Bloch and Thomspson

Two Alums Earn NESCAC Honors

12/25/2007

The NESCAC Conference inaugurated a new honor within their league this year recognizing sportsmanship. The All-Sportsmanship Team is composed of one student-athlete from each institution for each sport and is selected by the players and coaches from their respective team for their positive contributions to sportsmanship. The student-athlete selected must be in good academic standing and a member of the team at the conclusion of the season in order to be eligible for selection. Two former Taft student athletes, Reisa Bloch ‘05 and Gus Thompson ’07 were honored for their participation in Volleyball at Middlebury College, and Golf at Colby College, respectively.

The All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes from each varsity sport who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to sportsmanship. These student-athletes exhibit respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, and spectators. They display sportsmanship not only as a participant in their sport but also as a spectator and in their everyday lives. Through their positive actions and example, these student-athletes inspire others to adhere to the quality of sportsmanship that the NESCAC and the NCAA endorse.

Of the 83 individuals selected for All-Sportsmanship honors, 19 received NESCAC All-Conference recognition in their respective sport this fall. The Men's Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team had five of its 10 members earn All-NESCAC in 2007, more than any other fall sport.

The Fall All-Sportsmanship Teams also include four members of the NESCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Rainey Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.), a member of the Middlebury Men's Cross Country team, Lauren Benson (Hamilton, N.J.), a member of the Amherst Field Hockey team, and Women's Soccer players Marcia Whitehead (Cambridge, Mass.) of Wesleyan and Lauren Garcia (Cincinnati, Ohio) of Williams. Benson, the Chair of the NESCAC SAAC, was part of a committee of student-athletes that helped create the concept and philosophy of the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team during the spring of 2007. The NESCAC SAAC serves as the liaison between the student-athletes of NESCAC member institutions and conference administrators. The committee provides a voice to represent the concerns of all student-athletes and to discuss issues impacting student-athlete welfare. The NESCAC SAAC represents all students who participate in intercollegiate athletics and promotes and celebrates student-athletes achievements.

Below are the lists from both sports.

Volleyball