April 28, 2009

PHOTO GALLERY

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted a cookout Tuesday for Flyer student-athletes and UD Athletics Division faculty and staff to commemorate the 22nd annual National Student-Athlete Day.

National Student-Athlete day recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes nationwide who excel in the classroom, on the playing fields and in their communities. National Student-Athlete Day was created by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society, with partnership from the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations.

UD celebrated National Student-Athlete Day by holding a cookout on campus. The event, hosted by Dayton's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, featured a band, a hot dog eating contest, corn hole, raffle prizes and a pong tournament.

"The Flyers have had tremendous success this year," said senior woman administrator Megan Pease. "National Student-Athlete Day is a great way to recognize all the hard work and dedication the student-athletes have put forth."

Dayton is in the midst of its most successful year in history. The men's basketball team just completed a great 2008-09 campaign finishing 27-8; earning an NCAA tournament berth and advancing to the second round.

The women's basketball team had its second straight 20-win season and earned its first ever postseason WNIT win as a Division I program.

This fall, Dayton's men's and women's soccer teams, the Flyer football team and the UD volleyball team all finished first or second in their respective leagues, which is the first time that has ever happened in school history. In total, four teams earned national postseason berths.

UD women's track & field finished second at the 2009 Atlantic 10 Indoor Championship in January recording the most points in program history. Five Flyer athletes earn gold medals at the meet.

In the individual sports, Rob Chappell was the medalist at the 2008 A-10 Men's Golf Championship, the men's cross country team had its first two runners at the 2008 NCAA nationals (twin brothers Chris and Matt Lemon) and in women's track, sophomore Ashley Cattran was the first Flyer to participate in the US Indoor Nationals.

The unprecedented competitive success the student-athletes are enjoying is matched by their academic achievements. In fact, UD's student-athletes have never performed better in the classroom. Dayton's student-athletes hold a combined cumulative GPA of 3.229. Nearly two-thirds of UD student-athletes have a GPA above 3.0, and just over a third were on the Dean's List last semester. Ten of UD's sixteen teams have a combined GPA higher than the general student population.

The Flyers always pride themselves on team community service initiatives. Even with the commitments that come with high performance on-and-off the field, the Flyers make the time to give back to the community, particularly in areas that impact Dayton-area children. UD student-athletes have accumulated almost 2,000 community service hours this year alone.