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March 28, 2008
1. Wayne State had its highest overall national finish in school history, placing twenty-fourth (24th) in the nation.
2. Men's swimming was third in the nation matching the best national finish ever for the swimming program since 1941 when WSU finished behind Michigan and Yale (and tied Ohio State).
3. In the combined winter and fall terms of 2007, WSU had forty-two (42) student-athletes achieve a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
4. The fencing team finished eighth (8th) in the country, its highest finish since 1993. Of the six individual Division I national titles, Wayne State won two - Anna Garina and Slava Zingerman, both in the epee.
5. Senior women's ice hockey student-athlete Ashley King was one of five national finalists for the prestigious John Wooden Citizen Cup, awarded for leadership, academic achievements, service to the community and athletic success.
6. The men's and women's cross country teams both qualified for the NCAA championships, with the women finishing 14th and the men placing 19th in the nation.
7. A school record thirty-two (32) student-athletes were named All-American including: Erika Barczak (diving), Cauli Bedran (swimming), Joique Bell (football), Per Bergstrom (swimming), Bruno Blanco (swimming), Cayce Bolt (diving), Jenni Culbertson (cross country), Julie Danaher (swimming), Melissa Duff (swimming), A.J. Erard (swimming), Dan Fleming (diving), Anna Garina (fencing), Katie Harrigan (swimming), Elaina Hogle (swimming), Ryan Johnson (golf), Justyna Konczalska (fencing), Kris Krzyminski (basketball), Laura Leix (swimming), Matt Leix (swimming), Rachelle Malette (cross country), Tiago Oliveira (swimming), Luiz Pacheco (swimming), Marek Petraszek (fencing), Sebastian Rzepa (swimming), Ashley St. Andrew (swimming), Venessa Torres (diving), Chris Totten (diving), Christer Tour (swimming), Jared Troyer (swimming), Guilherme Veiga (swimming), Molly Yetman (softball), and Slava Zingerman (fencing).
8. Rachelle Malette had the highest national finish of any female cross country runner in WSU history, finishing fifth in the country, and was also named an All-American and recognized as one of the only six conference Fall student-athletes honored with the Commissioner's Award.
9. Swimming and diving head coach Sean Peters was honored as the Men's Coach of the National Championship Meet in addition to earning his sixth consecutive GLIAC Men's Coach of the Year award and second straight GLIAC Women's Coach of the Year honor.
10. Athletics raised $821,148 in total revenue - the highest one-year total in its history. The seven-year total (2000-07) is now $5,376,596.
11. In the latest federally-mandated NCAA graduation rate, WSU student-athletes earned a five-year university degree at a 17% higher average than the similarly compared campus population.
12. The men's and women's swimming teams both repeated as GLIAC champions. The 830 points accumulated by the men was the second most in conference history.
13. The WSU athletic website (launched in 2002) received over 12 million page views in 2007.
14. Women's swimming had its highest national mark ever, finishing tenth (10th) in the country.
15. Former softball student-athlete Meghan Misiak was honored as the David Henry Award recipient for the 2006-07 graduating class.
16. As part of the athletic department's statewide television agreement, ten (10) WSU athletic contests were shown live throughout Michigan and parts of Indiana including: football, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's ice hockey.
17. Junior Molly Yetman was named the Conference Player of the Year and the National Player of the Week two weeks in a row after tossing a perfect game (first in WSU history) and adding 23 scoreless innings the following week. It is the only time in the history of WSU softball that a Warrior student-athlete was the nation's top player. At the end of the season, she was named a Second Team All-American after going 24-5 with a 0.65 earned run average.
18. Athletics launched a partnership with B2 Networks to broadcast live video/audio via the Internet of WSU athletic events.
19. Baseball student-athlete Kyle Hill and football/baseball student-athlete Dan Barnes were awarded prestigious Division II Degree Completion Scholarships for their scholastic, athletic and community achievements.
20. Women's cross country runner Rachelle Malette earned her second consecutive First Team All-GLIAC honors after winning the conference meet, while Lauren Kessler was a Second Team All-GLIAC selection.
