AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS · College of Charleston 46.5 ... Dec. 2 MONTANA STATE W, 38-17 ... 2006-07 AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS AnnuAl RepoRt .

AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS

2006-07 AnnuAl RepoRt

the chAmpionShip expeRience

2006-07 AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS AnnuAl RepoRt

www.GoASu.com mountaineers | �

Director of Athletics charlie cobb

Dear Appalachian Family,

Today I Give My All For Appalachian State

Most fans will recognize this slogan from the football locker room as a sign for the players to touch before they enter the stadium. It’s a statement that Coach Jerry Moore has included as part of his program for many years. It’s a statement that we are growing to include within our entire Athletics Department.

Enclosed is our annual report for the 2006-2007 athletics year, which was arguably the most successful in the his-tory of our University. Many also think that December 15-21, 2006, marked the most successful six-day stretch in our history when football repeated as NCAA Division I National Champions, followed by men’s basketball winning the San Juan Shootout. A couple other highlights to consider:

• Sweeping the SoCon’s Commissioner’s Cup and Germann Cup for best male and female sports programs for the second-straight year.• Men’s Basketball setting a school record with 25 wins.• Scott Ervin’s courageous SoCon wrestling championship in overtime at 149 pounds.• Anthony Greer sweeping the throws championships at the SoCon meet.• Men’s golfer Robert Quick leading our department in adopting students at the Crossnore School.• Pierre Banks and Vonteena Knotts being honored by the SoCon for their leadership and athletic accomplishments.

On behalf of the entire Appalachian State Athletics Department – our student-athletes, coaches, and staff – I thank you for your support. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading the next few pages and celebrating with us.

Today I Give My All For Appalachian State,

Charlie CobbDirector of Athletics


www.GoASu.com mountaineers | 2

commissioner’s and Germann cups

For the second-consecutive year, Appalachian claimed both the Southern Conference’s Commissioner’s and Ger-mann Cups in 2006-07. The Commission-er’s and Germann Cups are presented an-nually to the conference’s top all-around men’s and women’s all-sports programs. Appalachian is the only institution in SoCon history to win both cups in the same academic year, a feat it has now accomplished eight times. The Commissioner’s Cup is the 28th overall and 23rd in the last 24 years for the Mountaineers’ men’s programs. Con-ference championships in football, cross country and indoor track and field and the North Division title in men’s basket-ball garnered the Apps first with 86.5 points, 16 points ahead of second-place UNC Greensboro. The 16-point margin of victory is the third-largest in the 38-year history of the Commissioner’s Cup. The Germann Cup is the eighth overall, but just the second in 15 years for the Mountaineer women. A league championship in indoor track and field and second-place showings in volleyball, cross country and outdoor track and field led the way to 70 points for the Apps. ASU placed first or second in four of the SoCon’s nine women’s sports to beat out Furman by two-and-a-half points.

2006-07 commissioner’s cup Final Standings

Appalachian 86.5

UNC Greensboro 70.5

Chattanooga 64

Davidson 60.5

Furman 57

Western Carolina 51.5

Elon 51

College of Charleston 46.5

The Citadel 44

Wofford 41.5

Georgia Southern 41

VMI 9

2006-07 Germann cup Final Standings

Appalachian 70

Furman 67.5

Western Carolina 66.5

College of Charleston 66

Chattanooga 63.5

Davidson 53

Elon 53

UNC Greeensboro 51.5

Georgia Southern 51

Wofford 24

The Citadel 23

En route to winning its 28th Commis-sioner’s Cup, Appalachian became the first institution in modern SoCon history (1972-) to defeat every team in the conference in football, men’s basketball and baseball in the same academic year.

Did You Know ...

