due to injury and received a redshirt ... homeschooled as a high schooler ... won the Georgia Independent School Association Class AA girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; state singles championship as a freshman in 2007 while competing for The Heritage School ... also helped the Hawks to a team state title that year ... was consistently ranked among the top 30 in the Southern Region and the top 125 nationally as a junior player. Personal: Sarah Elizabeth Witkowski ... born Feb. 15, 1992 ... daughter of John and Beverly Witkowski ... has one brother ... majoring mass communication with an emphasis in public relations.

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2011 Season Recap 7-13 Overall 0-4 Conference USA C-USA Tournament First Round

Evelien Strijker

Date Feb. 5 Feb. 13 Feb. 20 Feb. 23 Feb. 25 March 2 March 5 March 6 March 12 March 14 March 14 March 16 March 18 March 31 April 2 April 3 April 7 April 8 April 9 April 21

Opponent Result Score BELMONT # W 6-0 UCF* ! L 1-6 NORTH FLORIDA # L 3-4 at Samford (No. 74) L 0-7 KENNESAW STATE ! W 6-1 JACKSONVILLE STATE % W 6-1 at Tulane* L 0-6 at Southern Miss* L 2-5 vs. Texas Pan-American @ W 6-1 vs. Idaho @ L 3-4 at UTEP* L 2-5 NORTH ALABAMA ! W 7-0 MURRAY STATE ! W 6-1 ABILENE CHRISTIAN # L 2-5 at Arkansas State L 3-4 at Middle Tennessee L 1-6 CHATTANOOGA ! W 4-3 AUM % L 1-6 TROY % L 3-4 vs. UCF (No. 75)^ L 0-4

Home matches in ALL CAPS * Conference USA opponent # Match played at Samford University ! Match played at Lakeshore Tennis Center % Match played at UAB Tennis Courts @ Match played in El Paso, Texas ^ C-USA Championships in Orlando, Fla.

A Look Back At The 2011 Season... Strijker, Cape Lead The Way Evelien Strijker and Jenny Cape, both senior in 2011, paced the Blazers on the singles courts last year. Strijker tallied 13 victories, playing mostly at the No. 2 position in the lineup, while Cape was one behind her with 12 wins. Paula Alvarez also reached double-digit wins with 10, while Caroline Faught had nine wins in her rookie campaign. In The Record Books Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker and Jenny Cape each closed out their careers in 2011 ranked in the top 20 all-time at UAB for dual-match singles victories. Cape racked up 39 wins over her four-year career to finish 11th on the school’s all-time list,

while Strijker was just one spot behind her in 12th place with 37 wins. Romeo won 27 dualmatch singles contests in her career to tie for 19th in school history. Cape Academic All-American Jenny Cape became the first UAB women’s tennis player ever to earn Academic All-America recognition when she was named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Women’s At-Large Second Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Cape became the first UAB student-athlete to receive the recognition since women’s soccer player Danielle Blair in 2009. Cape graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2011 with a 4.0 GPA and departmental honors

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as a biology major and chemistry minor. She was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team for the second straight year, qualifying her for the Academic All-America voting. A UAB Dean’s List honoree in every semester and a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal, Cape studied in the Science and Technology Honors Program at UAB. She also served as secretary of the Blazers’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. On the court, Cape finished the 2010-11 season with the best singles record on the UAB team at 24-12, including a 12-6 mark in spring dual matches. She wrapped up her career with 67 career singles victories, including 39 in dualmatch play. The CoSIDA women’s at-large program

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2011 Season Recap includes student-athletes from the sports of bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo. Cape Three Straight Years On C-USA All-Academic Team Jenny Cape also earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Academic Team for the third straight season. Cape became just the third three-time member of the women’s tennis all-academic team since its inception in 2007, joining Julie Chao of Rice (2008-10) and Natalia Bubien of SMU (2007-09). In addition to her success in the classroom, Cape was one of UAB’s top performers last spring. She posted a 12-6 singles record in dual matches, splitting time mostly between the No. 4 and No. 5 positions in the lineup.

The All-Academic Team is voted on by the league’s sports information directors for women’s tennis. To be eligible, student-athletes must maintain a 3.2 or better cumulative GPA and be a regular participant on their team. Tough Finish UAB was 6-7 through the middle portion of its schedule in 2011, but the Blazers managed just one win in their final seven matches to finish the season with a 7-13 record. The Blazers’ season came to an end in the first round of the Conference USA Championships with a loss to 75th-ranked UCF. Good Home Mark UAB went 6-5 in home matches last season. The Blazers won five out of six contests in Birmingham during the middle of the season before losing their last two to AUM and Troy.

Jenny Cape

2010-11 Individual Singles Records Player No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 Dual C-USA Tournament Total Paula Alvarez -- 1-1 9-8 -- -- -- 10-9 1-3 3-5 13-14 Richole Berger -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3-3 3-3 Jenny Cape -- -- 0-1 3-3 9-2 -- 12-6 2-2 11-7 23-13 Rachel Cohen -- -- -- -- -- 0-2 0-2 0-1 4-6 4-8 Brittany DeFelice -- -- -- -- 0-2 4-7 4-9 0-3 1-0 5-9 Caroline Faught -- -- 1-0 5-8 3-3 -- 9-11 0-4 9-9 18-20 Menanteau Moolman -- -- -- -- 1-0 2-4 3-4 0-0 7-10 10-14 Giorgia Romeo 4-14 0-1 -- -- -- -- 4-15 0-4 6-9 10-24 Evelien Strijker 1-0 12-5 -- -- -- -- 13-5 2-2 2-3 15-8 Totals 5-14 13-7 10-9 8-11 13-7 6-13 56-61 5-19 46-52 102-113

2010-11 Doubles Records Team No.1 No.2 No.3 Dual C-USA Tournament Total Giorgia Romeo/Evelien Strijker 3-0 -- -- 3-0 0-0 1-1 4-1 Jenny Cape/Caroline Faught -- -- -- -- -- 1-0 1-0 Caroline Faught/Giorgia Romeo -- -- -- -- -- 1-2 1-2 Jenny Cape/Menanteau Moolman -- -- 0-3 0-3 -- 0-3 0-6 Jenny Cape/Giorgia Romeo 0-1 5-8 -- 5-9 1-2 5-5 10-14 Caroline Faught/Menanteau Moolman -- -- -- -- -- 1-1 1-1 Paula Alvarez/Caroline Faught -- 2-3 -- 2-3 -- 0-2 2-5 Paula Alvarez/Brittany DeFelice -- -- -- -- -- 1-0 1-0 Rachel Cohen/Caroline Faught -- -- 0-1 0-1 -- 1-0 1-1 Brittany DeFelice/Caroline Faught -- -- 4-6 4-6 0-2 0-1 4-7 Paula Alvarez/Menanteau Moolman -- -- 0-2 0-2 0-1 0-1 0-3 Caroline Faught/Evelien Strijker 1-1 -- -- 1-1 0-1 0-2 1-3 Paula Alvarez/Evelien Strijker 5-5 -- -- 5-5 1-1 -- 5-5 Jenny Cape/Evelien Strijker 1-0 --1-0 -- -- 1-0 Rachel Cohen/Menanteau Moolman --0-1 0-1 -- -- 0-1 Totals 10-7 7-11 5-13 22-31 2-7 11-18 33-49

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History & Honors NCAA SINGLES PARTICIPANTS 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (first round) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo (first round) Gulberk Gultekin (second round) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu (quarterfinals) 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first round) 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (third round) NCAA DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Mirela Vladulescu (second round) ITA NATIONAL CLAY COURT SINGLES PARTICIPANTS 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (second round) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (first round) 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (champion) Paula Biggs (qualifying) Nastassja Sponagel (pre-qualifying) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (finals) Monika Schmid (qualifying)

Paula Biggs and Mirela Vladulescu

ITA NATIONAL CLAY COURT DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu/Paula Biggs (second round) RIVIERA WOMEN’S ALL-AMERICA SINGLES PARTICIPANTS 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs (qualifying) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs (qualifying) 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (champion) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (second round) ROLEX NATIONAL INDOORS SINGLES PARTICIPANTS 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first round) NATIONALLY-RANKED SINGLES PLAYERS (highest rank in parentheses) 1992-93: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#79) 1993-94. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#30) Paula Biggs (#100) 1994-95. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#28) Zsofia Csapo (#80) Paula Biggs (#84) 1995-96. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#14) Zsofia Csapo (#37) Paula Biggs (#63) 1996-97. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (#47) 1997-98. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#1) Paula Biggs (#44) 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#3) 1999-00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (T-#99) 2000-01. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#13) Monika Schmid (#68) NATIONALLY-RANKED DOUBLES TEAMS (highest rank in parentheses) 1993-94. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#29) 1994-95. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#21) 1995-96. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#34) 1997-98. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Mirela Vladulescu (#7) 2000-01. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu/Monika Schmid (#11) 2001-02. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Femke de Boer/Monika Schmid (#56) ITA ALL-AMERICANS 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

Individual Conference Champions CONFERENCE USA SINGLES CHAMPIONS 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Zsofia Csapo (#2) Paula Biggs (#3) CONFERENCE USA DOUBLES CHAMPIONS 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs/Mary Anne Martin (#2) GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE SINGLES CHAMPIONS 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Ines Maennel (#2) Susie Hemphill (#5) 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs (#2) Andrea Koppl (#3) Suegnet Snyman (#4) Zenda Griebenow (#5) Andrea Adeimy (#6) 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Zsofia Csapo (#2) Paula Biggs (#3) Suegnet Snyman (#4) Andrea Koppl (#5) GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gulberk Gultekin/Andrea Adeimy (#1) Ines Maennel/Susie Hemphill (#2) 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Andrea Adeimy/Andrea Koppl (#2) Zenda Griebenow/Suegnet Snyman (#3) 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs/Andrea Koppl (#2) SUN BELT CONFERENCE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS 1984. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nora Breen/Jean Carder (#1)

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History & Honors NCAA ALL-AMERICANS 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

CONFERENCE USA ALL-DECADE TEAM 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ITA NATIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

