Penn State Behrend Athletics Complete Record Year
10 + 5 = 1. That’s the numerical equation for athletics success at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, during the 2007-08 season, according to Brian Streeter, director of athletics.
“Penn State Behrend’s athletics teams earned 10 of a possible 13 AMCC championships, made five NCAA tournament appearances and won the conference’s Presidents’ Cup,” he said. “Having that level of success across so many teams in one year is unprecedented.”
The Behrend Lions, who have belonged to the 10-member Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) since its inception in 1997-98, earned regular-season titles in baseball, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis this past year.
Of those, Penn State Behrend earned AMCC tournament championships in baseball, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, and softball. These five championship titles secured National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) post-season appearances for each team, marking Penn State Behrend’s greatest number of NCAA post-season appearances in one year.
Key Factors in Success: Retention, Longevity, Teamwork
In recent years, the college has seen record enrollment numbers, new or renovated facilities, and an increase in retention levels. “Long ago, 80 percent of Penn State Behrend students would leave to attend the University Park campus after two years, while the remaining 20 percent would stay. Now those numbers are reversed,” said Chancellor Jack Burke.
Among athletes, that trend is even higher. “Our student-athletes have access to the academic programs of their choice and continuity with their coaches and teammates,” said Streeter. “They continue to grow from year to year and see successes both on and off the court; our students want to stay.”
So do their coaches. Five head coaches have dedicated more than a decade each to the Behrend Lions; some are approaching 20 years of service.
The 2008-09 season marks 16 years as head coach for Paul Benim, baseball, Dan Perritano, men’s soccer, and Roz Fornari, women’s basketball. Dave Niland, men’s basketball, has 15 years as head coach while Jeff Barger will mark 11 years at the helm of the men’s and women’s tennis programs.
Next is Jen Wallace, who has been with the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams for nine years, six as head coach and three as assistant.
The six remaining “rookies” have a combined 26 years with the Behrend Lions. Stacy Pondo, softball, and Joe Tristan, men’s and women’s water polo, have six years each as head coach. Phil Pisano, women’s volleyball, is in his fifth year while Patrick O’Driscoll, women’s soccer, is in his fourth. James Bowen will return for his third season as the head coach for men’s and women’s golf.
Finally, Greg Cooper will enter his second year leading the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams after serving as an assistant for five years under his father, Dave, who served as head coach for six years. The duo still coach together, though; dad is now his son’s assistant.
“Teamwork is the key ingredient to success at the collegiate level for student-athletes, coaches and administrators,” said Paul Benim, head baseball coach and sports information director, who has a 20-year tenure with Penn State Behrend from his time as a student-athlete, assistant and head coach. “Our staff works exceptionally well together and we are fortunate to have such terrific leadership.”
National Recognition Nods
Penn State Behrend has garnered national attention for its athletics teams this year as well.
First, Penn State Behrend appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the top five NCAA Division III institutions in the country for providing athletics opportunities for women. The article “Title IX Enforcement Called ‘Deeply Troubling” ran in the Chronicle’s July 29, 2007, issue.
According to the article, the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines require colleges to pick one of three options to ensure they are offering female athletes a fair chance to play sports. Penn State Behrend utilizes the first option, which is to have at least the same proportion of athletes who are female as undergraduates who are female. Based on 2005-06 data, Penn State Behrend had 93 female athletes, which represented 50 percent of the college’s total athletes, and 1,052 female students, which represented 34 percent of its total student body.
Earlier this month, Penn State Behrend reached its highest ranking to date for the Division III U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup, which was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.
Penn State Behrend ranked 106th out of the nation’s 441 Division III schools, making it the highest ranked institution in the AMCC and the college’s highest ranking to date.
The program honors institutions maintaining a broad-based athletics program, achieving success in many sports for both men and women. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports, nine women’s and nine men’s. The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup began in 1993-94 for Division I and was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Seven of Eight Presidents’ Cups
Penn State Behrend claimed the 2007-08 AMCC Presidents’ Cup, the award presented annually to the conference member with the most successful overall program in AMCC competition.
The AMCC’s 10 institutions compete for points in 13 men’s and women’s sports, with points accumulated for each team’s finish during the conference’s regular season. Penn State Behrend finished the year with 99.5 total points, outpacing second-place Penn State Altoona by more than 24 points—securing the college’s greatest margin of victory to date.
Since the AMCC began awarding the Presidents’ Cup, after the 2000-01 season, Penn State Behrend has won the title every year except for the 2003-04 season, when Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Md., won the top prize. The AMCC includes Penn State Behrend, Frostburg State, Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Medaille College in Buffalo, N.Y., Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pa., Penn State Altoona, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 33 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,400 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities. Penn State Behrend is named as such due to a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the 400-acre Glenhill Farm, which is the core of the Penn State Behrend campus today.
For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.