Appalachian All-time commissioner’s cups1977-78 1978-79 1979-801980-81 1981-82 1983-841984-85 1985-86 1986-871987-88 1988-89 1989-901990-91 1991-92 1992-931993-94 1994-95 1995-961996-97 1997-98 1998-991999-2000 2000-01 2001-022002-03 2003-04 2005-062006-07

Appalachian All-time Germann cups1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-922005-06 2006-07



2006 ncAA Division i Football championship

For the second-consecutive year, the NCAA Division I football national championship highlighted Appalachian’s on-field successes. Despite the departure of 2005 heroes Richie Williams and Jason Hunter, expectations were at an all-time high coming into the 2006 campaign. The Mountaineers opened the season with a hard-fought loss to NC State before a sellout crowd at steamy Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, but that would be the last time the Apps would be on the wrong end of the final score all year. Appalachian reeled off 14-straight victories after the season-opening set-back, setting school records for consecu-tive wins and wins in a season. Along the way, ASU stretched its winning streak at Kidd Brewer Stadium to 27 games. A 49-24 thrashing of No. 4 Youngstown State in the national semifinals capped the Black and Gold’s fourth-consecutive unblemished season at home, giving ASU’s seniors a perfect 27-0 record at The Rock for their careers. A week later, Kevin Richardson’s four touchdowns gave him the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS – formerly Division I-AA) single-season rushing touchdowns record with 30 and propelled the Mountaineers to a 28-17 triumph over UMass in the NCAA Division I national championship game in Chattanooga.

Armanti Edwards became just the fifth player in NCAA Division I history (and only the second freshman) to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a season? The others to ac-complish the feat are David Dinkins (Morehead State – 1999), Woodrow Dantzler (Clemson – 2001), Brad Smith (Missouri – 2002) and Vince Young (Texas – 2005). Smith is the only other freshman on the list.

Did You Know ...

ASu team Records Set in 2006Wins 14Consecutive Wins 14Consecutive Home Wins 27 (dating to 2002)All-Americans 8All-Conference Selections 19Season Home Attendance 184,911 (Nine Games – 20,546 Avg.)Single-Game Home Attendance 26,620 (Sept. 30 vs. Elon)Playoff Game Home Attendance 18,040 (Dec. 9 vs. Youngstown State)Points 528 Rushing Yards 3,619Rushing Touchdowns 48Total Touchdowns 71First Downs 319Rushing First Downs 194

Appalachian All-Americans

Daniel BettisTight End

Kerry BrownOffensive Guard

SoCon Lineman of the Year

Armanti edwardsQuarterback

SoCon/National Freshman of the Year

matt isenhourOffensive Tackle

corey lynchDefensive Back

marques murrellDefensive End

SoCon Defensive Player/Male Athlete of the Year

Kevin RichardsonRunning Back

SoCon OffensivePlayer of the Year

Jeremy WigginsDefensive Back

head coach Jerry mooreAFCA National Coach of the YearEddie Robinson Award Winner (The Sports Network National Coach of the Year)AFCA Regional Coach of the YearSouthern Conference Coach of the Year

2006-07 Results

Sept. 2 at NC State L, 23-10

Sept. 9 JAMES MADISON W, 21-10

Sept. 16 MARS HILL W, 41-0

Sept. 23 at Gardner-Webb W, 41-6

Sept. 30 ELON* W, 45-21

Oct. 7 at Chattanooga* W, 56-21

Oct. 14 WOFFORD* W, 14-7

Oct. 21 at Ga. Southern* W, 27-20

Oct. 28 FURMAN* W, 40-7

Nov. 4 THE CITADEL* W, 42-13

Nov. 11 at Western Carolina* W, 31-9

Nov. 25 COASTAL CAROLINA W, 45-28 (NCAA Division I Playoffs First Round)

Dec. 2 MONTANA STATE W, 38-17 (NCAA Division I Quarterfinals)

Dec. 9 YOUNGSTOWN STATE W, 49-24 (NCAA Division I Semifinals)

Dec. 15 vs. Massachusetts W, 28-17 (NCAA Division I Championship)



2006 ncAA Division i Football championship

Socon male Athlete of the Year marques murrell For the third-straight year, an Appalachian State Univer-sity student-athlete earned the Southern Conference’s highest individual honor for a male, when football’s Marques Murrell was named the SoCon’s Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-America defensive end, Murrell joins former teammates DaVon Fowlkes (2004-05) and Richie Williams (2005-06) as the most recent winners of the Bob Waters Award, making Ap-palachian the first school in the 60-year history of the award to boast three-straight recipients. Murrell is the sixth Mountaineer, all football players, to bring home the honor. Other ASU honorees include wide receiver and current senior associate athletics director for development Rick Beasley (1979-80), running back John Settle (1986-87) and the school’s only two-time winner, linebacker Dexter Coakley (1995-96 and ‘96-97). Murrell led the nation in sacks twice, recording 13 as both a junior and senior. After registering 17 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles to go along with his 13 sacks as a senior, Murrell finished third in voting for the 2006 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the FCS National Defensive Player of the Year. He was named the 2006 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches.

