22nd
Annual Minnesota Girls and
Women in Sports Day
19 Athletes and Sports Leaders to be
recognized
February 6,
2008 – 12 p.m. at
the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda
Some of Minnesota’s
most inspiring and influential student-athletes, coaches and
athletic leaders will be recognized at an award ceremony
on Wednesday, February 6,
2008 at the Minnesota State Capitol. The award
ceremony will be conducted in conjunction with the
22nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day,
a nation-wide celebration recognizing the accomplishments of
individuals in the promotion and advancement of girls and
women’s sports. The 2008 ceremony will be honoring nineteen
individuals who will be receiving awards in five separate
categories. Award recipients are nominated by schools, community
organizations, recreation centers, and amateur and professional
sports organizations. The award ceremony will also be recognizing
two important milestones in women’s athletics: the
25th anniversary of women’s athletics in the
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the
10th anniversary of the Minnesota Lynx professional
basketball team. All are invited to attend this special event.
Details about award winners may be found below.
The Women in Media Award - Rachel Blount, Star
Tribune. Blount is a sports reporter and
columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune where she often writes
about girls and women’s sports. In her position as a sports
reporter at the Star Tribune, she has advocated for more coverage
of girls’ and women’s sports. In 1998, Blount had the
privilege of covering the Winter Olympics
in Nagano,Japan where
for the first time women’s hockey was a medal sport. When
the United States won the gold
medal, Blount was among many women sports reporters covering the
game who had the opportunity to convey what the victory meant for
women sports. During her career Blount has received three Top Five
national writing awards in the annual contest sponsored by the
Associated Press Sports Editors.
The Marie Berg Award for Excellence in Education - Sharon
Euerle, Mankato West.
Euerle is currently the Athletic/Activities Administrator
at MankatoWestHigh
School. Euerle has been a physical education teacher,
coach and athletic administrator for more than 35 years and was
responsible for starting the volleyball, basketball and softball
programs for girls
at St.JamesHigh
School in the early ‘70s. Throughout her
career, she has been involved in athletics at the local, state and
nation levels. She has been a positive role model to numerous young
student-athletes. Euerle is a member of the Minnesota Girls
Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Winona State
University Athletic Hall of Fame. She has also been named Minnesota
State High School Athletic Administrator of the Year and has
received numerous awards for her teaching and coaching
accomplishments.
The Wilma Rudolph Award for Courage and Inspiration –
Connor Lewis, Barnesville. Lewis is a
freshman at BarnesvilleHigh
School where she sets an incredible example for
all those with cystic fibrosis. Lewis is currently a starter on the
Barnesville High School varsity basketball team; she is a two-time
letter winner in track and field; and is the only female on the
high school football team. Lewis also participates in summer league
softball where she has been elected to 6 All-Star Teams and was a
part of the 2007 league championship team. Lewis earned her junior
black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 10 and also placed third in
the North Dakota State Championships. Additionally, she placed in
the “Top 10” in three events at the
2005 Minnesota State 4-H
Horseshow. Lewis is also actively involved in her local church
group.
Special Merit
Awards honor individuals who exemplify
the highest levels of commitment to breaking barriers for girls and
women in sport. The 2008 recipients are listed below:
Special Merit Award – JoAnn
Andregg, University of St.
Thomas. Andregg is currently the Associate
Athletic Director at
the University of St.
Thomas where she has been involved in the
athletic department for more than 30 years. Andregg was the first
coach for the women’s volleyball and tennis teams
when St. Thomas went
co-educational in 1977. At St.
Thomas, Andregg has served as a mentor and role model
to numerous student-athletes. Additionally, she has been involved
with athletics at the Conference and National levels. Andregg
currently serves as the MIAC Senior Woman Administrator and serves
as the vice-chair of the executive committee and member of the
budget committee. Andregg has also served on the NCAA committee for
Student-Athlete Reinstatement and Amateurism. In 2006 Andregg was
the recipient of the Pat Kowalski Women’s Leadership Award at
the University of St.
Thomas.
Special Merit Award – Barb Lehman, Robbinsdale
Cooper. Lehman is retired
fromRobbinsdaleCooperHigh
School and currently works as the Executive
Secretary for the Classic Lake Conference where she assists in the
development of facilities for the district and community. Lehman
began her work with girl’s athletics in 1965 when she started
Sports Play Days for girls
in Colorado. She continued her work
with girl’s sports by developing Jr. and Sr. High speed
swimming programs and intramural programs for volleyball and
basketball. Throughout her career Lehman has served on and chaired
district committees to develop various sports for girls. She has
coached alpine skiing, basketball, speed swimming and girl’s
golf for 35 years. Lehman has received numerous awards for her work
with mentoring student-athletes and is currently nominated for the
Minnesota Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association Hall
of Fame.
Special Merit Award – Gail Nucech, Hibbing.
Nucech is a retired physical education instructor and current
volleyball coach at HibbingHigh
School. Over her career she has coached volleyball,
basketball, softball, track & field, gymnastics and
Girl’s Athletic Association (GAA). She has claimed 4 MRPA
State Championships and has made 21 state tournament appearances.
In 1975 and 1998 she was selected as Coach of the Year by the
Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association (MCVA). Nucech has been
inducted into the Hall of Fame
at BemidjiStateUniversity,
the MVCA, GreenwayHigh
School and the Minnesota State High School
League. In addition to her work at Hibbing High School Nucech is
also actively involved in sled dog racing where she has placed
first in the Minnesota Championship Points and North Star
Races.
Special Merit Award – Cindy Nelson,
Lutsen. Nelson is a native
of Lutsen, Minnesota where
at the age of 15 she began a 14 year tenure with the U.S. Ski Team.
Nelson was the first American (male or female) to win a World Cup
Downhill, the first American (male or female) to win a World Cup
Super Giant Slalom, the first American Alpine Skier (male or
female) to be named to 4 Winter Olympic Teams
(’72,’76,’80,’84) and was the first
American (male or female) to win 4 major Alpine medals. Nelson has
won 3 World Cup Discipline medals, 7 National Championships and is
a 6-time winner of Legends of Skiing. Additionally, Nelson is a
Board member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation and the
Steadman Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation.
Breaking Barriers
Awards honor individuals and
organizations which have broken barriers, overcome challenges or
made a significant contribution to girls’ and women’s
sports in their respective communities. 2008 recipients are listed
below:
Kim
Baker……………… MinneapolisPark and
Recreation
Board, KenwoodPark
Bernice Carlin…………..
FosstonHigh
School
Elizabeth Kraus
………... MinneapolisPark and
Recreation Board
Kim Niederluecke
……... RichfieldHigh
School
Valerie
Pitzen…………... Austin Park
and Recreation
Judy Praska
…………….. North
Country Region USA Volleyball
Luis
Ramirez……………
YWCA of Minneapolis
Dr. Amy Stromwell
…… Summit Orthopedics
MJ Wagenson
………….. Rochester Community
and TechnicalCollege
Kate Young
……………. MinneapolisPark and
Recreation Board
Minnesota Whitecaps Women’s Hockey Team
Women’s Wellness Community Wellness Coaches YWCA
of Minneapolis
Minnesota Girls and Women in Sports Day is sponsored
by the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic
Leadership. For more information about the event
contact either: Kelly Anderson Diercks - (651) 246-5957- kdiercks@miac-online.org or
Amanda Daninger - (763) 566-7722 - Amanda@visitminneapolisnorth.com