CONFERENCE USA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ITA NATIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE MONTH October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu HONDA AWARD NOMINEE 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu ITA SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS SINGLES PARTICIPANTS 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (first round) Andrea Koppl (first round) Andrea Adeimy (first round) 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (third round) Paula Biggs (third round) Andrea Koppl (second round) Suegent Snyman (first round) Maria Breidling (first round) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (third round) 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (semifinals) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monika Schmid (first round) ITA SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrea Adeimy/Andrea Koppl (first round) 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (third round) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs/Mary Anne Martin (second round) 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu/Paula Biggs (first round) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Anne Martin/Monika Schmid (first round) ITA REGIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference) 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference) 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference) 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Conference USA) 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Conference USA)

CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu ALL-CONFERENCE USA SELECTIONS 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo (first team) Gulberk Gultekin (first team) Paula Biggs (second team) Mary Anne Martin (honorable mention) 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Paula Biggs (first team) 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (second team) 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (first team) 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (second team) Margaux Melsheimer (third team) 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia von Samson (second team) Gulsah Esen (third team) 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evelien Strijker (third team) 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evelien Strijker (third team) CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monika Schmid CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE MONTH 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (October) CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK 1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (April 13) 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu (March 15) Monika Schmid (April 11) 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (March 28, April 4) Margaux Melsheimer (March 14) 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia von Samson (March 13) GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo

Final ITA Collegiate Rankings 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #49 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #39 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #71 1999:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-#75 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #73 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #75

Evelien Strijker

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History & Honors Academic Excellence CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA (formerly known as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America) 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (second team) CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT AT-LARGE (formerly known as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District) 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (first team) 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (first team) ITA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM (cumulative team GPA of 3.2 or higher) 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award ITA SCHOLAR-ATHLETES 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ceylan Engin, Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker, Menanteau Moolman 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Alvarez, Jenny Cape, Brittany DeFelice, Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker CONFERENCE USA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape CONFERENCE USA SPORT ACADEMIC AWARD (highest team GPA among all C-USA women’s tennis programs) 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award NCAA PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARD (top 10 percent of women’s tennis programs in multi-year APR scores) 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award CONFERENCE USA COMMISSIONER’S HONOR ROLL (3.0 GPA or higher) 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annemieke Elsholz, Ornischa Maier-Knapp, Antonia Nugent, Samrin Tanzeem, Julia Von Samson 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . Magdalena Czernik, Annemieke Elsholz, Nischa Maier-Knapp, Antonia Nugent, Samrin Tanzeem, Julia von Samson 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jenny Cape, Antonia Nugent, Evelien Srijker, Samrin Tanzeem 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Ceylan Engin, Antonia Nugent, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Alvarez, Richole Berger, Jenny Cape, Rachel Cohen, Krista Cole, Brittany DeFelice, Ceylan Engin, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Alvarez, Richole Berger, Jenny Cape, Rachel Cohen, Brittany DeFelice, Ceylan Engin, Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker CONFERENCE USA COMMISSIONER’S ACADEMIC MEDAL (3.75 GPA or higher) 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Samrin Tanzeem 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Menanteau Moolman

Jenny Cape Class of 2011 2011 Academic All-America Second Team Two-time Academic All-District First Team Three-time C-USA All-Academic Team

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U A B

T E N N I S

History & Honors Tennis Tradition The UAB women’s tennis program has a long tradition of success. From 1993 through 2007, the Blazers reached double-digit win totals each year, including 21 victories in the 2001 season. The 2001 team was one of six teams in program history and the most recent to finish the season in the ITA rankings. The 2001 Blazers finished the year ranked 75th, marking the fourth straight year UAB had finished in the rankings. No Blazer team has ever finished a year ranked as high as the 1996 Conference USA Championship squad. The ’96 team, which posted an 18-3 overall record, won the league title and ended the year at No. 39 in the ITA rankings. The 1996 campaign also marked the fourth straight season with a conference championship for UAB. The Blazers won Great Midwest Conference titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995. UAB has sent individuals to the NCAA Tournament seven times, including three trips by Mirela Vladulescu, a former All-American. Vladulescu advanced to the quarterfinals in her first NCAA appearance in 1998.

Year-By-Year Records Gulberk Gultekin Records incomplete prior to 1992. Year Overall

All-Time Dual Match Singles Wins Leaders Records incomplete prior to 1992.

Player 1. Mirela Vladulescu (1998-2001) Paula Biggs (1994-98) 3. Monika Schmid (2000-02) 4. Gulberk Gultekin (1993-96) 5. Samrin Tanzeem (2004-07) 6. Suegnet Snyman (1994-97) 7. Ornischa Maier-Knapp (2003-07) 8. Julia von Samson (2004-07) 9. Natascha Immele (2000-03) Mary Anne Martin (1996-98) 11. Jenny Cape (2008-2011) 12. Evelien Strijker (2008-11) 13. Femke de Boer (2001-04) 14. Zsofia Csapo (1995-96) Annemielle Elsholz (2004-07) 16. Andrea Koppl (1994-97) 17. Antonia Nugent (2005-08) 18. Gulsah Esen (2005-08) 19. Paula Alvarez (2009-Present) Nadia Dellarciprete (2001-04) Giorgia Romeo (2008-11)

Wins 72 72 69 63 48 46 44 41 40 40 39 37 36 35 35 33 31 28 27 27 27

Overall Record 72-7 72-12 69-16 63-6 48-22 46-37 44-18 41-26 40-28 40-46 39-26 37-27 36-44 35-7 35-34 33-41 31-15 28-36 27-28 27-28 27-37

Conference

1992

1-19

1-2 (Great Midwest)

1993

14-5

5-0 (Great Midwest)

1994

16-5

6-0 (Great Midwest)

1995 13-11 1996

18-3

3-0 (Conference USA)

1997

10-14

3-3 (Conference USA)

1998

14-8

4-0 (Conference USA)

1999 12-10 2000

12-8

5-3 (Conference USA)

2001

21-3

8-1 (Conference USA)

2002

11-11

4-1 (Conference USA)

2003

10-8

3-2 (Conference USA)

2004

12-15

4-5 (Conference USA)

2005

14-7

3-2 (Conference USA)

2006

12-6

2-1 (Conference USA)

2007

14-2

2-0 (Conference USA)

2008

9-6

3-2 (Conference USA)

2009

6-9

1-2 (Conference USA)

2010

10-11

2-4 (Conference USA)

2011

7-13

0-4 (Conference USA)

Team Conference Championships 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conference USA Champion

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History & Honors NCAA Tournament Participants

All-American Mirela Vladulescu became the first UAB women’s player to earn NCAA All-America honors. Vladulescu earned All-America honors by virtue of reaching the round of 16 at the 1998 NCAA Championships. In 1998, Vladulescu was the ITA National Rookie Player of the Year, the ITA National Player of the month (October 1997), the ITA Regional Rookie Player of the Year, the Conference USA Most Valuable Player, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was named First-Team Mirela Vladulescu All-Conference USA. She advanced 1998 to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and was ranked No. 1 in the ITA rankings for the majority of the 1997-98 season, making her the only singles player in the history of the UAB tennis program to achieve both feats. Vladulescu advanced to the round of 16 with doubles partner Paula Biggs at the NCAA Championships. In the fall of 1997, Vladulescu won the the ITA Clay Court National Championships and the Riviera Women’s All-American Championships, making her the first women’s tennis player to win the first two legs of the Collegiate Grand Slam. She went 40-3 in singles play and 17-4 in doubles play during the 1997-98 season.

Gulberk Gultekin 1994 & 1996

Paula Biggs 1998

Gulberk Gultekin was the first UAB women’s tennis player to advance to the NCAA Championship, when she participated in the 1994 championship. Gultekin fell to Joelle Schad of Arizona State, 6-3, 6-2, in the opening round. Gultekin advanced to the second round of the championships in 1996, falling to the eventual champion Jill Craybas of Florida. Gultekin, a native of Trabzon, Turkey, was a fouryear letterwinner at UAB.

Paula Biggs partnered with Mirela Vladulescu to play in the 1998 NCAA Championships, where the duo advanced to the second round. Biggs, a native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, was a four-year letterwinner for the Blazers.

Mirela Vladulescu 1998, 1999 & 2001

Zsofia Csapo 1996 Zsofia Csapo was a participant in the 1996 NCAA Championships in only her freshman season at UAB. A native of Budapest, Hungary, Csapo fell in the first round to Kylie Hunt of Kansas, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0. In 1998, sophomore Mirela Vladulescu (center) was named ITA National Rookie of the Year as well as Regional Rookie of the Year.

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Mirela Vladulescu participated in three NCAA Championships. In 1998, she became the first player in UAB history to reach the quarterfinals in singles. Vladulescu won three matches against ranked opponents before falling to No. 7 Julie Scott of Stanford. She also advanced to the round of 16 with partner Paula Biggs. Vladulescu also participated in the 1999 NCAA Singles Championships, falling in the first round. In 2001, she advanced to the round of 16, but fell to second-seeded Ansley Cargill of Duke in a tough three-set loss.

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Conference USA

fter marking its 15-year milestone during the 2009-10 season, Conference USA is still going strong. From the beginning, dedication to excellence has been the league’s guiding principle and remains today a common thread Britton Banowsky for a promising future. C-USA Commissioner C-USA is home to 12 nationally prominent, tradition-rich members in East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UCF and UTEP. This combination enhances men’s and women’s programs that are immersed in athletic success and academic prowess. Together, we are committed to excellence, integrity and leadership in athletics, academics and in our communities. All C-USA institutions sponsor Division I-A football, along with several other men’s and women’s athletic programs, many of which compete regularly for NCAA Championships. C-USA sponsors competition in 20 sports - nine for men (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field) and 11 for women (basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, softball, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball). The league sponsors numerous academic awards, including the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Commissioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom. C-USA annually awards 12 postgraduate scholarships, along with the Sport Academic Award, Scholar Athletes of the Year and the Institutional Academic Excellence Award. Conference USA also added a Spirit of Service Award, recognizing student-athletes three times a year for a combination of significant community service efforts, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. SUCCESS ON THE PLAYING FIELD Conference USA performers have achieved great success in competition, placing the league among the top conferences in the nation. Football • 62 teams have earned bowl bids • Member of the Bowl Championship Series • Bowl tie-ins with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Military Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl and the TicketCity Bowl Men’s Basketball • Consistently rated as one of the top basketball leagues in the country • 97 postseason teams (47 NCAA, 39 NIT, 6 CBI, 5 CIT) • One National Championship game appearance

• • • •

Three Final Four teams Seven Elite Eight NCAA Tournament teams One NIT Champion and four NIT semifinalists Inaugural CBI Champion

