NGWSD, “Pink Zone”, NWC Titles, Seniors’ Last Games All Set for Basketball DH Feb. 17

NEWBERG, Ore. - It will be a full evening of activities and celebrations of all sorts at George Fox University’s Wheeler Sports Center and Miller Gymnasium as the Bruins play their final regular-season men’s and women’s home basketball games this Friday, Feb. 17, against their Yamhill County rivals, the Linfield College Wildcats.

Among the various events planned around the games will be a celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, an introduction of all senior women student-athletes, student athletic trainers and cheerleaders, “Pink Zone” activities for breast cancer awareness and research, the recognition of George Fox’s 2010-11 Northwest Conference team championships, and pre-game ceremonies to acknowledge the careers of the basketball teams’ graduating seniors.

The women’s game tips off at 6:00 p.m., the men’s game at 8:00 p.m.  The Bruin women are currently 23-0 overall, ranked No. 3 in the nation, and have clinched a share of their sixth straight NWC crown and home-court advantage for all NWC Tournament games.  The George Fox men are 11-12 overall but fourth in the conference at 8-6 and fighting for one of the four playoff sports for the NWC Tournament.

Prior to the women’s game, seniors Keisha Gordon, Arianna Mohsenian, Carrie Myers, Breezy Rinehart-Young and Carly Towne will be recognized for their outstanding careers. 

At halftime of the women’s game, the accomplishments of the George Fox conference champions from last year - women’s basketball, women’s golf, and women’s track and field - will be proclaimed, and new banners celebrating their achievements will be unveiled. 

Before the men’s game, seniors Ethan Brown, Corey Clark, Cam Rier and Mike Taylor will be honored for their fine Bruin careers.

During halftime of the men’s game, all senior women athletes, trainers and cheerleaders will be brought to the floor to be recognized as a part of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day.  Former Bruin track star Irene Johnson, last year’s NCAA Division III national champion in the women’s 100 meter hurdles and a finalist for the 2011 Ad Rutschman Award for Small College Athlete of the Year as presented at the Oregon Sports Awards, will address the seniors.  Refreshments for the seniors and their families will be available in the upstairs lobby of the Wheeler Sports Center following the halftime.

The National Girls and Women in Sports Day began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman, an activist for equality in women’s sports who died of Marfan’s Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since then, it has evolved into a day to acknowledge the past and to recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the ongoing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.

Throughout the evening, special activities will take place to call attention to the university’s participation in the “Pink Zone” program, an initiative that allows a nation of coaches to raise awareness and funds for cancer research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Since 2006, thousands of people have joined with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to raise over $1.5 million for numerous breast cancer research programs.

Fans are encouraged to stage a “Pink-Out” by wearing pink to the games to show their support of all efforts to cure cancer.  A portion of the gate receipts will be designated for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which raises donations for numerous cancer research programs.  Pink T-shirts will be on sale during the women’s game, and George Fox women’s basketball team posters with the players wearing pink warm-up shirts will be given away. 

Sponsors for the entire evening include Newberg Ford, West Coast Bank, Gregg Hottman Insurance, Safeway, and Technocom.

For more information, call the George Fox department of athletics at 503-554-2910.