mountaineers Visit the Statehouse A visit with North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and the pas-sage of a joint resolution by the N.C. General Assembly honor-ing Appalachian State University’s second-straight NCAA Divi-sion I football national championship highlighted Appalachian football’s trip to the state’s capital city on February 6. While the ASU contingent of players, coaches, faculty, staff and distinguished guests was at the Governor’s Mansion, Gov. Easley proclaimed February 6 to be “Mountaineer Day” in the state of North Carolina. The Governor also bestowed each of the Appalachian coaches and players with a Laurel Wreath Award, the state’s top honor for athletes. Following the visit at the Governor’s Mansion, the Black and Gold contingent moved across the street to the State Leg-islative Building, where first the N.C. House of Representatives and then the Senate passed a joint resolution honoring the Mountaineers for winning the 2006 NCAA Division I national title. ASU chancellor Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock and head coach Jerry Moore both spoke in each chamber and the resolution was passed unanimously, 114-0 in the House and 45-0 in the Senate. Appalachian also presented gifts to its hosts. Gov. Easley received a personalized ASU football jersey bearing the No. 1 and a national championship game ball signed by the entire team. The speakers of both houses of the General Assembly were also given signed autographed title balls.

Back-to-Back champs Receive Rings Appalachian State University football officially closed the book on its second-straight NCAA Division I national title at the 2006 National Championship Banquet at the Holmes Center. The distribution of Appalachian’s 2006 national championship rings highlighted the event. The Mountaineers’ 111 players and 14 coaches received their championship rings at the conclusion of the banquet. The rings feature a No. 1 and two championship trophies, both encrusted in diamonds and framed by the words “National Champions” in gold, on top. One side commemorates the senior class’s perfect 27-0 record at “The Rock” from 2003-06, while the other side is engraved with the recipient’s name and “Back2Back.”



men’s Basketball The Mountaineers made history on the hardwood with a school-record 25 victories, the SoCon North Division title and the third-ever post-season appearance with an NIT berth in 2006-07. They entered the national spotlight in December by capturing the San Juan Shootout title with victories over ACC champion Virginia, UCF and Sweet 16-participant Vanderbilt. A win at Wichita State before a national television audience catapulted the team to No. 6 in the Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, add-ing to the squad’s 10-consecutive weeks in the poll. The Apps also set a school record with 15 conference wins en route to the North Division crown and outscored their opponents by nearly 14 points per game in SoCon wins. Both D.J. Thompson and Jeremy Clayton earned all-conference honors while Clayton, Demetrius Scott and Donte Minter were named to the league’s all-tournament team. Thompson continued to re-write the ASU record books, ending his career as the program’s all-time leader in steals and three-pointers and finishing second in assists and sixth all-time in scoring.

men’s outdoor track & Field Appalachian men’s track and field got its first NCAA Championship qualifiers in three years in 2007 as sophomore Charles Derrickson and senior Anthony Greer advanced to the championship meet in the 110-meter hurdles and shot put, respectively. After missing the SoCon Championships, Der-rickson placed third in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA East Regional Championships to advance to nationals. Greer won all three throwing events at the SoCon Championships on his way to most outstanding field performer honors. Greer earned an at-large spot in the shot put after placing seventh at regionals. A total of eight men advanced to regionals, includ-ing SoCon Champions Daniel Neal (110 meter hurdles), Joel Gaddy (long jump, triple jump) and Dexter Jackson (200 meter dash). Derrickson and Greer were also honored as SoCon Athletes of the Week after each broke their own school records during the season.

