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Carlow University
Press Release Details
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| For Immediate Release |
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University Communications & External Relations |
| December 12, 2012 |
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Drew Wilson |
| 12-41 |
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Director, Media Relations |
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412-578-2095 (phone) |
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412-260-6807 (cell) |
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412-578-2080 (fax) |
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agwilson@carlow.edu |
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| Carlow University Soccer Team Wins Championship Thanks to Norwin Connection |
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Carlow Women's Soccer Gets a Boost from Westmoreland County Residents
Pittsburgh, Pa. - When Carlow University's soccer team achieved its goal of a first-ever NAIA conference championship in November, it was due in no small part to the goals scored by its Norwin High connection.
Carlow head coach Marcus Pollidore's 2012 Celtics finished the season with a 15-3-1 record and the championship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic's (NAIA) Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). His roster includes six players from Norwin High School including senior Amanda Cotherman, an Irwin, Pa., resident, who scored the winning goal in overtime to give the Celtics a 1-0 win over Point Park University on November 10 in the KIAC Championship game.
"I can't believe four years went by so quickly and to have it end with a championship is more than any of us expected," said Cotherman, a nursing major, shortly after the game, which was scoreless for 90 minutes of play and just under two minutes in overtime. "This is unbelievable."
The journey actually started five seasons ago when Pollidore teamed with Stephanie Demalon, Carlow's assistant director of admissions to recruit the first of several Norwin players who saw Carlow as an opportunity to continue playing a sport they loved in college, earn an athletic scholarship, and get a great education at the private, comprehensive, liberal arts institution located in Oakland.
Tara Imbarlina, a May 2012 nursing graduate and now a Celtics assistant coach, became the first of the recent string of Norwin players to join the Celtics, along with teammates Samantha Noll and Lauren Czapor in the fall of 2008. That year Carlow finished with a record of 1-15-2.
"At the beginning of my Carlow career, I was one of 10 new recruits to a team that was slowly growing," reflected Imbarlina, fresh off a 12-hour shift as a nurse. "I watched the team go from not being able to bring home a win, to bringing home a championship. I am honored to have been a part of a growing program, and am thankful for all I learned from my time at Carlow. I hope to be able to continue contributing as a coach and help the program continue its growth."
Once word spread back to Norwin about scholarship opportunities, the connection continued. The following season Norwin's Lindsay Bacco, Nicole Yusko, and Cotherman joined the Celtics and the team finished 4-13.
In 2010, Marisa Czapor joined her sister, Lauren, on the team and started every game up until a knee injury sidelined her just before the playoff run this season.
In 2011, two more Norwin players joined the Celtics, Janelle McIntyre and Lauren Closser soon to be followed by Jordan Huffman in 2012.
All in all, the 2012 roster of 24 players consisted of six from Norwin, five of which started for the championship team, and the sixth, Bacco, serving as a team captain.
"The impact of the Norwin players has been tremendous as they enable a culture of success through hard work and discipline," said Pollidore, now in his sixth season as head coach. For his team's efforts, Pollidore was also named the KIAC Coach of the Year.
Several of the Norwin student-athletes earned recognition as NAIA and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Scholar-athletes, too. Such recognition requires a minimum 3.5 GPA upon reaching junior academic standing, and this year Bacco and Czapor were named scholar-athletes by both organizations.
Bacco, who will graduate in May 2013 with a degree in nursing, already has her name etched in stone at Carlow, as she was inducted into the University's Walk of Fame as the 2011-12 Outstanding Student-Athlete, one of three annual awards presented by the Athletic Department.
This marked back-to-back selections of Norwin students for the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, as the 2010-2011 award went to Lauren Czapor, who graduated last spring with an education degree.
Czapor's and Bacco's honors might just be the first step for Norwin athletes as first year player Jordan Huffman, sophomore McIntyre, and junior Czapor all from North Huntingdon were named to KIAC's First Team All-Conference.
"With all these honors, it can easily be concluded that the goals of a quality education and soccer success are being scored by Norwin grads at Carlow University," said George Sliman, Carlow's director of athletics.
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About Carlow University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow University is a comprehensive master's institution dedicated to learner-centered education at the collegiate levels and at the elementary school level in the Campus School of Carlow University.
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