October 24, 2007
President Snyder Lauds Athletes and 'Team Case,' Encourages Collective Support
To the campus community:
As we near the end of the fall sports season, I wanted to take this opportunity to commend all of our athletes for their outstanding performances—especially our history-making 2007 Spartan football team. Even more, I want to applaud the friends and family who so enthusiastically supported our programs.
I had the pleasure of seeing our outstanding fan support first-hand Saturday afternoon as our football team secured its first-ever outright University Athletic Association championship before a packed home crowd. That 35-27 win represented Case's first triumph over Washington since 1991, and followed the team's first victory over the College of Wooster since 1994 earlier this season. The football team this season also cracked the top 25 national rankings for the first time in more than two decades. Our Spartans wrap up their regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday at home against Ohio Wesleyan, with hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid when selections are announced the following day (Sunday, Nov. 11).
Meanwhile, our men's and women's cross country teams travel to Michigan this weekend for the Great Lakes Regional competition, with hopes of qualifying for NCAA nationals Nov. 17 in Minnesota. Last month senior Esther Erb claimed Case's first-ever UAA championship in cross country, and she leads a women's team ranked seventh in the country.
Finally, our men's soccer team failed to win a second consecutive NCAA tournament bid this year, but nevertheless did claim the school's highest-ever national ranking (#2) earlier this season. Coach Dan Palmer is confident the team will be even stronger next fall, as it returns several starters.
Our swim team—technically a winter sport—already participated in its first contest last month, and hosts the Veale Classic today and Saturday. Men's basketball kicks off its season here Nov. 16 with the Case Alumni Association Tip-Off Classic, while the women will start the same day at a tournament at Carnegie Mellon University.
This weekend offers a wealth of opportunities to support our athletes, but Saturday's football game includes an added bonus: Team Case, creators of the autonomous robotic vehicle DEXTER, will be honored at halftime. As many of you know already, our School of Engineering's entrant in the DARPA Urban Challenge finished among the Top 20 in the entire nation on their first foray into this high-level competition. Professor Wyatt S. Newman led a technical team of more than 50, including faculty members, students and other collaborators. Like our athletes, they too deserve congratulations.
I am a firm believer that participation in athletics—indeed, in any one of a wide variety of student activities—teaches invaluable lessons our graduates use throughout their lives. Attending events not only demonstrates your support of their endeavors, but also deepens our collective sense of campus community. I thank all of you who have backed our teams to date, and all of those who have so proudly represented our university as athletes. Good luck to all of our teams competing this weekend. Go Spartans!
Sincerely,
Barbara R. Snyder
President