Women’s Basketball • 46 NCAA Tournament appearances • 36 WNIT appearances • One team in the NCAA Sweet 16 • Two WNIT semifinalists • One WBI Champion Baseball • 53 NCAA appearances • Six College World Series appearances (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001), including five of the last seven • 13 Super Regional appearances • Has produced at least four NCAA teams in eight of the last 10 seasons In addition, 35 volleyball teams, 55 men’s and women’s soccer teams and 30 softball teams have earned NCAA Tournament bids. C-USA has sent three men’s soccer teams to the NCAA College Cup, five softball teams to the Women’s College World Series and three volleyball teams to the Sweet 16. The league has also had six national champions in NCAA track and field competition, one national champion in diving and numerous NCAA individual and team competitors in cross country, golf, swimming, tennis and track and field. Overall, Conference USA teams and individuals have made more than 600 NCAA appearances. SUCCESS OFF THE FIELD C-USA institutions are among the nation’s best in academic performance among student-athletes, bolstered by the fact that student-athletes at league schools have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Among C-USA’s 5,000 studentathletes, there are champions off the playing field as well. In 15 years, 153 student-athletes earned national ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, while 541 were named All-District. In addition, more than 20,000 student-athletes have been named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll or received the Commissioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom. C-USA ON TV C-USA enjoys significant television exposure through a multi-tiered selection process that is rooted in partnerships with FOX Sports Media Group and CBS Sports Network. By partnering with FOX Sports Media Group and extending an existing partnership with CBS Sports Network, the league has substantially increased the number of national and regional appearances for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and all other conference sports. C-USA DIGITAL NETWORK The C-USA Digital Network will officially launch in August of 2011. Network programming will include live streaming of non-televised events, video on

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demand, a weekly C-USA studio show, podcasting, regular season and championship event highlights and C-USA produced feature stories. Monthly and yearly subscriptions will offer access to events offered on all 12 of the C-USA member institution’s athletic websites as well as C-USA network programming. C-USA IN THE COMMUNITY The conference’s footprint is concentrated with 12 members in nine states and a combined area population of nearly 17 million. More than 1.1 million living alumni represent C-USA schools across the nation. With a renewed commitment to community involvement, the conference has begun development of several initiatives to maintain strong ties in C-USA cities, as well as with fans and alumni across the country. C-USA schools also place a priority on giving back to their communities through volunteer service with local and national organizations. GOVERNANCE Along with the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac10 and SEC, Conference USA is one of the seven conferences having significant representation in the NCAA governance structure. The Presidents of the member institutions serve as the league’s Board of Directors. A PROUD HISTORY; A PROMISING FUTURE Conference USA was formed in 1995 and quickly emerged as one of the nation’s top conferences. The conference unveiled its name, logo and commissioner on April 24, 1995 in Chicago. The league’s charter members included Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB and USF. Eleven of the institutions began athletic participation in 1995, while Houston joined competition in the fall of 1996. The league’s headquarters were established in Chicago and after nine years, relocated to the current office in Irving, Texas. Britton Banowsky was named Commissioner in October 2002, succeeding Mike Slive, the league’s first commissioner. C-USA added East Carolina (September, 1996) and the United States Military Academy (March, 1997) as football members. ECU began league competition in 1997; Army in 1998 and UAB began football play in 1999. The league added TCU and ECU (1999) for all sports and they began competition in 2001. USF started C-USA football in 2003. After celebrating its 10th Anniversary during the 2004-05 season, C-USA began a new chapter in 200506 when its current membership came together to form the new look of the league. Since its formation, C-USA has established a strong foundation, an identity and a history that reflects the league’s national presence. Fifteen years of remarkable history has reinforced the league’s position in collegiate athletics, setting the course for the next decade and beyond.

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UAB Administration DR. CAROL GARRISON, PRESIDENT UAB President and alumna Carol Garrison has had an extraordinary view of her alma mater. She took her first fulltime job in UAB Hospital, during the university’s formative years in the 1970s, then earned her master’s degree from UAB. When she returned to campus in fall 2002, as UAB’s sixth president, the young, dynamic institution had evolved into a world-renowned research university and medical center. A Montclair, New Jersey native, Dr. Garrison earned her bachelor’s (1974) and Ph.D. in epidemiology (1982) from the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill. She was a faculty member, department chair, dean and provost at the University of South Carolina (1982-1997). She joined the University of

Louisville as provost in 1997 and was appointed interim president there in early 2002. As president of UAB, Dr. Garrison also chairs the board of the UAB Health System, which includes UAB Hospital, The Kirklin Clinic, and other of UAB’s nationally-ranked patient care facilities. During Dr. Garrison’s tenure, UAB has enjoyed remarkable growth and development. Recent years have seen the opening of state-of-the-art facilities such as the North Pavilion of UAB Hospital and the Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, the burgeoning Campus Green along University Boulevard, and most recently, the UAB Women & Infants Center and

Hazelrig-Salter Radiation-Oncology Facility. The growth of the physical campus and academic programs has been guided by UAB’s Strategic Plan. Developed with campus-wide participation in 2003, the Strategic Plan has led to the recruitment of internationally known faculty and physicians, and the creation of innovative new curricula and honors programs for undergraduates. In 2010, UAB saw its largest enrollment ever (17,543). UAB has also recently been ranked among the top 15 percent of all U.S. universities in The Princeton Review (3rd in diverse student population and 11th in student satisfaction). Now in her eighth year as president, Dr. Garrison continues working in partnership with the campus and the community towards an extraordinary vision for UAB and for Birmingham.

BRIAN MACKIN, ATHLETICS DIRECTOR Brian Mackin was named UAB’s Director of Athletics on February 14, 2007. He moved into the position after spending five years as senior associate athletic director for external affairs for the Blazers. A former UAB baseball letterman, Mackin has a deep-rooted passion for the University and its athletics program. With an eye on the future, his commitment to continue to grow the program has been clear in the time since he became athletics director. He has made success in the classroom and improving athletic facilities two of his top priorities. Mackin was able to secure the first-ever naming rights for the athletics program with the generous gift from Don and Marsha Hire for the Hoke Hire StudentAthlete Academic Center. With the opening of the Academic Center, an abundance of new computer equipment has been added. Mackin has also strengthened the academic area by creating additional staff positions. Under Mackin’s watch, the Academic Reform Group (ARG) was initiated. This group is made up of athletics staff members and academic support staff. With its mission to create an environment of academic excellence in the department, the group addresses every aspect of a student-athlete’s experience while at UAB. Mackin has also demonstrated his commitment to academic success by initiating a penalty structure for student-athletes and making them accountable if they miss classes or tutorial sessions. Mackin’s commitment to academics has shown positive results. For the 2009-10 academic year, UAB student-athletes accounted for nearly 25 percent of

Conference USA Scholar-Athletes of the Year, awards that are handed out annually to the top student-athlete in each sport that the league sponsors. Since Mackin became athletics director, he has made facility improvements another objective of emphasis. A new 10,000-square foot weight room has opened for Blazer teams, as well as a new, spacious, state-of the-art athletic training facility which opened in the fall of 2008. With the renovation of the Ullman Building, the Blazers’ Olympic sports coaches have been able to relocate into brand new offices. Other facilities improvements have included the resurfacing of the track for the Blazers’ track and field team. In spring 2010, the first phase of the new, oncampus UAB softball facility was completed. The improvements haven’t gone unnoticed as UAB has been named as host site for the 2012 Conference USA Softball Championship. The baseball and softball programs also enjoy the hitting and pitching facility additions that were completed in spring 2010. New state-of-the-art video boards are now in place in Bartow Arena, Young Memorial Field and the new softball facility. The upgrades and progress of the program under Mackin have not been limited to facilities and academics. In the last three years, the athletics program entered an agreement with Nike that provides apparel and equipment for all of UAB’s athletics teams. Mackin came on board at UAB in the spring of 2002 as senior associate AD for external affairs. In that role, he was responsible for fund-raising, corporate support and marketing for the athletic department.

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In 2006, Mackin was named Division I-A Fundraiser of the Year by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors. Under Mackin’s leadership, contributions to UAB athletics nearly tripled from $1.3 million in 2001 to about $3.7 million in 2006. Additionally, he has been responsible for the creation of several affinity groups including the Athletic Investors Group, the Champion Club, and the Blazer Club, which brought together the two annual funds supporting football and men’s basketball. Prior to joining UAB, Mackin served as Manager of Corporate Business Development at Vulcan Materials, where he was responsible for examining potential new markets for business development and locating growth opportunities in the industry. Mackin earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from UAB in 1983. He was a member of the Blazer baseball team four seasons and then moved into the Houston Astros baseball organization for one season. Mackin then joined Vulcan Materials, where he held management positions in sales and market analysis. In 1990, he joined Southern Ready Mix as sales manager before joining Dunn Construction in 1993 where he rose to vice president in 1999. His responsibilities included business development, sales and project management. Mackin’s community activities include the Birmingham Tip-Off Club, which hosts the State High School Final Four, the Monday Morning Quarterback Club and the Birmingham Rotary Club. He has served as the president of the Birmingham Tip-Off Club. Mackin and his wife, Sally, have five children: Ragland (23), Brian Jr. (21), Ferrell (18), Mary Aileen (17), and Ella (14).

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UAB Administration DR. FRANK MESSINA, FACULTY ATHLETICS REP Dr. Frank M. Messina, professor and chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS) in the UAB School of

Business, was named faculty athletics representative in 2008. He has been on staff at the university for 16 years. Messina is a former chair of ACIS and is the school’s Ernst & Young Scholar. A Birmingham native, he came to UAB in 1993 as an assistant professor in accounting. He received a doctorate in business adminis-

tration (D.B.A.) from Mississippi State University (MSU) in 1993, a master’s in professional accountancy at MSU in 1990 and a bachelor’s in business administration at the University of West Alabama in 1986. Messina and his wife, Natalie, have two sons: Taylor (18) and TJ (8). A third son, Thomas, passed away in the spring of 2010 at the age of 15.

