ReeseStrong 5k

We are very proud of the team members, Molly Brown and her parents, Taylor Wieczorek, Jill Asay and former baseball player, Adam Carpenter, Jordan Cantrell, Madison Dulaney, Lindsey Sharman, Paige Mills and Christina Phelps who participated in the ReeseStrong 5k this past Saturday. Our new players had the opportunity to meet Reese and her family and there was an immediate bond between them all. Reese certainly has that ability to draw people into her circle with ease.

Congratulations to Jordan for finishing first in her age group and Jill who finished 2nd in her age group. Some of the group posed for pictures with Reese after the event.

They're Back!

The summer has passed and the 2010-11 school year is 2-days old. We welcomed our new Assistant Coach, CK Calhoun, this week as well as our three new players. Already, things are moving quickly and taking shape for our upcoming season. We are trying to generate more interest in our RMC Open golf fund-raiser on Oct. 2, so sign up and come enjoy the day with the team. Also, heard from Molly Ariail--she is safe and sound in Germany and has her first game on Sept. 22. We are working on keeping a connection with her and her pro season over there. I believe she will have her own blog as well. I will keep you updated.

Last week was a sad and celebratory one at the same time. Coach Richter and I did a lot of fun things together to make sure everything for the program was in order before she left. It was hard to believe she had been with the program for four years. We are sad to see her leave, but very excited about her future as a Head Coach. One of the things we did was teaching me how to be a blogger. I am not sure I can top her abilities, but for the time being I am going all out to get into the scene. Fortunately, the blogs are shorter than the newsletters so it will be quicker to get information posted from me--of course Coach Richter already had to remind me to get something up since it had been a few weeks with nothing. So here's to the first blog and hopefully to many more. Thanks Coach Richter!

Why R-MC?

Camp Week

We wrapped up a successful week of our Skill Development Day Camp this afternoon. Our campers worked hard all week, improving their ball handling, shooting, and passing while learning some team concepts and having a blast. To learn more about the basketball camps we offer, check out www.justsportscamps.com/RMC


Coach LaHaye imparts some wisdom to our campers


Buzz the Yellow Jacket makes a surprise appearance!

Graduation Snapshots

On May 29th, R-MC's class of 2010 walked across their names on the Janet Harvey Trivette Alumni Walkway for the first time. Each graduate had their name newly added to the walkway which will in time have the name of every graduate since the early 1900s. Below are a few snapshots from the ceremony. A great article is online detailing Commencement 2010. It also includes some great pictures. (way better than mine :) ) Check it out: http://www.rmc.edu/current-students/commencement.aspx
Congratulations to our newest Women's Basketball alums: Renee Stein & Molly Ariail!


Molly Ariail walks across the stage to receive her diploma from President Lindgren.


Renee Stein on her way across the stage.




Molly & Renee's bricks in the Alumni Walkway


The fountain shoots up at the end of the commencement ceremony.

Quote of the Day

I was just going through a folder of articles and ideas and came across a great Vince Lombardi quote:

Success is not a sometimes thing. In other words, you don't do what is right once in a while, but all the time. Success is a habit. Winning is a habit.

Champions Dinner

The R-MC Yellow Jacket Club (YJC) hosted the Champions Dinner this past Saturday evening. All award winners and championship teams were honored. In addition, all senior athletes were recognized. The Class of 2010 is one of the most successful classes in the history of R-MC athletics. Our two seniors, Renee Stein and Molly Ariail, certainly were big contributors to our team and the entire department.

Toward the end of the evening, Molly Ariail was presented The Susan Locke de Nagy Award. The de Nagy Award is presented to a senior female student-athlete in recognition for her outstanding athletic accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership, and sportsmanship. Molly is certainly a very deserving recipient. It was a great night celebrating our R-MC student-athletes and their many accomplishments.