21. Softball captured the regular season GLIAC title, as well as its second consecutive conference championship, and advanced to the NCAA Regional.
22. The golf team won the NCAA In-Season Regional to advance to the NCAA Super Regional. Brett Hudson was the medalist (top finisher) in the regional competition.
23. Mike Horn was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year while junior Ryan Johnson was named the conference Player of the Year.
24. Head softball coach Gary Bryce was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and ninth time in his WSU career.
25. Rick Cummins was honored as the GLIAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
26. Two student-athletes were inducted into the prestigious David Mackenzie Honor Society - softball student-athlete Meghan Misiak and women's basketball student-athlete Bethany Mesko.
27. Women's hockey head coach Jim Fetter was named College Hockey America (CHA) Co-Coach of the Year.
28. For the second consecutive year, athletics finished the year with a budget surplus.
29. Lance Chamberlain (golf) was honored as one of the two conference recipients of the GLIAC Post-Graduate Scholarship.
30. Women's tennis advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year.
31. Volleyball libero Mayssa Bazzi was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd."
32. Men's tennis player Antoine Marenaud was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-GLIAC First Team, while Donavon Mitchell and Alejandro Gomez were named to the Second Team and Ryan Buck earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention accolades.
33. Fencer Anna Garina and men's basketball's Kris Krzyminski were named the EDS Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year. Garina was a three-time Division I national champion while Krzyminski was an All-American and led the conference in scoring.
34. Women's hockey student-athlete Peyton Patterson became the first WSU student-athlete to be honored with a Division I Degree Completion Award.
35. As part of the association with Think Detroit/PAL, various camps, clinics and educational activities were arranged at the athletic campus with WSU coaches and student-athletes.
36. Women's ice hockey student-athlete Ashley King was one of the national representatives from across the country selected to attend the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla.
37. In the fall of 2007, student-athletes committed 1,428.5 volunteer hours to various community service outreach programs.
38. At the Academic Recognition Banquet in April, 134 student-athletes were recognized for achieving a GPA of 3.50 or better in the fall term and/or earning a four-year degree.
39. The sixth largest home football crowd (4,823) in WSU history attended Homecoming.
40. Seven members of the 2006-07 Wayne State women's swimming and diving team were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team - seniors Mandy Burton and Erin Hill, redshirt juniors Jodi Scott and Amber Staudacher, juniors Erika Barczak and Tiffanie Laforet, and redshirt freshman Jenny Howe.
41. Athletics extended its radio broadcast agreement with WDTK, and men's ice hockey was added to the existing full complement of football and men's basketball games.
42. Five members of the women's basketball squad were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team. Senior Bethany Mesko earned her third straight academic honor, while classmate Cherita Smith picked up her second academic award. Junior Nicole Rogers was also a second time honoree while sophomores Jessica Howard and Chastidy Miller were selected to the team for the first time.
43. Twelve student athletes from the 2006-07 Wayne State men's hockey team were named to the CHA All-Academic Team, marking the highest number of WSU honorees since 15 Warriors were named to the squad in the 2000-01 season. The selections included four student-athletes selected for the third time: Matt Boldt, Taylor Donohoe, Adam Drescher, and Will Hooper. The others were Jason Bloomingburg, Nate Higgins, Matt Krug, Mark Nebus, John Nogatch, Stavros Paskaris, Derek Punches, and Adam Smith.
44. Six members of the Wayne State men's swimming and diving team were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team - senior Bruno Blanco, senior Luiz Pacheco, juniors David Fontecchio and Matt Leix, redshirt sophomore Jamal Roberts, and sophomore Per Bergstom.
45. Athletics unveiled the 90 Foundation - a celebration of 90 years of WSU athletics - at Homecoming with events to continue through 2008.
46. For the sixth time in seven years the women's basketball team qualified for the conference postseason, as did the men for the fifth time in six years.