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT SENIOR STAFF

Shannon Ealy Senior Associate AD for External Affairs

Derita Ratcliffe Senior Associate AD/ Senior Woman Administrator

Coleman Barnes Associate AD for Development

Corey Bray Associate AD for Compliance

Timothy Garner Associate AD for Financial Affairs

Danez Marrable Associate AD for Student Services

Norm Reilly Associate AD for Media Relations

Matt Wildt Associate AD for Ticket Operations and Football Administration

Reid Adair Assistant AD for Facilities and Operations

Mike Jones Assistant AD for Athletic Training

Brad Smith Assistant AD for Marketing

Stacey Torman Director of Strength and Conditioning

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Birmingham The Magic City

The statue of Vulcan — Roman God of Fire and Iron — is the symbol of the city of Birmingham.

ith a population of more than 230,000 (more than one million in the metropolitan area), Birmingham has a strong, diverse, service-oriented economy and is recognized as a Southeast leader. Founded shortly after the Civil War, Birmingham rapidly became known as “The Magic City” because of its phenomenal

rate of industrial growth in its beginning. Its mountainous strata and forest surrounding the city are rich with ore deposits, and it was that natural wealth that quickly transformed young Birmingham into a bustling steel metropolis. Today, Birmingham continues to earn the distinction, “The Magic City,” but this tribute is due to the city’s economic competitiveness, technological advancements and quality of life — offerings which are sought after by professionals with an eye toward the future. Birmingham has been recognized as one of America’s “Most Livable Cities” by the U.S. Conference of Mayors — as recently as 1993. Birmingham’s strategic location and diverse economy position the city as one of tremendous opportunity and growth. Centrally located and the largest municipality in Alabama, the city is home to a number of renowned individuals who have made an impression on the nation and the world in music and entertainment, education, medicine and sports, to name a few. There is never a lack of cultural entertainment in “The Magic City”. Dozens of neighborhood and city-wide festivals, museums, parks, sports competitions and much more provide unlimited activity and amusement. Residents and visitors to Birmingham enjoy the city’s recreational and historical attractions such as the Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham Botanical Gardens,

Vulcan Park, Sloss Furnaces, Southern Museum of Flight and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Sports enthusiasts will never be at a loss for activity at the heart of the “Football Capital of the South.” UAB plays all of its home football games at historic Legion Field, which also was the site of preliminary round soccer matches at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Professional athletic teams in the area include the Class-AA Birmingham Barons (baseball). Several annual fests are held in Birmingham. The biggest is City Stages, held each spring in the downtown City Center. City Stages attracts nearly a quarter of a million people for a three-day weekend of unlimited music. All of this and more makes Birmingham “The Magic City” to residents and visitors year-round.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum stands as a reminder of the past and a beacon of hope for the future.

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UAB At A GlAnce UAB is a young, dynamic university that has, over four decades, won international renown for its leading-edge research, medical care and academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Home to more than 17,500 students and 2,000 faculty members, UAB impacts every facet of the Birmingham community, improving the lives of residents through innovative health care, education, and active service and engagement. On a campus encompassing 86 city blocks, breakthroughs are made daily in the arts and sciences, business, dentistry, education, engineering, health professions, medicine, nursing, optometry and public health.

Bharat Soni, one of America’s top computing experts and a UAB engineering professor, has created a high-performance virtual reality lab on campus. In more than 80 interdisciplinary research centers all over campus, faculty and students are pushing the envelope in science and medicine, developing new treatments and cures for conditions ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s to heart disease. UAB’s physicianresearchers, and the facilities in which they work, are recognized as among the best in the nation. UAB’s impact on its community and state is tremendous, and is seen not only in improved education and health care, but in a stronger economy. As Alabama’s largest single employer, UAB has some 18,000 employees and is responsible for more than 61,000 jobs statewide (that’s one of every 33 jobs), and has an annual economic impact of $4.6 billion. One of every 25 dollars in the state’s budget is generated by UAB.

A University Forging the Future • UAB has seen record overall enrollment for three consecutive years. In fall 2011, UAB welcomed 17,575 students and its largest freshman class ever (over 1,600), with two-thirds of those freshmen living on campus. • Forbes lists UAB among the top 20% of all U.S. undergraduate institutions and The Princeton Review has ranked the university in the top 10 nationally for student diversity for three consecutive years (currently 5th).

UAB enriches Birmingham’s cultural landscape through a diversity of people and activities such as athletics, performing arts, theatre, social service, and much more.

• An exciting nexus of the sciences, business and education, and the arts and humanities, UAB is forging the ideas and technologies of tomorrow with intensely collaborative research and scholarship. It’s where creativity and innovation are campus traditions—and where successful futures begin.

2004 Blazer Football

www.uab.edu

Top-Quality Health

Care

• UAB Hospital is the largest in the state and among the largest and most complex in the nation (1,146 beds), and the only Alabama hospital listed for 22 straight years in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” issue, which lists only 3 percent of hospitals nationwide. In the current issue, UAB has six medical specialties in the top 25. • UAB is the largest academic medical center in Alabama and one of the top four largest academic medical centers in the United States, treating 1,187,230 patients last year. • UAB provides vital resources and services that are offered nowhere else in Alabama, such as an adult level 1 trauma center, a burn center, and a level III (highest level) regional neonatal intensive care unit. • UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the nation’s first such centers designated by the National Cancer Institute and remains the only one in Alabama and a six-state region. • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has designated UAB as one of only six Diabetes Research and training centers in the country, putting the university at the forefront in development of new methods to treat, prevent and, ultimately, cure diabetes.

• The UAB School of Health Professions provides advanced opportunities and is one of the largest schools of its type in the nation, with 21 innovative programs at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degree levels within six departments: Critical Care, Diagnostic and Therapeautic Sciences; Health Services Administration; Nutrition Sciences; Occupational Therapy; and Physical Therapy. U.S. News & World Report ranks several SHP programs among the nation’s top 25. • UAB Kirklin Clinic is a state-of-the-art, full-service clinic that furnishes a full range of adult outpatient care. Housing more than 25 specialties and more than 700 specialists under one roof, UAB Kirklin Clinic conveniently provides in-house diagnostic testing, surgery services, a pharmacy and educational seminars. • Several graduate programs at UAB have been recognized for excellence nationally. In the most recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report of graduate programs, the School of Nursing ranks 26th overall, with the School of Medicine being 27th and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics 58th. Individual programs also have been cited, with the AIDS program within the School of Medicine ranked 5th and the School of Health Profession’s health administration program ranked 7th.

A Leading-Edge Research • UAB is ranked 31st nationally for federal research and development funding, attracting over $460 million in 2010, and is 21st in funding from the national Institutes of Health (nIH). • UAB is among a handful of universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for both “high research activity” and “community engagement,” which suggests how effectively the university harnesses that research to benefit the community—in terms of the economy, education, better health, and quality of life. • Recent breakthroughs include a novel bio-coating for cardiac stents that significantly reduces the need for follow-up surgery; using remote satellite imaging to discover ancient ruins in egypt, featured in a recent BBC documentary; a new collaboration with HudsonAlpha (Huntsville) investigating the genetic roots of Parkinson’s disease; the opening the Materials Processing and Application Development (MPAD) facility, the largest academic research facility of its kind in the nation, offering the rare capability of developing both metals and composites under one roof.

Enterprise

• Innovation Depot, in which UAB is a founding partner, was recently named the top High-tech Business Incubator in the nation by the national Business Incubation Association. As the largest incubator in the Southeast, the Depot was responsible for 75 tenant companies and $274 million in sales impact in 2010 (and $1.4 billion in sales impact over the past five years). • Physician-researchers are at the top of their fields, serving as editors-in-chief of 25 peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, and in high-level national posts—UAB faculty are currently serving as President of the American Cancer Society and President-elect of the American Heart Association, and an alumna, Dr. Regina Benjamin, is U.S. Surgeon General.

• UAB is one of only two academic institutions available nationwide receiving requests for Crew Robotics and Vehicle Equipment (CRAVE) for NASA’s International Space Station, space shuttles, and beyond. Lee Moradi, CRAVE program manager in the Center for Biophysical Science and Engineering, says UAB will design, test, and manufacture high-precision research instruments and thermal carriers, he also foresees additional work to develop extravehicular activity and robotics equipment, crew health and conditioning systems, and environmental control and life-support technology.

Challenging, Distinctive

Academic Programs

• UAB offers one-of-a-kind programs, such as the only undergraduate biomedical engineering degree, the only industrial distribution degree in the Southeast, and one of only four forensic accounting and IT concentrations in the nation. • UAB also offers unrivaled research and scholarship opportunities for students at all levels, ranking 1st among all public universities in federal research funding per incoming freshman. Of the 138 undergraduates enrolled in the Science and Technology Honors Program (part of the acclaimed UAB Honors Academy) in 2010-11, 35 were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. • In the U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate programs, UAB has 13 programs in the top 25 and five in the top 10: Master’s in health administration, 5th; School of Medicine’s AIDS program, 6th; Medicine’s primary care, 10th; nurse practitioner (adult), 10th; nursing service administration, 10th. • The Scientist ranked UAB 22nd nationally (and 6th among public universities) in its “Best Places to Work as a Postdoctoral Fellow” issue. • UAB’s Alys Stephens Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary as Birmingham’s “home for the performing arts,” housing a 1,330-seat concert hall, intimate recital hall and state-of-the-art theatres. With 24 Steinway pianos in its music department, UAB is Alabama’s first “AllSteinway School” and one of only 125 in the world. • The School of Nursing is designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for International Nursing, one of only 10 such centers in the U.S. and 45 in the world.

Athletic Achievements

• Former UAB men’s golfer Graeme McDowell (right) won the U.S. Open in 2010. At UAB, he was the nation’s no. 1-ranked collegiate golfer in 2002. • In 33 seasons of competition, the Blazer men’s basketball team has enjoyed 29 winning seasons, has made 25 trips to postseason tournaments (14 ncAA, 11 NIT), and has won eight conference championships. With the 2011 NCAA berth, the Blazers have reached postseason play in eight of the past nine years (4 NCAA, 4 NIT). UAB advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004, knocking off tournament No. 1 seed Kentucky in the second round.

• Just in the past three years, UAB students earned 8 Goldwater Scholarships, 7 Fulbright scholarships, 3 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships and an NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholarship (one of only 15 in the nation).

• The men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fifth time overall in 2006. The team won the 1999 C-USA Championship and advanced to the ncAA Final 8. • The UAB women’s soccer team has won the C-USA Tournament title twice (2004 and 2006), earning ncAA trips both years. In 2003, the UAB women captured the C-USA regular season title.

• The UAB softball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and made a return trip in 2011. The Blazers defeated Florida State in the first round of the 2011 Athens Regional for their first ever NCAA tourney win.