Sport-By-Sport Recaps

Women’s indoor track & Field Appalachian women’s indoor track and field used a second-day come-back to capture its seventh-straight Southern Conference Champion-ship in 2006-07. The Mountaineers edged out Western Carolina by a point-and-a-half at the SoCon meet for their 14th title under 25th-year coach John Weaver. Junior Vonteena Knotts represented ASU at the NCAA Championships in the long jump, where she placed 16th. Her class-mates Meghan Gaffney and Brittani Williams each won individual titles at

the SoCon Championships, while Knotts, Ashley McKiver, Meg Phillips, Shea Snow and Jenna Wrieden each picked up all-So-Con honors.

men’s cross country Appalachian men’s cross country captured its 10th South-ern Conference title and sixth under 12th-year head coach Mike Curcio in 2006. Redshirt freshman Phil Mitchell led a group of three all-SoCon honorees after winning the league’s individual championship and becoming the first Mountaineer to earn So-Con Runner of the Year honors since 1994. The two-time SoCon

Runner of the Week and Runner of the Month also led ASU to a 14th-place fin-ish at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet. Freshman Josh Houser became ASU’s third SoCon Freshman of the Year in four years after placing 18th at the SoCon Championship meet.

men’s indoor track & Field Appalachian men’s indoor track and field won 10-of-17 events at the Southern Conference Championships to capture its 15th all-time crown in 2006-07. The Mountaineers also took home three individual awards, high-lighted by head coach John Weaver’s fourth Coach of the Year award. Junior Wes Kiser was named the SoCon Championships’ outstanding field performer and senior Adam Van Nortwick was the meet’s most out-standing track performer. Kiser and Van Nortwick each won two events, while Charles Derrickson, Joel Gaddy Ricky Harris, Brendon Helms and Bar-ron Shell also took home individual titles. Seven others earned all-SoCon accolades.

Vonteena Knotts

Phil Mitchell

Wes Kiser

2006 San Juan Shootout Champions

Anthony Greer



(Oct. 9), SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week (Nov. 2), SoCon all-Tournament honors (Nov. 19) and first-team ESPN The Maga-zine Academic All-District honors.

Softball ASU softball had its most successful Southern Conference season to date, finishing third in the league with a school-re-cord 11 conference victories. The team also opened into its first-ever on-campus facility, the ASU Softball Stadium, for a SoCon series against College of Charleston. The Mountain-eers finished 20th in the nation in steals and stole 34 bases in SoCon play while holding their opponents to just 11. Danielle Peters led the way on the basepaths with a school-re-cord 39 steals and 37 runs scored. For the second-consecutive season, three Apps earned all-conference honors including Kristyn Hurt, Peters and Brittany Gaston, who had a school-record 16-game hit streak.

Baseball Under the direction of third-year head coach Chris Pollard, Appalachian baseball turned in its best season in over 20 years, finishing with a 34-26 overall record. In posting their first 30-win season since 1986, the Mountaineers also finished above .500 for the first time since 1996 and finished fourth in the

Southern Conference standings with a 14-13 record in conference play, its best league showing since 1989. Offense was the Apps most lethal weapon, as they set school records 483 runs, 707 hits and 168 doubles on the season. Sophomore outfielder David Rubinstein led the onslaught, banging out a school-record 30 doubles to finish second nationally in the category, en route to all-state, all-conference and all-America recogni-tion. He became ASU’s first all-Ameri-can in 19 years.

David Rubinstein

Danielle Peters


Women’s outdoor track & Field Three student-athletes advanced to the NCAA East Regional Meet and Ap-palachian women’s outdoor track and field finished second at the Southern Conference Championships in 2007. Juniors Meghan Gaffney, Brittani Williams and Vonteena Knotts each competed at the regional champion-ships in Gainesville, Fla. All three were all-SoCon honorees in two events, with Gaffney winning both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 1,500-meter run and Williams claiming the crown in the discus. Adrienne Alexander,

Chenel McFadden, Shea Snow and Jenna Wrieden also earned all-SoCon honors. Gaffney was awarded for her hard work on the track and in the classroom by being named the SoCon Stu-dent-Athlete of the Week following the championships meet.

Women’s cross country Appalachian women’s cross country finished the 2006 season as the Southern Conference runner-up and placed 11th at the NCAA South-east Regional meet. Newcomer Jenna Wrieden led ASU as she finished her final year of eligibility while attending graduate school at Appalachian after a cross country and track and field ca-reer at Arizona State. Wrieden placed second at the SoCon Championships and earned all-region honors thanks to a 22nd-place showing at region-als. She was also a two-time SoCon Runner of the Week. Two other Mountaineers earned all-So-Con honors as senior Kasey Smith and junior Meghan Gaffney finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the conference meet. The Mountaineers’ eighth-place regional ranking on October 30 was the highest ranking in school history.