47. In the NCAA's Division I measurement tool of monitoring progress toward an undergraduate degree (APR), both women's ice hockey at a .985 rating and men's hockey at .964 had laudatory marks.
48. Football student-athlete Alan Guy was honored as the National Football Foundation Division II Scholar Athlete of the Year for the state of Michigan and as a member of the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Good Works Team for his community service, classroom performance and athletic achievement.
49. The athletic department held a professional development night that focused on a number of career strategies including: resume writing, interviewing skills, being an entrepreneur, graduate school enrollment and a job fair. The event featured a number of corporate sponsors of athletics.
50. Eleven members of the Wayne State women's hockey team were named to the CHA All-Academic Team - three-time selection Laura Monk; two-year honorees Jenny Cameron, Ashley King, Tiffany Thompson, Valery Turcotte, Danielle Wilson and Becky Sonn; and first-year selections Melissa Boal, Lindsay DiPietro, Tina Vanderhoeven and Stephanie Rees.
51. Kris Krzyminski was selected to participate in the inaugural Collegiate Basketball Invitational in which the top Division II and III seniors were part of a showcase of potential professional basketball selections.
52. Over the past year, fifty-two (52) student-athletes have participated in the S.M.A.R.T.S. mentoring program for area youth.
53. Kris Krzyminski was selected as an All-American by "Division II Basketball Bulletin."
54. The first-ever Letterwinners Reception/Presentation was held in the Hall of Fame foyer to recognize and award first-year letter recipients in football, cross country, and volleyball.
55. Seventeen members of the 2007 football team were named to the GLIAC All Academic team: Andrew Bates, Luis Gomez, Guye Goodlow, Alan Guy, Ryan Jonik, Jimmy Kinaia, Dale Knuth, Frank Lietke, Adam Nuckols, Trent Pohl, Chris Ratcliff, John Rehberg, Kenny Schmidt, Matt Shango, Bruno Shkreli, Kenny Watson and Brent Wisniewski.
56. With the corporate support of the Oakwood Healthcare System, athletics added an additional full-time certified athletic trainer.
57. "Think Pink" promotional activities were held throughout the year including the "Pink W" on uniforms and special outreach awareness on breast cancer.
58. Baseball outfielder Ryan LaPensee was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
59. Two members of the 2007 volleyball team were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team: sophomore Meg Leone and senior Gina Zielonka.
60. Athletics unveiled the administrative mentoring program (M.A.P.) for first-year student-athletes to assist with the initial transition to college.
61. The weight room expansion continued to include the addition of office space and new cardiovascular equipment.
62. Four members of the 2007 men's cross country team were selected to the GLIAC All-Academic team: seniors Kevin Christensen and Dave Lucas, redshirt junior Abdullah Saleh, and sophomore Vince Bechard.
63. Three members of the 2007 women's cross country team were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team: graduate student Tracy Egnatuk, senior Kara Kessler, and junior Rachelle Malette.
64. Wayne State University senior guard Kris Krzyminski was named to the GLIAC men's basketball All-Academic team.
65. Senior cross country runner Jenni Culbertson was named an Academic All-American and was voted to the 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-District IV First Team.
66. WSU athletics held and coordinated a concert series in conjunction with the football season featuring appearances by the Mega 80's, Larry Lee and the Back in the Day Band, and the Spirit of '76.
67. Women's hockey student-athlete Melissa Boal was named to the First Team All-CHA for the second time in her career, while Sam Poyton and Tegan Schroeder received All-CHA Second Team honors.
68. Two women's tennis student-athletes were named to the GLIAC All-Academic team: junior Sargam Bhatt and sophomore Meghan Luzod.
69. Six softball players were named to All-GLIAC teams including: Molly Yetman who earned Player of the Year and First Team All-GLIAC accolades along with Sarah Kish and Sarah Berry; Second Team selection Lindsey Perry; and All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selections Meredith Boxberger and Lisa Seymour.
70. Keith Anleitner (football), Naif Baidoon (baseball), Michael Newsted (baseball), Jennifer Smith (softball), and Cliff Russell (Honor Award) were inducted as the 32nd Hall of Fame class in WSU history.