• The Blazers field 18 intercollegiate teams as a Division I member of the NCAA and a founding member of Conference USA.

• The Blazer volleyball team has made two NCAA tournament appearances in the past five years (2006 and 2008). The program earned its first NCAA tournament victory in 2008 with a first-round win over Missouri State.

• Vonetta Flowers, a former UAB track & field AllAmerican, made history in February of 2002 when she won a Gold Medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Flowers became the first Winter Olympics Gold Medalist ever from Alabama when she teamed with Jill Bakken to capture the two-woman bobsled competition.

• Blazer football earned its first postseason bowl appearance with a berth in the 2004 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. The Blazers have finished as Conference USA runner-up three times since they became a football-playing member of the league.

www.uabsports.com

Proud Past Bright Future Summer, 1977: Coach Gene Bartow is hired as UAB’s first intercollegiate Athletics Director and head basketball coach. Preparations begin for the hiring of coaches and support staff, recruitment of student-athletes, establishment of the Golden 100 scholarship foundation, scheduling, etc. Fall, 1978: UAB athletic teams begin intercollegiate competition for the first time; the university begins an 11-year association with the Sun Belt Conference. Nov. 24, 1978: The UAB men’s basketball team plays its first game, a 66-54 loss to Nebraska before a crowd of 14,800 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center; UAB has gone on to win 20 or more games 15 times, appear in 11 NCAA Tournaments and eight NITs. March, 1981: The Blazer men’s basketball team defeats Kentucky in the NCAA Mideast Regional, and reaches the NCAA “Sweet 16.” This appearance marks the beginning of a streak of seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments for UAB (1981-87). March, 1982: UAB adds to its amazing basketball success story, defeating Indiana and Virginia in the Southeast Regional, and reaching the NCAA “Elite Eight.” The Southeast Regional in Birmingham is the first of five NCAA Tournament events to be hosted by UAB (’82, ’84, ’85, ’87, ’88). March, 1989: Blazer basketball reaches the NIT Final Four, defeating Michigan State for third place at Madison Square Garden. Fall, 1989: The UAB club football team is organized; the team goes 0-6 in its first season. 1990-91: The Blazer baseball team wins its first Sun Belt Conference Championship and becomes the first UAB team other than men’s basketball to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Men’s tennis wins the first of five consecutive conference championships in the Sun Belt and Great Midwest Conferences. Volleyball wins the first of three consecutive championships in the Sun Belt and Great Midwest conferences and makes its first of four consecutive post-season appearances. 1991-92: UAB begins competition in the Great Midwest Conference. The UAB football team begins its first season of varsity play at the Division III level. Blazer volleyball and baseball win the first Great Midwest Championship. UAB places its first men’s tennis players, Frank Schaffner and Karl Steffen, in NCAA Tournament play. 1992-93: Men’s basketball reaches the NIT Final Four, defeating Alabama, Clemson, Southwest Missouri State and Providence. The nationally-ranked UAB men’s tennis team participates in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Blazer volleyball, cross country and tennis teams all win Great Midwest Conference championships. January, 1993: UAB announces that its football program will compete at the NCAA I-AA level, beginning with the 1993 season. 1993-94: Blazer teams win six league championships, and UAB wins the Great Midwest Conference Commissioner’s Cup, awarded to the university with the most successful overall athletics program. The Blazer basketball team goes 14-0 vs. GMW opponents and makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Men’s basketball is nationally-ranked and participates in the NCAA Tournament. August, 1994: UAB announces that its football program will compete at the NCAA I-A level and that the school will field a women’s soccer team beginning with the 1996 season. 1994-95: UAB soccer wins the Great Midwest Conference championship and participates in the NCAA Tournament. UAB wins GMW championship in men’s and women’s

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The final score read 13-10 as the UAB football program earned its signature victory at LSU on Sept. 23, 2000.

Mirela Vladulesu took the collegiate tennis world by storm and was the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the country for much of the 1997-98 season.

tennis, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and men’s golf. April 24, 1995: UAB becomes a charter member of Conference USA. March 26, 1996: One era ends and another begins as coach Gene Bartow steps down as head men’s basketball coach. November 14, 1996: Conference USA announces that UAB has been admitted as a football-playing member; the Blazers will begin C-USA play in 1999. 1997-98: UAB freshman Mirela Vladulescu takes the women’s collegiate tennis world by storm, winning both the ITA Clay Court National Championship and Riviera Women’s All-America Championship; she is the first UAB tennis player to win a collegiate grand slam event. Vladulescu will later be the top-ranked player in the NCAA rankings for much of the 1997-98 season. The men’s golf team receives a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. 1998-99: The men’s basketball team makes its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Mirela Vladulescu returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, despite an injury-plagued season. 1999-00: UAB athletics has arguably its best season to date. The UAB football team becomes an official member of Conference USA and goes 4-2 in conference play during its inaugural season. The UAB men’s soccer team wins the Conference USA Championship and reaches the NCAA “Elite Eight”. Synchronized swimming finishes fourth in the country at the U.S. Collegiate Championships in its inaugural season. Women’s basketball reaches the “Sweet 16,” the men’s tennis team makes its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and men’s golf makes its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years. July 10, 2000: Gene Bartow announces his retirement as athletics director after 23 years of service to the university. August 22, 2000: Herman Frazier is named UAB’s second athletics director. Sept. 23, 2000: In what was arguably the greatest win in UAB football history, the Blazers go to Baton Rouge, La. and upset SEC foe LSU, 13-10, on a game-winning field goal by Rhett Gallego in the waining seconds. 2000-01: Led by sophomore All-American Graeme McDowell, the men’s golf team finished ninth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first NCAA Championship at Duke University, where it garnered a tie for 12th place. Senior women’s tennis player Mirela Vladulescu finished off a four-year career as one of the most successful athletes in UAB history. The men’s soccer team made it to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The football team finished 7-4 overall, becoming the first “bowl-eligible” Blazer squad since UAB moved to the NCAA I-A level in 1996. The women’s basketball team, led by junior All-American Deanna Jackson, finished the season 20-11 and advanced to the WNIT. In just its second season, the synchronized swimming team placed fourth at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and eighth at the U.S. Nationals. 2001-02: Led by All-American Graeme McDowell, who was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the nation, the UAB men made their third consecutive appearance (fourth overall) in the NCAA Tournament. The Blazer football squad again boasted another “bowl eligible” season, as the team went 6-5 in 2001. The men’s soccer team made its third consecutive trip (fourth overall) to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the “Sweet 16.” The UAB softball team had its best season to date, advancing to the C-USA Championship game and boasting a 39-22 overall record. Denise Peters and Lisa Nowoslawski of the women’s soccer team were both named Verizon Academic All-Americans. In addition, Peters was named the C-USA Women’s Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year. Synchronized swimming earned its highest finish to date at the U.S. Collegiate Championships, taking third. Four swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named AllAmericans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee. April 4, 2002: Athletics Director Herman Frazier and UAB President Ann Reynolds announce the hiring of Mike Anderson as UAB’s third men’s basketball coach. November 21, 2002: Watson Brown is named UAB‘s third athletics director. 2002-03: In his first season at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Mike Anderson guided the Blazers to a 21-win season and a quarterfinal finish in the NIT. Lisa Nowoslawski capped off her career for the women’s soccer program by earning several prestigious academic awards, including an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the C-USA Postseason Scholarship Award and first-team Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. The synchronized swimming team posted its second straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fourth place finish, its highest to date, at the U.S. National Championships. Six swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named All-Americans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee.

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Sept. 4, 2003: The UAB football team plays host to Southern Miss in front of the biggest crown in UAB history, and the most people ever to watch a Conference USA football game when 44,669 people flocked to Legion Field. October 31, 2003: With a dominating 2-0 win on the road against USF, the UAB women’s soccer team earned its first Conference USA Championship and set the school record for shutouts in a season with nine. The Blazers’ Tara Kidwell and Jill Knottek each scored second half goals to lead UAB to its momentous victory. March, 2004: The UAB men’s basketball team shocks the college basketball world with its 76-75 upset over top-seeded Kentucky to advance to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers would finish the season with a 22-10 overall record and ranked No. 23 in the country. Also, the Blazers’ 12-4 record in Conference USA earned them a share of the first C-USA regular season championship. Head coach Mike Anderson was also named the 2004 Conference USA Coach of the Year. Spring, 2004: The synchronized swimming team posted is third straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fifth-place finish at the U.S. National Championships. Fall, 2004: The UAB women’s soccer team claimed the C-USA Tournament title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over host and regular-season champion Saint Louis in St. Louis, Mo., to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. The UAB football team made its first bowl game appearance in school history as the Blazers faced Hawai’i in the 2004 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. The Blazers fell to the Warriors, 59-40, on Christmas Eve in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Spring, 2006: The UAB men’s basketball team earned its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after finishing as Conference USA regular season and tournament runner-up. The synchronized swimming team took fourth place at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals. The Blazer softball team turned in one of its finest seasons in program history as the team won 31 games during the season to finish as the C-USA runnerup. Head coach Marla Townsend was named the C-USA Coach-of-the-Year. April 7, 2006: Mike Davis named as the fourth head basketball coach in the program’s 28-year history. Fall, 2006: UAB’s fall sports teams made three NCAA Tournament appearances, claimed three C-USA titles and beat the No. 1 team in the country. The UAB cross country team won the conference championship and head coach Ray Stanfield was named C-USA Coach of the Year. The women’s soccer team ran through the C-USA Tournament, and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. UAB’s men’s soccer team beat the No. 1 team in the country during the regular season and hosted a first-round NCAA Tournament game. To conclude the fall sports season, the Blazer volleyball squad won its firstever Conference USA Tournament title and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2006 UAB volleyball team won the Conference USA Tournament title and competed in the program’s first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament.

In 2011, the UAB men’s basketball team secured the program’s first outright Conference USA regular season championship. December 17, 2006: Former Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway was chosen to lead the UAB football team, becoming the third coach in the program’s history, and the second coach to lead the Blazers since becoming a Division I program in 1996. Spring,

2007:

Zack Sucher matched UAB’s highest finish ever at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships, closing the tournament tied for fourth place with a five-under 275 during four rounds of play. Sucher became just the fourth UAB men’s golfer in program history to earn All-American status, nabbing a spot on the honorable mention All-America team. In addition, the men’s golf team made its fifth NCAA Regional appearance in the past eight years.