Volleyball Appalachian volleyball put together its third-straight 20-win season in 2006 with a 23-10 overall record. ASU finished tied for second in the Southern Conference standings at 15-3 in league play. Juniors Brittany Zahn and Dianna Thomas brought in the most individual accolades. Zahn was ASU’s only all-So-Con representative, picked up second-team all-state honors and was a member of both UNF Labor Day Classic and Mast General Store Appa-lachian Classic all-tourna-ment teams. Thomas also earned all-state honors, was a preseason all-confer-ence selection and earned SoCon Player of the Week

Brittani Williams

Kasey Smith

Brittany Zahn

During John Weaver’s tenure as Appalachian’s director of cross country and track and field, ASU has won 55 Southern Conference team championships.

Did You Know ...




men’s tennis Senior Dimitar Dimitrov was honored three times by the Southern Conference as he helped lead Appalachian men’s tennis to fourth-place league finish and a 13-9 overall record in 2007. Dimitrov earned second-team all-conference singles hon-ors and, along with teammate Ryan Brookshaw, earned second-team all-conference accolades in doubles action. Dimitrov went 17-4 in singles play, including 8-1 in the SoCon and teamed up to go 9-5 with Brookshaw. Brookshaw, Peter Jacobs and David

Doverspike joined Dimitrov as double-digit winners in singles action on the season. Dimitrov rounded out his list of accolades by earning second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recognition and winning the SoCon’s Sportsmanship Award.

men’s Soccer The Mountaineers advanced to the SoCon Tournament semifinals and finished with a 10-7-2 record, its second 10-win season in three years. The squad was ranked as high as seventh in the South Region behind a potent offense that ranked 12th in the nation in scoring with 2.05 goals per outing. The Moun-taineers also led the league in assists behind Corey Lugger’s 11 assists, which ranked sixth national-ly at 0.58 assists per game. The team earned eight conference accolades through the course of the season with all the honored student-ath-letes slated to return to the pitch in 2007. Paul Pessina, Corey Lugger and Arie Muniz earned all-confer-ence honors while Juan Obregon and McCoy Livingston were named to the all-tournament team. Muniz also picked up Player of the Month and Week honors along with Lug-ger.

Women’s Golf Appalachian sent a young, but talented team to the links in 2006-07. Despite fielding a sophomore and three freshmen among its top five players, ASU placed sixth at the 2007 South-ern Conference Championship, matching its best finish since 2003. In addition to being the SoCon’s youngest squad, the Mountaineers were also among the most balanced teams in

the conference. The Apps’ top three players (sopho-more Mary Kate Bowman and freshmen Jordan Kreuter and Brooke DeHart) finished within a half-stroke of each other in scoring average over 21

rounds. Thanks to a team-best 18th-place showing at the So-Con Championship, Kreuter claimed the team’s scoring crown with an 80.19 season average. Earlier in the campaign, Bowman set Appalachian’s 54-hole record with a nine-over-par 225 at the ASU’s Draper Valley Invitational in Draper, Va.

Women’s Basketball Appalachian women’s basket-ball’s 2006-07 season was full of milestones, both for the team and individuals. In their first game of the season, the Mountaineers tied the school record for steals with 22 against UCF. The team ended the season ranked 28th in the nation in steals per game with 10.8. Individu-ally, junior Whitney Tossie set the single-season steals record with 113, breaking the previous mark of 106 set during the 1994-95 season. Tossie also moved into second all-time in the ASU record book for career steals with 260. Tossie finished the season ranked third in the nation with 3.6 steals per game and led the team with 15.8 points per game. She racked up many honors during her junior campaign, including all-conference accolades from both the coaches and the SoCon Sports Media Association, all-SoCon Tournament honors and SoCon Player of the Week recognition.

