Friday, May 9, 2003

USM's Kati Libby to Attend NCAA Leadership Conference

	GORHAM, Maine  --  Junior Kati Libby (Orono, Maine) of the University of 
Southern Maine volleyball and women's lacrosse teams is among the 302 student-
athletes from across the nation that have been selected to attend the seventh 
annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Leadership Conference at 
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in 
Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  The conference is being held May 25-29.
	Libby is the tenth USM student-athlete to be selected to attend the 
conference in its seven-year history.  Other former USM student-athletes to attend 
the conference include Heather Gilmour and Ed Pike (1997), Kim Cochrane and 
Michael McCullum (1998), Michelle Cloutier (1999), Kevin Faria (2000), Tina West 
and Tony Coates (2001) and Jessica Short (2002).
	A two-year member of the Huskies' volleyball (2001 and 2002), Libby played 
women's lacrosse for the first time this spring (2003).  She also has been a 
member of the USM women's soccer (2000) and basketball teams (2000-01 and 2001-
02).  This past fall, Libby, playing primarily as a defensive specialist, ranked 
up 88 digs and a .781 receiving percentage.  In her first lacrosse season, she 
played in five games without scoring.
	Outside the athletic arena, Libby has been involved with USM's award-winning 
Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), the ACES (Athletes Committed to Education 
and Sports ) Mentor program and the School of Business peer mentor program.  A 
Dean's List student majoring in business, Libby is a multi-time recipient of the 
Athletic Department's William Wise Scholar-Athlete Award.
	According to the NCAA news release announcing the conference and the list of 
student-athletes selected to attend, "The 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference is one 
of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. The conference 
is designed to enhance student-athletes' leadership and communication skills and 
to enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to 
their campuses. The convention setting provides the student-athletes with an 
opportunity to create dialogue surrounding topics that affect them on campus and 
in their communities. The conference also provides them with exercises to enhance 
their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and improve planning and 
priority management.
	"The student-athlete leaders were selected from a total of 1,172 nomination 
forms that were submitted by college and university officials who have NCAA 
CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools. Student-athletes attending the 
leadership conference reside in the United States and abroad. They represent 
Divisions I, II and III, and fall, winter and spring sports. This year's group of 
participants will represent 22 sports: baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, 
diving, equestrian, field hockey, ice hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, 
lacrosse, rifle, alpine skiing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and 
field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
	"During the five-day event, student-athletes have the opportunity to discuss 
a variety of topics, which include the demands and expectations of student-
athletes; inclusion education; international student-athlete experiences; 
recruiting visits; student-athlete responsibility; party behaviors; trust gaps 
within intercollegiate athletics; and sportsmanship.
	"A total of 48 coaches, athletics administrators and program facilitators 
will join the student-athletes at the conference. In addition, 24 members 
representing the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) also will 
participate in the discussion sessions and group activities. SAAC provides 
feedback to NCAA committees and councils regarding student welfare issues and is 
considered the "voice" of the student-athlete within the NCAA governance 
structure.
	"Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes will be asked to 
share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus SAAC, as well as 
other campus leaders. The participants are also asked to develop a self-directed 
project that will address an issue on their campus or in their community, and 
implement the plan when they return to their campuses.
	"Criteria for selection include the student-athletes' demonstrated ability 
and strong desire to be a leader and the student-athletes' potential to benefit 
significantly from a leadership development experience. In order to be eligible 
for the conference, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing, and 
must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year. A 
committee comprised of CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinators from member institutions 
and NCAA student-athletes review the nominations to determine the final 
selections."