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February 14, 2007: Former UAB baseball player and alumnus Brian Mackin was selected as the program’s fourth full-time Athletics Director. Spring, 2008: UAB men’s golf team captures the program’s first-ever Conference USA Championship. The Blazers went on to make the program’s seventh NCAA Regional and third NCAA National Championship appearances. Zack Sucher was tabbed second-team All-America and captured four individual titles during the 2007-08 men’s golf season. May 21, 2008: The UAB baseball team made history by recording the program’s first-ever win over the then-No. 5 Rice Owls, 8-2, in the opening round of the Conference USA Tournament. Not only did the Blazers defeat the Owls for the first time in 10 tries, but it also was the second-highest ranked opponent the baseball team has defeated in program history. The Blazers would go on to match their best-ever result in the C-USA Tournament, making it to the semifinals. 2009-10: The softball team capped arguably the most successful season in program history with 37 wins and its first ever NCAA tournament berth. The men’s basketball team also Participated in the postseason, advancing to the NIT quarterfinals and hosting defending national champion North Carolina at Bartow Arena. Individually, football’s Joe Webb and men’s soccer’s Two-Boys Gumede were selected as C-USA Offensive Players of the Year for their sports. Jala Harris became the first C-USA women’s basketball player ever to earn Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year honors in the same season. Feb. 23, 2010:

The UAB softball team opened its new, on-campus facility, drawing a school-record crowd of 1,323 to its contest with Alabama. Spring,

2011:

The UAB men’s basketball team captured the program’s first-ever outright Conference USA regular season championship. The Blazers were also selected to the NCAA Tournament, marking their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006 and the program’s 14th NCAA selection in its 32-year history. The softball team earned its second NCAA berth in as many seasons as well. Furthermore, women’s tennis standout Jenny Cape became the first Academic All-American for her sport, while track and field also received its first Academic All-America selections, as Nora Mehl and Rhiannon Johns received the nod.

Men’s Basketball • 14 NCAA Tournament and 11 NIT appearances • Eight conference championships • 28 winning seasons in 33 years • 21 20-win seasons in 33 years • Three Sweet 16 appearances • Four All-Americans Football • First bowl game appearance in 2004 (7-5 record) • First “bowl-eligible” season with 7-4 overall record in 2000 • Played first season at Division I-A level in 1996; now competes as a member of Conference USA • Roddy White selected in first round of 2005 NFL draft (No. 27 overall) • Bryan Thomas selected in first round of 2002 NFL draft (No. 22 overall) • Eight All-Americans Men’s Soccer • NCAA Tournament participant (1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006) • 1999 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight and 2001 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 • Three conference championships (1994, 1995, 1999) • Eight All-Americans Women’s Basketball • 2000 NCAA Sweet 16 participant • Four conference championships (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994) • NCAA Tournament participant (1994, 2000) • Four-time WNIT participant (1990, 1991, 2001, 2007) • 2011 WBI Champions • Four All-Americans Baseball • Three conference championships (1991, 1992, 1994) • 1991 NCAA Tournament participant

• Shayne Carnes (1998) and Ryan Keedy (2008) named All-Americans by multiple publications • Four All-Americans Men’s Tennis • Six All-Americans • Three Academic All-Americans • Five NCAA Tournament appearances (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000) • Top-30 ranking from 1993-2000 • Five conference championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) Women’s Tennis • Four conference championships (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996) • Six national rankings (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) • Top-ranked singles player in nation (Mirela Vladulescu-1997-98) • One All-American Volleyball • Two-time NCAA Tournament participant (2006 and 2008) • Four conference championships (1990, 1991, 1992, 2006) • Five WIVC postseason appearances (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992) • Two Academic All-Americans • Three AVCA All-America honorable mention honorees Men’s Golf • 2001, 2002 and 2008 NCAA Championship Participant • NCAA Regional Participants 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 • 2008 Conference USA Champions • 1995 Great Midwest Conference Champions • No. 1-ranked golfer and Fred Haskings Award winner (Graeme McDowell) • Six All-Americans

Blazer

Track & Field/ Cross Country • 2002 Cross Country NCAA All-Academic Team • 1995 Great Midwest Conference Women’s Indoor & Outdoor Champions • Three All-Americans • 1992 Women’s Great Midwest Conference Cross Country Champions • Two Olympic Trials Qualifiers • Cross Country conference champions, 2006 • 2005 Individual Cross Country C-USA Champion • Eight-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Softball • Two-time NCAA Tournament participant (2010 and 2011) • 18 NFCA All-American Scholar Athletes • Five athletes named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I AllRegion Rifle • One C-USA Shootout third place finisher • 1997-98 Individual fifth place finisher at C-USA Championship Women’s Golf • Seven All-Conference USA Selections • C-USA Freshman of the Year Women’s Soccer • UAB Academic Award (1997, 1998, 2000) • Five All-Americans • Three conference championships (2003, 2004, 2006) • Two NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2006)

Highlights

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UAB

All-Americans U A B

Men’s Basketball

Men’s Soccer

Aaron Johnson Clint Baumstark Jerome Mincy Peter Byaruhanga Steve Mitchell Leandro10deConference Oliveira y moving to the Atlantic Oliverfor Robinson Tony McManus the 1997 season, Villanova UniverFlavio Monteiro sity’s nine-year membership of the Yankee ConRumbani Munthali Football ference and the conference’s 50-year football Marinthe Pusek Rodregis Brooks legacy came to a close. Under direction of Cedrick Buchannon head coach Andy Talley, Houston VillanovaSmith compiled a Josh Evans lifetime mark of 38-31 in Yankee Conference Kerry Frazier Women’s Soccer contests. During their Yankee Conference hisRobertthe Leslie Kidwell tory, Wildcats shared Tara the league championDerrick Ingram ship twice, 1991 and 1989, finished second on John Whitcomb Tennis three occasions, in 1996, Men’s 1992 and 1990, and Roddy White Gerd Albiez third once in 1988. Kirsten The addition of threeMike college football proPaul Rosner Women’s grams in 1993 (James Madison, Northeastern Schaffner Basketball and William and Mary)Frank made the Yankee Vaughn Snyman I-AA Wanda Hightower Conference the largest NCAA Division Woisetschläger Deanna Jackson conference, with 12 totalMartin members. Each one

of the 12 schools competed for the conferBaseball Women’s Tennis ence title, playing an eight-game league slate. Shayne Carnes Mirela Vladulescu For scheduling purposes only, the league was Jay Cole into a New England Division (Boston divided Mitch Jones University ofTrack/ University, Connecticut, UniRyan Keedy Cross Country versity of Maine, University of Massachusetts, Elizabeth University of New Hampshire and Ambrus the UniverFlowers Divisity of Rhode Island), andVonetta a Mid-Atlantic Rhiannon Johns sion (University of Delaware, James Madison Angela King University, Northeastern University, University of Richmond, VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY Steve Mitchell and the College of William and Mary). Also, each individual school had to play each team in its own division, as well as three teams from the other division each year for a total of eight league contests. The Yankee Conference originally developed from the New England College Conference of Intercollegiate Athletics. When Northeastern University offered its resignation from that group, the Land Grant institutions appointed a committee to form a new league. On December 8, 1945, that committee recommended an athletic conference formed by the six New England Land Grant colleges, namely; the University of Connecticut, University of Maine, Massachusetts State College (now the University of Massachusetts), Rhode Island State College (now the University of Rhode Island), the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont. On August 24, 1946, representatives from Elizabeth the schools met. A preamble and code of the Ambrus Yankee Conference were adopted, and became effective on December 3, 1946. The On August 24, 1946, representatives from the schools met. A preamble and code of the Yankee Conference were adopted, and became effective on December 3, 1946. The first league championships

Men’s Golf

Paul Dickinson Graeme McDowell Garrett Osborn Zack Sucher

F o o t b a l l

2008 UAB Outlook

Academic All-Americans

Baseball Brent Laircey

Men’s Soccer

Rebecca Johnson

Kristen Kramer Lane Knight 1996); Maine twice (1987, 1989); New HampLoucas Papaconstantinou Stacy Leiker shire twice (1991, 1994); James Madison twice Karen Meyer Men’s Lukasz Kwapisz (1994, 1995), William & Mary Saratwice Petrov (1993Basketball Synchronized 1996) and Richmond (1987) Sarah once.w PikalHampCarter Long Women’s Soccer Swimming shire and the University of Rhode Island), and a Moraine Ruddick Danielle Blair Morgan Clarke Mid-Atlantic ofTodd Delaware, Hallie Football BriannaDivision McCarty (University Meryl Grandia James Madison University, Northeastern UniJohnny Rea Lisa Nowoslawski Amanda Haeuser Softball Petersof Richmond, versity, Denise University VILLANOVA Stephanie Jackson Byrne and Volleyball Jill Porto and the CollegeAmanda UNIVERSITY of William Stacey Jackson Allisonhad Davis Suzie Johnson Woodward Mary). Vanessa Also, each individual school to play Patti Schroder Margareta Jakovac each team in its own division,Amanda as wellEllis as three Candice Hithe Synchronized Stacy Leiker teams from the other division each year for a Kris Lara Men’s Tennis Swimming Sara Petrov total of Vanessa eight league contests. Emily Scarbrough Sebastian Falk Dash Hallie Todd The Andrea YankeeDash Conference originally developed Megan Stephenson Frank Schaffner Bogdana Zareva from the New England College Conference of Martin Woisetschläger Kelli Dickerson Intercollegiate Athletics. When Northeastern Track/Cross Amanda Haeuser Volleyball Country University offered its resignation from that Women’s Tennis Frances Halloran Ivana Bozic Rhiannon Johns a Jenny Cape Stacey Jackson group, the Land Grant institutions appointed Sam Serley Nora Stephanie Jackson committee to form a new league. OnMehl December Nevena Stefanov 8, 1945, that committee recommended an athletic conference formed by the six New England Land Grant colleges, namely; the University of Connecticut, University of Maine, Massachusetts State College (now the University of Massachusetts), Rhode Island State College (now the University of Rhode Island), the Uniiate Athletics. When Northeastern University of New Hampshire and the University versity offered its resignation from of Vermont.Ryan that group, the Land Grant institutions Keedy On August 24, 1946, representatives from the schools met. A preamble and code of the were conducted in the 1947-48 season. first league championships were conducted Yankee Conference were adopted, and became effective on December 3, 1946. The On August in the 1947-48 season. In 1978, with the creation by the NCAA of 24, 1946, representatives from the schools met. Division I-AA Football, the Yankee Conference A preamble and code of the Yankee Conference disbanded in all sports with the exception of were adopted, and became effective on Decemfootball. Vermont, which had dropped football ber 3, 1946. The first league championships in 1974, dropped out of the league. As a result, were conducted in the 1947-48 season. first league championships were conducted the Yankee Conference, after already adding Boston University in 1973, was six members in the 1947-48 season. In 1978, with the creation by the NCAA of strong. In 1984, the University of Delaware and Division I-AA Football, the Yankee Conference University of Richmond joined the league, and disbanded in all sports with the exception of became eligible for the league title in 1986, football. Vermont, which had dropped football while the Villanova University Wildcats came in 1974, dropped out of the league. As a result, on board in 1985. They became eligible for the the Yankee Conference, after already adding Boston University in 1973, was six members league title in 1988. The Yankee Conference was one of the strong. In 1984, the University of Delaware and original conferences to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs in 1978. University of Richmond joined the league, and Since the birth of NCAA Division I-AA, Bos- became eligible for the league title in 1986, Flavio ton University went Monteiro to the playoffs five times while the Villanova University Wildcats came (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1994); Rhode Island on board in 1985. They became eligible for the three times (1981, 1984, 1985); Massachusetts league title in 1988. The Yankee Conference was one of the three times (1978, 1988, 1990); Delaware six times (1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, original conferences to receive an automatic bid 1996); Villanova four times (1989, 1991, 1992, to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs in 1978.

