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By Michael MacEachern The Savannah College of Art and Design volleyball team opens its 2004 season in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 27-28 at the Sunbirds Invitational hosted by NAIA defending champion Fresno Pacific University. The Bees will face three teams ranked in the NAIA preseason top 25 poll. The Bees will face Azusa Pacific University and No. 12 Point Loma Nazarene University Aug. 27 before they wrap up play Aug. 28 against No. 10 Southern Oregon University and No. 2 Biola University. The men’s and women’s soccer teams will host the college’s first-ever Florida Sun Conference event when SCAD plays St. Thomas University in a doubleheader at the Chatham County Soccer Complex Aug. 28. The women’s game starts at 4 p.m. followed by the men’s contest at 6 p.m.
The SCAD athletics department welcome four new faces — Ronnie Hiers, Rae Lucas, Lela Richardson and Rob Weisel — to the staff as the Bees begin the new athletic year. Hiers begins his first year as the assistant sports information director. He is no stranger to the SCAD athletics program, having served as an intern in the fall of 2003. Hiers will serve as the primary contact for volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s rowing, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis. Prior to his arrival at SCAD, Hiers was an assistant manager at the Downtown Athletic Club while completing his degree requirement at Georgia Southern University. While at GSU, Hiers served as equipment manager for the baseball team that won two Southern Conference titles and advanced to the 2000 NCAA Division I Regionals that were held in Atlanta. Hiers, who is a Savannah native, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a minor in business from GSU in May 2004. Lucas, the administrative assistant to the director of athletics, has been with the department for three weeks. A native New Englander, she moved to Savannah three months ago after marrying her high school sweetheart, Robert, in March of this year. Prior to SCAD, Lucas worked at Dartmouth Medical School for 18 years as the administrative coordinator for the second-year curriculum. Richardson begins her first year as the volunteer assistant cheerleading coach. Richardson, who has more than 10 years experience in cheerleading, cheered for the Bees for three seasons and was team captain the last two. After graduating from SCAD in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in interior design, Richardson moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and spent a year and a half working for Lacey-Champion Inc. as a sales representative. She has worked as an interior designer in Design Group at SCAD for the past three years. Weisel begins his first season as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team. Weisel comes to SCAD after playing soccer for the past four seasons at Piedmont College in Demorest. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and a first-team NCAA Division I All-American in 2003. He was selected to the All-Great South Conference team three times (2001-03) as well as being named Piedmont’s team captain twice. He played soccer for the Melchester Silverbacks, which finished in third place in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League this past spring. He developed, promoted and instructed weekly youth goalkeeper clinics for the Lanier Soccer Association. Weisel graduated cum laude from Piedmont in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. MacEachern is sports information director at SCAD.
By Michael MacEachern Former Savannah College of Art and Design men’s basketball player Wesley Adams passed away Aug. 12 as a result of an automobile accident near his home in Rome. Adams was 23. Adams played four seasons for the Bees from 1999-2003. In 73 games, the Rome native averaged 9.22 points and 2.10 rebounds as SCAD went 67-37 (.644) and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament three times. As a senior, Adams averaged 10.9 points and 2.6 rebounds as the Bees set a school record with 21 wins, including 16 in a row. Adams also set two school records during his SCAD career — most three-point field goals in a game (six vs. York College in Dec. 2001) and most three-point field goals in a season (58 in 2001-02). He is second on the all-time career list for three-point field goals with 109. “The Savannah College of Art and Design family lost a great student athlete, who possessed a wealth of talent and potential,” said SCAD men’s basketball coach Cazzie Russell. “We mourn the loss of Wesley Adams, a gifted young man in the field of film and television as well as a vital member of our 2002-03 men’s basketball team, which won 16 consecutive games.” “Wesley was known for his athleticism, his ability to shoot from three-point range and his speed and quickness was a major concern for his opponents,” said Russell. “We are shocked by his untimely death. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and to all those whose lives were touched by knowing Wesley. We pray that God will comfort us during this time of sadness.” The college is establishing a scholarship in memory of Adams. Once endowed, the scholarship will provide an annual award for a continuing student majoring in film and television. Contributions to this scholarship should be made to the office of institutional advancement, Savannah College of Art and Design, P.O. Box 3146, Savannah, Ga. 31402. MacEachern is sports information director at SCAD. |
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