Wrestling Following a one-year absence from the NCAA Champion-ships, Appalachian sent two wrestlers to the 2007 national meet in Auburn Hills, Mich. Junior Scott Ervin led the charge by winning the Southern Conference championship at 149 pounds. He earned the No. 7 seed in his weight class at the NCAA Championships and eliminated second-ranked Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma before bowing out in the fifth round

of the tournament. Ervin finished a career-best 28-5 on the season. Joining Ervin at the NCAA Cham-pionships was junior Neal Martin, who earned an at-large bid at 174 pounds. Martin dropped both of his matches at the national meet, but led the Mountaineers with 29 wins on the campaign. As a team, battled through numerous injuries to key performers to finish 8-15 overall and fifth at the SoCon Championships.

Whitney Tossie

Scott Ervin

Dimitar Dimitrov

Corey Lugger

Jordan Kreuter




Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team earned its fourth-straight season at .500 or above with a 9-9-1 record and an appearance in the SoCon Tournament. The successful campaign also saw the Mountaineers win five SoCon matches, the second-most in the program’s 13-year history, including the team’s first-ever win over perennial SoCon power Davidson. Junior midfielder Jackie Hoffman garnered all-conference accolades from the league’s coaches and wasn’t the only Mountaineer to earn recognition from the SoCon, as freshman standout Jennifer MacNeill was named the league’s Player of the Week on September 5 and the Player of the Month for September. The Apps’ nine wins gave 10th-year head coach Ben Popoola his 270th career win as a women’s head coach, continuing his climb up the ranks of

Division I head coaches. Popoola entered the sea-son with the 10th-most career wins among Divi-sion I coaches. Combined with his 201 wins as a men’s coach, he now has 471 career wins in 685 col-legiate matches.

Women’s tennis For the second-straight sea-son, Appalachian women’s tennis reached the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Champion-ships before falling to top-seeded Furman. The Mountaineers, who fin-ished eighth in the regular-season standings, went 10-15 overall and 2-7 in the SoCon. Freshman Amanda Cash and Lauren Holton each com-piled double-digit wins in singles competition, with Cash going 11-14 and Holton finishing at 10-14.

men’s Golf Like their counterparts on the women’s team, Appalachian men’s golf fielded a young squad in 2006-07. Sophomore Taylor Hines highlighted the season by holding the clubhouse lead in the first round of the 2007 Southern Conference champion-ship en route to an eighth-place finish in the tournament. The eighth-place showing was the best by a Mountaineer since 2004. Hines led the Apps in scoring with a 75.32 average for the season. As a team, the Apps improved on its showing from

a season ago by placing ninth at the SoCon Cham-pionship. The squad’s best showing came at the Stet-son Invitational, where it held a first-round lead before finishing a season-best sixth.

Amanda Cash

Taylor Hines

Erica MuschampJackie Hoffman

Field hockey The Mountaineer field hockey squad played one of the nation’s toughest schedules, facing seven opponents that finished the season ranked in the top-25 including NCAA champion Maryland and national runner-up Wake Forest. The squad finished the season with two wins, one of them coming over Pacific in the opening round of the NorPac Tournament to give the Apps a berth in the tournament’s semifinals. Erica Muschamp and Ali Gradischer earned all-conference accolades and the entire team was recognized by the NFHCA as one of the nation’s top-five for the organization’s team academic award. Fourteen Mountaineers were named to the NFHCA’s all-academ-ic team.



honors and Awards

Football

• 2006 NCAA Division I National Champions• 2006 Southern Conference Champions• National/SoCon Coach of the Year: Jerry Moore• All-America: Daniel Bettis, Kerry Brown, Armanti Edwards, Matt Isen-hour, Corey Lynch, Marques Murrell, Kevin Richardson, Jeremy Wiggins• SoCon Male Athlete of the Yar (Bob Waters Award): Marques Murrell• SoCon Offensive Player of the Year: Kevin Richardson• SoCon Defensive Player of the Year: Marques Murrell• SoCon Lineman of the Year (Jacobs Blocking Trophy): Kerry Brown• National/SoCon Freshman of the Year: Armanti Edwards• All-SoCon: Mario Acitelli, Pierre Banks, Daniel Bettis, Kerry Brown, Omarr Byrom, Armanti Edwards, Matt Isenhour, Dexter Jackson, Corey Lynch, William Mayfield, Marques Murrell, Julian Rauch, Kevin Richard-son, Jeremy Robertson, Monte Smith, Scott Suttle, Gary Tharrington, Jerome Touchstone, Jeremy Wiggins• SoCon Player of the Month: Corey Lynch, Kevin Richardson (twice)• National Player of the Week: Pierre Banks, Omarr Byrom, Armanti Edwards, Dexter Jackson, Corey Lynch, Marques Murrell, Kevin Rich-ardson (three times)• SoCon Player of the Week: Pierre Banks, Corey Lynch (twice), Kevin Richardson (twice), Jeremy Wiggins (twice)• SoCon Freshman of the Week: Armanti Edwards (five times), Gary Tharrington.