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EXCELLENCE U A B

2008 At The Next Level

F o o t b a l l

UAB Outlook Deanna Jackson

Years At UAB: 1998-2002

• First and only UAB player selected in the WNBA Draft, chosen Years At UAB: 1999-2002 eighth overall by 1989); the Cleveland Rock1996); Maine twice (1987, New Hampy moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference • Captured the 2010 U.S. Open Chamers in 2002 shire twice (1991, 1994); James Madison twice for the 1997 season, Villanova Univerpionship – the first major title by a former Competed Basketball (1994, 1995), •William & with MaryUSA twice (1993sity’s nine-year membership of the Yankee ConUAB golfer and the first U.S. Open win by a on the 2000 Jones Cup Team that 1996) and won Richmond once.w Hampference and the conference’s 50-year football European player in nearly 40 years the Gold(1987) in Taipei shire and the University of Rhode Island), player and a legacy came to a close. Under the direction of• Has won six professional tournaments, • Only women’s basketball Mid-Atlantic (University of Delaware, head coach Andy Talley, Villanova compiledfive a of which have come on the European in Division C-USA and UAB history to record more than 2,000 pointsUniversity, and 1,000 career reboundsUniJamescareer Madison Northeastern lifetime mark of 38-31 in Yankee ConferenceTour • A member of Europe’s Ryder Cup • Two-time C-USA Player ofofthe Year (2000-01, 2001-02) versity, University Richmond, VILLANOVA contests. During their Yankee Conference his- Team in 2008 and helped lift his team and the league’s Freshman ofand the the YearCollege in 1999of William and UNIVERSITY tory, the Wildcats shared the league championto the trophy in 2010 • UAB career leader in rebounds (1,118) and ranks second Mary). Also, each individual school had to play ship twice, 1991 and 1989, finished second on • Named 2010 ASWA Profes- in school history in points (2,144) sional Athlete of the Year and GWAA each team in its own division, as well as three three occasions, in 1996, 1992 and 1990, and Golfer of the Year teams from the other division each year for a third once in 1988. • Ranked as high as No. 4 in the total of eight league contests. The addition of three college football proworld golf rankings Bryan Thomas The Yankee Conference originally developed grams in 1993 (James Madison, Northeastern • First-team All-America selection Years At UAB: 1998-2001 from the New England College Conference of and William and Mary) made the Yankee and C-USA Golfer of the Year in 2001 Selected No. 22 overall by the Intercollegiate • Athletics. When Northeastern Conference the largest NCAA Division I-AA and 2002 New York Jets in 2002, becoming the • Winner of the 2002 Fred Haskins University Blazers’ offered highest-ever its resignation frompick that conference, with 12 total members. Each one NFL draft group, the Land Grant institutions appointed of the 12 schools competed for the confer- Award, given annually to the nation’s • Entering his 10th year as a Jet witha committee to a new league. December ence title, playing an eight-game league slate. top collegiate golfer 141form career games played,On compiling 91 starts, 404 tackles, 31 sacks, sevenanforced 8, 1945, that committee recommended athFor scheduling purposes only, the league was Roddy White fumbles and five recoveries letic conference formed by fumble the six New England divided into a New England Division (Boston Years At UAB: 2001-04 • Ranks namely; as UAB’s the all-time leader Land Grant colleges, University University, University of Connecticut, Uni• Drafted No. 27 overall by the in career sacks (36) and tackles for of Connecticut, University of Maine, Massaversity of Maine, University of Massachusetts, Atlanta Falcons in 2005 loss (56) • Was named as an NFL All-Pro State College the which University of University of New Hampshire and the Univer• Led thechusetts “Steel Shield” defense (now in 2001, topped Massachusetts), Rhode Island State College sity of Rhode Island), and a Mid-Atlantic Divi- wide receiver in 2010 the nation in rushing defense (57.3 yards per game) and • Became the first UAB alum to earn wasUniranked No. in the nation inoftotal defense (265.9 (now5 the University Rhode Island), the yards Unision (University of Delaware, James Madison iate Athletics. When Northeastern an invitation to the NFL Pro Bowl, per game) versity of New Hampshire and the University University, Northeastern University, University receiving versity offered its resignation from the nod in three consecutive of Vermont. of Richmond, VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY seasons that(2008-2010) group, the Land Grant institutions On August 24, 1946, representatives from and the College of William and Mary). Also,• First Falcon ever to have 80 catches and in four straightinseasons (2007-10) the schoolsDejan met. A Jakovic preamble and code of the were conducted the 1947-48 season. each individual school had to play 1,100-plus each team yards 71first receptions an NCAA-leading league for championships were conducted Yankee Conference in its own division, as well as three teams• Collected from Years Atwere UAB:adopted, 2005-07and became C-USA-record 1,452 yards and a C-USAeffective on December 3, 1946. The On in the 1947-48 season. the other division each year for a totaland of eight • A starting defender forAugust D.C. record 14 touchdowns as a senior in 2004 United in Major League Soccer met. 24, 1946, representatives from the schools In 1978, with the creation by the NCAA of league contests. • Ranks second in the UAB record books in Formerly Red Star of theplayed YankeeforConference Division Football, Yankee Conference A preamble and• code The Yankee Conference originally developed career receptions (163),I-AA receiving yardsthe (3,112) Belgrade in Serbia’s First Division disbanded in(26) all sports with the exception of were adopted, and became effective on Decemfrom the New England College Conference of touchdowns and receiving • Has made 16 international The firstforleague championships Intercollegiate Athletics. When Northeastern football. Vermont, which had dropped football ber 3, 1946. appearances the Canadian NationVonetta Flowers in the 1947-48 season. 1974, dropped out of the league. As a result, were conducted University offered its resignation from that in(Jeffrey) al Team Years aAt UAB: 1992-95Conference, after already adding first league •championships conducted the Yankee group, the Land Grant institutions appointed A three-timewere all-conference • Inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of selection at UAB season. committee to form a new league. On December Boston University in 1973, was six members in the 1947-48 Fame in 2010 • Twice earned honors In first-team 1978, withall-region the creation by the NCAA of 8, 1945, that committee recommended an ath• Madestrong. history at the 2002 Winter OlymDivision I-AA Football, the Yankee Conference In 1984, the University of Delaware and letic conference formed by the six New England pics in Salt Lake City, becoming the first and University of Richmond joined the league, and disbanded in all sports with the exception of Land Grant colleges, namely; the University only former UAB athlete to earn an Olympic Gold Medal had dropped football became eligible for the league title in 1986, football. Vermont, of Connecticut, University of Maine, MassaChris which Hammond the Villanova Gold in the bobsledWildcats as outUAB: of the1985 league. As a result, while the University came in 1974, dropped chusetts State College (now the University •ofCaptured Years At the first black athlete (male They or female in any • Drafted inafter 1986already by Cincinnati adding on board in 1985. became eligible for the the Yankee Conference, Massachusetts), Rhode Island State College country) to win a gold medal at the Winter Reds andinmade league debut Boston University 1973,major was six members (now the University of Rhode Island), the Olympics Uni- league title in 1988. in 1990 The Yankee Conference versity of New Hampshire and the University • Selected to carrywastheone of the strong. • Pitched 14 seasons in the major In 1984, the University of Delaware and originalAmerican conferences to receive automatic bid of Vermont. flag in the an 2002 leagues, including four with the Reds closing Division ceremonies the league, and I-AA Playoffs in 1978. University of On August 24, 1946, representatives from to the NCAA andRichmond five withjoined the Florida Marlins, • Honored as the 2002 I-AA, Bos- became eligible for his the career league with title an in overall 1986, of NCAA Division the schools met. A preamble and code of the Since the birth finishing USOC Team with five times while the Villanova University went oftothe theYear playoffs Yankee Conference were adopted, and became ton University record of 66-62 and aWildcats 4.14 ERAcame teammate Jill Bakken • Pitched inbecame the 2003 Worldfor Series on board in 1985. They eligible the (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1994); Rhode Island effective on December 3, 1946. The On August • All-American in track with the New York Yankees league title in 1988. (1981, 1984, 1985); Massachusetts 24, 1946, representatives from the schools met. three times & field at UAB, where she • Known more a hitter atConference UAB, posting Theas Yankee wasa .275 one average of the (1978, 1988, 1990); A preamble and code of the Yankee Conference three times still holds numerous school Delaware with 32 runs scored and 16 RBI in 1985 records (1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, original conferences to receive an automatic bid were adopted, and became effective on Decem- six times ber 3, 1946. The first league championships 1996); Villanova four times (1989, 1991, 1992, to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs in 1978.

Graeme McDowell

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Academics

ssociate Athletic Director for Student Services Danez M. Marrable oversees a staff of eight full-time advisors, a learning specialist, reading and writing specialist and five assistants in the Don M. & Marsha Hoke Hire StudentAthlete Academic Center. Their mission is to provide the highest quality of academic support, counseling and guidance to UAB student-athletes by promoting academic excellence, self-responsibility, personal and professional growth.

