IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2007
CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine:
724-738-4854
gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

Two Slippery Rock graduates keep University in March Madness news

Slippery Rock, Pa. -­ Since they compete at the NCAA Division II level, today’s March Madness activities don’t affect Slippery Rock University athletics. But that doesn’t mean Slippery Rock University isn’t having an impact on March Madness.

            Two SRU grads, Vivian Stringer and Carol Sprague, are making sure Slippery Rock University’s name stays in the news.

            Stringer, who received her bachelors from SRU in 1970 and a masters in 1973, is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University. Her Scarlet Knight squad recently upset top-seeded Connecticut 55-47 to win their first-ever Big East Championship. The victory earned Rutgers a four seed in the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. They will take on 13th-seeded East Carolina in the first round Sunday, March 18, in East Lansing, Mich. Game time is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU.       

            Stringer is in the SRU Athletic Hall of Fame and was the 1982 recipient of the SRU Distinguished Alumni Award. At SRU she played basketball and field hockey.

            She holds the distinction of being the only coach in NCAA history to lead three different women's programs to the NCAA Final Four (Rutgers University in 2000, University of Iowa in 1993 and Cheyney University in 1982).

            Carol Sprague, senior associate  athletic director and senior women's administrator at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Administrator of the Year for her contributions to the development and advancement of women's basketball.

            She earned her bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1971 and a master of science degree in 1974. A member of the Rockets' swimming team, she was a national championship qualifier.          

            Sprague, who has devoted 33 years to Pitt athletics, was the driving force behind the Panthers receiving hosting rights to the 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds. 

            The Penn Hills native has been inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, earned the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Sports and was a 1992 Penn Hills High School Hall of Fame inductee.

            The Pitt women's basketball team earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament with a first round match up against James Madison March 18 at 9:30 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2.  

Slippery Rock University is Pennsylvania’s premier public residential university. Slippery Rock University provides students with a comprehensive learning experience that intentionally combines academic instruction with enhanced educational and learning opportunities that make a positive difference in their lives.