71. Major League Baseball awarded a grant to athletics to assist in community development of baseball.
72. In conjunction with Radio Station WOMC, athletics held "Doc" Andrews Night in honor of long-time sports announcer and WSU Hall of Fame member Mark Andrews.
73. Nine football student-athletes were distinguished with All-Conference honors. Joique Bell was voted GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year and was a First Team selection along with Dante Dunn. Alan Guy was Second Team All-Conference while six student-athletes received Honorable Mention recognition: Muhammad Abdullah, Tristan Black, Daryl Graham, Frank Lietke, John Rehberg and Stan Thorton.
74. Women's hockey had its best CHA postseason tournament ever.
75. Ashley St. Andrew was named GLIAC Women's Swimming Co-Freshman of the Year.
76. Women's tennis player Sharon Gill was named First Team All-GLIAC.
77. The average game attendance for football was the highest since 1979.
78. Former football student-athlete Ryan Oshnock was named to the National Football Foundation National Honor Society.
79. Men's cross country runner Abdullah Saleh earned First Team All-GLIAC honors for the second time in his career and Kevin Christensen earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors for the second time.
80. Athletics held the first-ever Reverse Raffle and generated nearly $20,000 in scholarship.
81. Wayne State men's basketball player Kris Krzyminski was voted to the GLIAC South Division First Team while Jason Saddler was named to the GLIAC South Division All-Defensive Team.
82. Three baseball student-athletes were named to the NCAA All-Region Team - Jon Weisman, Tony Hines and Ryan LaPensee.
83. Women's basketball student-athlete Bethany Mesko was selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-District Third Team.
84. Eight members of the Wayne State baseball team earned All-Conference honors including: First Team All-GLIAC selections Jon Weisman, Derek Ranck, Tony Hines, and Anthony Bass; Second Team honorees Brett Witczak and Kyle Hill; and Honorable Mention selections Ryan LaPensee and Bob Schmidt.
85. Football stadium renovations continued with the additions of handicap accessibility walks, brick facing and exterior painting.
86. Student-athletes hosted a car wash to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and finished second in the conference for funds raised for the organization.
87. A throw-back 1970s promotion, including tie-dye shirts and afro wigs, was held as part of the "Way Cool Weekend" involving volleyball, basketball, and football games.
88. The WSU cheerleaders earned a bid to compete at nationals after their qualifying performance at the University of Kentucky.
89. Athletics held Armed Forces Day at Adams Field in conjunction with the last football game that included a flyover by two F-16s and parachutists.
90. Student-athletes collected and donated toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.
91. The fourth annual Women's Run/Walk for Health was held at the Matthaei Athletic Complex with a course throughout campus.
92. WSU successfully hosted the second-ever on-campus graduation at Adams Field.
93. Men's hockey player Dan Iliakis was named to the All-CHA Second Team, becoming the fifth WSU defenseman in history to earn a spot on one of the league's top postseason teams.
94. Student-athletes raised money to purchase clothing for the St. Leo's shelter.
95. The President's annual golf outing in support of athletics was held at the Country Club of Detroit for the first time.
96. Gold Rushes I and II were successfully marketed to the WSU campus population with giveaways and participation activities.
97. Noted NCAA and nationally-reknown alcohol education speaker Mike Green presented two seminars - one for returning student-athletes and one for first-year athletic team members.
98. Women's volleyball player Mayssa Bazzi was selected to the All-GLIAC Second Team while Kim Gear was named to the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team.
99. Athletics continued the "Football Futures Day" by announcing the recruiting class of 2007 in conjunction with a basketball game. The day included a reception, prospect highlight presentation and donor invitation.
100. Student-athlete volunteers hosted a field-day for University Prep Elementary School on campus including athletic activities and education programming.
Previous Years:
WSU's Top 100 Accomplishments of 2006
WSU's Top 100 Accomplishments of 2004-2005
WSU's Top 100 Accomplishments of 2003-2004