2010-11 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll

(Student-athletes achieving cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better) Paula Alvarez Richole Berger Jenny Cape Rachel Cohen

practice, travel and competition schedules. In addition, athletic advisors regularly review the performance and class attendance of all student-athletes to help them keep on pace toward graduation.

In addition, the Life Skills program is run through this office. This NCAA program centers around the five commitments (academics, athletics, personal development, career development and community service) and was created to support the student-athlete development initiatives and enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the context of higher education.

of athletics director Brian Mackin, and with a generous donation from Don M. & Marsha Hoke Hire, UAB was able to completely renovate the academic center and provide first-class facilities to the Blazers’ student-athletes. Sitting in the middle of UAB’s athletic complexes, including Bartow Arena and the football practice facilities, the Hoke Hire Student-Athlete Academic Center serves as the home for overseeing the educational development and progress toward graduation for all studentathletes.

Finally, the StudentBrittany DeFelice Athlete Advisory Marrable and her staff act Committee as a liaison between the Ceylan Engin (SAAC) is student-athlete, coaches advised and UAB’s academic Caroline Faught through communities and ensures the stuthat student-athletes d e n t comply with academic Menanteau Moolman services rules established by the offices. university, the NCAA Giorgia Romeo T h i s and Conference USA. group, The staff also coordithe ‘voice’ nates academic programs Evelien Strijker of the designed to assist the stustudentdent-athletes in acquiring a quality education as well as programs to pro- athletes, is composed of representatives from mote personal and career development. each team. At UAB, this UAB’s Student Services program wants to make group works to promote certain that student-athletes succeed to their UAB athletics, organizes highest academic ability. Inherent in the pro- community service efforts, gram is the philosophy that student-athletes provides administration take responsibility for their own growth and with the voice of the studevelopment while receiving maximum support. dent-athletes and works to The academic unit’s goals are to prepare student- ensure student-athlete welfare athletes for viable careers, to assist them in secur- and success in the Birmingham community. ing degrees and to produce responsible citizens. The athletic advisors, in conjunction with specific major advisors, work with student-athletes on a regular basis on necessary requirements for their chosen degree. The advisors also help plan class schedules, keeping in mind academic standing,

Danez Marrable Associate Athletic Director for Student Services

UAB’s commitment to academic excellence got a boost in the summer of 2008 with the completion of the Don M. & Marsha Hoke Hire Student-Athlete Academic Center. Under the direction

Drew Barnette Academic Advisor

Mary Kathryn Borland Academic Advisor

(L-R) Marsha and Don Hire, Mr. Charles J. Hoke and UAB Athletics Director Brian Mackin cut the ribbon on the new Academic Center in 2008.

Greg Green Coordinator of Football Academics

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Christina Harris Academic Advisor

Don M. & Marsha Hoke Hire Student-Athlete Academic Center • Completed in the Summer of 2008 • Houses a director, a learning specialist, sevenfull-time advisors and five assistants • More than 50 tutors and mentors • Over 40 computers available for student use • Computer lab for general student use • Learning lab • Laptops for student-athlete checkout • Mentor meeting room • Nine small group and one-on-one tutor rooms 2011 graduate Jenny Cape with Associate AD Danez Marrable, receiving an award for having the highest GPA among UAB’s graduating female student-athletes.

• Five large group study areas • Staff conference room • Tutor/mentor resource library

Former women’s tennis players and UAB graduates (from left) Evelien Strijker, Jenny Cape and Ceylan Engin with Academic Advisor Mary Kathryn Borland at the 2011 Graduation Reception.

Wayne Hamberger Learning Specialist

Charlie Hogan Academic Advisor

Sharon Johnson Academic Advisor

Josh Watson Academic Advisor

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AB’s Strength and Conditioning program, the Blazers’ staff and student-athletes can now boast of having one of the finest facilities around. The new center opened in January of 2008 and houses a 10,000 square-foot weight room that features more than 40,000 pounds of free weights. The strength and conditioning staff works

with UAB student-athletes to develop training programs and enhance each athlete’s performance. The staff ’s work is instrumental in teams’ fitnesss level and preparation for the seasons. In 2008, the Blazers moved into their new strength and conditioning area in Bell Gymnasium, more than tripling the size of the area they had utilized previously in Bartow

Arena. The bright and spacious weight room area includes state-of-the-art equipment for weight training, stretching and conditioning workouts. The staff uses a variety of techniques to assist the Blazers in achieving maximum performance and potential. With a heavy emphasis on Olympic style weightlifting, the program concentrates on speed, power, and strength.

Strength & Conditioning

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Sports Medicine

In the fall of 2008, the Wallace Building Athletic Training Room opened. The 9,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility offers the finest therapeutic modalities and rehabilitative equipment. It has an extensive collection of therapeutic and rehabilitation equipment including a BTE isokinetic testing machine and hydrotherapy tanks. The Wet Room features two free standing dual-tank consoles that offer whole-body and extremity immersion in either warm or cold hydrotherapy. UAB has the largest dual-tank console that has a stainless steel tank with a capacity of 1,450 gallons of water and can accommodate up to 25 football student-athletes at a time.

The Sports Medicine program is under the direction of Mike Jones; his full-time athletic trainers are Melissa Adams, Laurie Fincher, Bryan Koch, Gerald Mickler, Greg Mytyk and Jennifer Wallace. Graduate assistant trainers Seong Choi, Matt Fisher, Betsy Ostrowski, Ryan Richardson, Daniel Springer and Dani Stephenson complete the staff.

The Sports Medicine staff provides for all 17 varsity teams and 350 University of Alabama at Birmingham student-athletes with high quality health care. Student-athletes have access to the leading sports medicine and health care professionals. The Sports Medicine staff consists of team physicians, dentists, athletic trainers and a sports nutritionist. The daily care, prevention, evaluation and treatment of injuries is supervised by a staff of seven full-time and five graduate assistants that have been certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and licensed by the state of Alabama.

Dr. Brenda Baumann Team Physician

cialists among the best in America. The Medical Director of UAB Sports Medicine is Dr. William Garth, an orthopedic surgeon. He is responsible for all services provided to student-athletes. General medical care is provided by Dr. Brenda Baumann and Dr. Marshall Crowther.

Team physicians are affiliated with the acclaimed UAB Health System, health professional school and the UAB Sports Medicine. U.S. News & World Report and other national publications consistently rank UABâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative programs and expert spe-

Dr. Marshall Crowther Team Physician

Dr. William Garth Team Physician

In addition to the Wallace Building Facility, auxiliary athletic training rooms are located in Bartow Arena and in Young Memorial Field.

Mike Jones Assistant AD Athletic Training

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Bryan Koch Associate Athletic Trainer

In the fall semester, 2008, the Wallace Building Athletic Training Room opened its doors. UAB student-athletes began enjoying a brand-new, state of the art athletic training facility. The new 9,000 square foot center allows the athletic training staff to work more efficiently and gives the student-athletes a much more comfortable facility.

Melissa Adams Assistant Athletic Trainer

Laurie Fincher Assistant Athletic Trainer

Gerald Mickler Assistant Athletic Trainer

Greg Mytyk Assistant Athletic Trainer

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Jen Wallace Assistant Athletic Trainer

Gene Bartow Alabama Sports Hall Of Fame ’89 National College Basketball Hall Of Fame ’09

ne of the most respected figures in intercollegiate athletics, Gene Bartow, forged the UAB athletic program into a well-rounded organization with outstanding teams in several sports. Bartow, considered the “founding father” of UAB athletics, grew the intercollegiate sports program there from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports and an annual operating budget of more than $8 million by the time he retired from the position in 2000. Bartow, who passed away Jan. 3, 2012 after a nearly three-year battle with cancer, guided the program through three conference changes, grew the football team from a club sport into a Division I-A program, and added several women’s sports to the university’s athletics roster. Bartow was at the helm of the UAB men’s basketball program for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 366-203 (.643) during his tenure. He led the Blazers to the NIT in the program’s second year of existence, and followed that up with seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982. In all, he led UAB to 14 postseason appearances, nine of which were NCAA Tournaments. In addition to his time at UAB, Bartow is one of the top college basketball coaches of all time. By the time he retired from collegiate coaching in 1996, he had led teams for 34 years at six universities (Central Missouri State, Valparaiso, Memphis State, Illinois, UCLA and UAB), compiling 647 wins, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, two Final Four appearances, one national title game appearance and one national Coach of the Year Award (both with Memphis State in 1973), and no probation problems with the NCAA. In 2009, Bartow received the ultimate honor as he was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame. He entered the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and is also a member of both the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame and the Northeast Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame. The Browning, Mo. native coached 34 years at six universities. He coached at Central Missouri State University from 1961-64, Valparaiso University from 1964-1970, Memphis State University from 1970-74, and he led the Tigers to the ‘73 NCAA national championship game and consecutive Missouri Valley Conference titles in the ‘71-’72 and ‘72-’73 seasons. In 1974 Bartow accepted the head coaching position at the University of Illinois. Illinois finished 8-18 in his only season coaching the Fighting Illini, and Bartow left his position to succeed John Wooden as the head coach of UCLA. Bartow coached at UCLA from 1975 to 1977, guiding them to a 52-9 record, including a berth in the 1976 Final Four. Bartow left UCLA after the 1977 season to take over the job of creating an athletic program at UAB. Bartow retired from coaching in 1996, and in 1997, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor. The Birmingham News has voted him one of the top 10 most influential figures in Alabama sports for the past century. Bartow is survived by his wife, the former Ruth Huffine, and three children, Mark, Beth and Murry, who is the head men’s basketball coach at East Tennessee State. 2 0 11- 1 2 U A B W o m e n ’s Te n n i s

“Founding Father” of UAB Athletics • UAB head basketball coach (1977-96) • UAB’s first Athletics Director (1977-2000) • Nine NCAA Tournament appearances at UAB • 14 postseason appearances during 18-year coaching career at UAB • 11 20-win seasons during UAB coaching career tenure • 647 career coaching victories • 366 victories at UAB • Led UAB to NCAA Sweet 16 in 1981 and Elite Eight appearance in 1982 • Voted by the Birmingham News as one of the top-10 influential figures in Alabama sports over the past century