Women’s indoor track & Field

• 2007 Southern Conference Champions• NCAA National Qualifier: Vonteena Knotts• SoCon Individual Champions: Meghan Gaffney, Brittani Williams• All-SoCon: Meghan Gaffney, Vonteena Knotts, Ashley McKiver, Meg Phillips, Shea Snow, Brittani Williams, Jenna Wrieden• SoCon Athlete of the Week: Vonteena Knotts

men’s cross country

• 2006 Southern Conference Champions• Placed 14th at NCAA Regional Championship• SoCon Athlete of the Year: Phil Mitchell• SoCon Freshman of the Year: Josh Houser• All-SoCon: Nathan Hernandez-Adams, Phil Mitchell, Ryan O’Keefe• SoCon Runner of the Month: Phil Mitchell• SoCon Runner of the Week: Phil Mitchell (twice)

men’s indoor track & Field

• 2007 Southern Conference Champions• SoCon Coach of the Year: John Weaver• SoCon Most Outstanding Field Performer: Wes Kiser• SoCon Most Outsanding Track Performer: Adam Van Nortwick• SoCon Individual Champions: Charles Derrickson, Joel Gaddy, Ricky Harris, Brendon Helms, Wes Kiser, Barron Shell, Adam Van Nortwick• All-SoCon: Matt Boruff, Charles Derrickson, Joel Gaddy, Ricky Harris, Grant Haun, Justin Hunnicutt, Wes Kiser, Greg McCain, Phil Mitchell, Daniel Neal, Barron Shell, Dan Smith, Adam Van Nortwick


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honors and Awards

Women’s cross country

• 2006 Southern Conference runner-Up• Placed 11th at NCAA Regional Championship• All-SoCon: Meg Gaffney, Kasey Smith, Jenna Wrieden• SoCon Runner of the Week: Jenna Wrieden• All-Region: Jenna Wrieden

Volleyball

• 2006 SoCon Tournament semifinalist• All-SoCon: Brittany Zahn• All-SoCon Tournament: Dianna Thomas• NCCSIA all-state: Dianna Thomas, Brittany Zahn• SoCon Player of the Week: Cassie Engelgau, Dianna Thomas

Softball

• All-SoCon: Brittany Gaston, Kristyn Hurt, Danielle Peters• SoCon Player of the Week: Danielle Peters

men’s Basketball

• 2007 Southern Conference North Division Champions• NIT Participant (ASU’s third-ever postseason appearance)• SoCon Tournament semifinalist• San Juan Shootout Champions• All-SoCon: D.J. Thompson, Jeremy Clayton • All-SoCon Tournament: Jeremy Clayton, Donte Minter, Demetrius Scott• San Juan Shootout Co-MVPs: Donte Minter, D.J. Thompson• San Juan Shootout all-tournament: Nate Cranford• Collegeinsider.com National Mid-Major Player of the Week: Nate Cranford• SoCon Player of the Week: Donte Minter, Nate Cranford

men’s outdoor track & Field

• 2007 Southern Conference runner-up• NCAA National Qualifers: Charles Derrickson, Anthony Greer • SoCon Individual Champions: Joel Gaddy, Anthony Greer, Dexter Jackson, Daniel Neal, Barron Shell• All-SoCon: Dexter Jackson, Ryan O’Keefe, Daniel Neal, Barron Shell, Justin Hunnicutt, Joel Gaddy, Ricky Harris, Anthony Greer, Wes Kiser, Grant Haun• SoCon Athlete of the Week: Anthony Greer, Charles Derrickson