Renee Stein and Molly Ariail

Research Day

This past Friday was Research Day on R-MC's campus. Many students presented their research with a variety of presentations. Several women's basketball players completed some interesting research this year. Madison Dulaney '13, displayed her research from her FYEC class, The Minding Class. Her First Year Experience class completed work related to Overcoming Disabilities. Jordan Cantrell '13 also had research displayed from her First Year Experience Class, Measuring Athletic Performance: Biological and Statistical Views. Jordan and her research partner focused on Michael Phelps. And finally, Renee Stein, '10 was very busy with two research projects on diplay. Her first, "Money and Politics," was the culmination of her political science research methods course. And her political science senior capstone project was entitled: " Judicial Appointment and the Administration of Justice in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, and Chile." All of the research projects were very well done; I enjoyed learning some new information as I walked around the library to check out each project.

The afternoon was capped off with our Honors Convocation. During the program, Stephanie Grune '11 was presented with a German Department award for her academic excellence. Congratulations Stephanie!

End of Year Cookout

Last night our team got together at Coach LaHaye's house for an end of the year cookout. It was perfect weather, a great evening to jump in the pool. During the year we split our team into three groups, each was responsible for cooking a team meal throughout the year. The final group got it's turn last night and did not disappoint. We feasted on burgers and hot dogs, cooked up on the grill by Renee Stein '10. Renee made some great burgers marinated in A1 sauce and her own secret combination of herbs and spices. They were delicious. Molly Brown '12, Katie Williams '11, and Jordan Cantrell '13 prepared the side dishes, some mac and cheese as well as a green bean casserole.

We had a wonderful time together, with good food and lots of laughs.

Big Smiles

If someone would have asked me last week, what would put a huge smile on the face of your players at 7:30am on a dreary, rainy, Saturday morning, I don’t think I would have had a good answer. But after our team’s participation in the ASK 5K this past weekend, I know that the answer is Reese! We adopted Reese through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation which matches children with pediatric brain tumors with sports teams. Reese’s family has started a foundation of their own, ReeseStrong, which has already made a big difference in the local community. This all brings us to the ASK 5K. ASK is a local Richmond charity with the mission to Make Life Better for Kids with Cancer. ReeseStrong put together a huge team to participate in the 5K, and our team was excited to be a part of it. There were lots of smiles when our players saw Reese, who eagerly gave them all a hug. It was an inspiring morning, with many ASK Kids participating in the run/walk with their families and groups of supporters. Following the race, there was a victory lap for all the ASK Kids, both current patients and survivors. It was very touching to see all of them get a very deserved ovation for all they have been through.

For more information:
Friends of Jaclyn: www.friendsofjaclyn.org
ReeseStrong: www.reesestrong.org
ASK: askweb.org

Final Four in San Antonio

Coach LaHaye and I just returned from San Antonio where we were attending our national women's basketball coaches convention. While we were there, we attended the DI Final Four. It was fun to watch Baylor and Stanford give UConn a little run for their money, but the end result was never really in doubt. Next year, it will be fun to watch UConn at the start of the season to see if they can surpass John Wooden's UCLA teams record of 88 consecutive wins. Below are some pictures from San Antonio, enjoy!


The Obligatory Shot of the Alamo


Not bad seats!


Outside the Alamodome


National Anthem before the Championship Game


Back of Vice President Joe Biden's head (I really tried to get a better shot, but it seemed the whole place was trying to take a picture!)


UCONN Wins!


78 Straight Wins -- Incredible!

DIII News National Player of the Year!

CONGRATULATIONS to Molly Ariail for being named the DIII News National Player of the Year. Molly had a tremendous career at R-MC, including two ODAC Championships and two trips to the NCAA tournament. Read the full press release on the R-MC site: http://athletics.rmc.edu/sports/wbkb/2009-10/releases/WBKB-10-Ariail_D3_POTY

Final Four Bound!

The R-MC Men's Basketball team is heading to the Final Four in Salem, VA this weekend. They will take on UW-Stevens Point in the second semi-final game on Friday evening. The first semi-final game has Guilford taking on Williams. Both should be great games and we hope that many Yellow Jacket fans will be in the Salem Civic Center to cheer them on. Best of luck to the men's team this weekend!