Women’s outdoor track & Field

• 2007 Southern Conference runner-up• SoCon Individual Champions: Meg Gaffney, Brittani Williams• All-SoCon: Adrienne Alexander, Meg Gaffney, Vonteena Knotts, Chenel McFadden, Shea Snow, Brittani Williams, Jenna Wrieden


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honors and Awards

Women’s Basketball

• All-SoCon: Whitney Tossie• All-SoCon Tournament: Whitney Tossie• SoCon all-freshman: GiGi Thomas• SoCon Player of the Week: Maria Grimes, Whitney Tossie• All-State: Whitney Tossie

Wrestling

• SoCon Champion: Scott Ervin• NCAA National Qualifiers: Scott Ervin, Neal Martin

Women’s Soccer

• All-SoCon: Jackie Hoffman• SoCon Player of the Month: Jennifer MacNeill• SoCon Player of the Week: Jennifer MacNeill

Field hockey

• NorPac Tournament semifinalist• All-NorPac Tournament: Alison Gradisher, Erica Muschamp

Baseball

• All-America: David Rubinstein• All-SoCon: Jason Altenhof, David Rubinstein• All-State: David Rubinstein• All-SoCon Tournament: Andrew Franco• SoCon Player of the Month: David Rubinstein, Garrett Sherrill• SoCon Player of the Week: Wes Hobson, David Rubinstein, Garrett Sherrill

men’s tennis

• All-SoCon: Ryan Brookshaw, Trent Constance, Dimitar Dimitrov, Peter Jacobs• SoCon Sportsmanship Award: Dimitar Dimitrov• SoCon Player of the Week: Dimitar Dimitrov

men’s Soccer

• SoCon Tournament semifinalist• All-SoCon: Corey Lugger, Arie Muniz, Paul Pessina• All-SoCon Tournament: McCoy Livingston, Juan Obregon• All-Region: Paul Pessina, Corey Lugger• SoCon Player of the Month: Arie Muniz• SoCon Player of the Week: Arie Muniz, Corey Lugger

David Rubinstein is the first Mountaineer baseball player to earn all-America recognition since Darron Healy in 1988.

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Academic honors

coSiDA/eSpn the magazine Academic All-DistrictFirst TeamNate Cranford (men’s basketball)Meghan Gaffney (women’s track and field)Daniel Orlebar (football)Dianna Thomas (volleyball)Second TeamDimitar Dimitrov (men’s tennis)Brendon Helms (men’s track and field)

ncAA public Recognition Awards (ranked among top 10 percent nationally in multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores)Men’s BasketballWomen’s Cross Country

Game plan/AVcA team Academic AwardVolleyball

nFhcA national Academic team AwardField Hockey (among top five for all Division I field hockey programs with 3.43 team GPA)

nFhcA national Academic SquadQuantina Chau, Shannon Fitzpatrick, Elise Goodrich, Alison Gradischer, Jessica Harris, Jessie Harris, Sabra Holt, Andrea Lee, Jeanette Miers, Erica Muschamp, Ashley Patterson, Mikayla Paulson, Jessica Thomp-son, Lisa Witkowski

national Golf coaches Association All-American ScholarsMary Kate Bowman

intercollegiate tennis Association Scholar-AthleteDimitar Dimitrov

Southern conference Student-Athlete of the WeekNate Cranford (men’s basketball)Meghan Gaffney (women’s track and field)Lorelle Rau (volleyball)Dianna Thomas (volleyball)Adam Van Nortwick (men’s track and field)

Southern conference Academic All-conferencePierre Banks (football)Eduardo Bermudez (men’s basketball)Frances Blanton (women’s tennis)Mary Kate Bowman (women’s golf )Davis Bowne (men’s basketball)Ryan Brookshaw (men’s tennis)Charissa Clearman (volleyball)Diana Cook (softball)Carleena Costner (women’s basketball)Nate Cranford (men’s basketball)Danielle Cullen (women’s cross country)Nick DeRose (baseball)Dimitar Dimitrov (men’s tennis)Chrissy Finch (volleyball)Teri Fister (softball)Meghan Gaffney (women’s cross country/T&F)Ashley Gaston (softball)Brittany Gaston (softball)Rachel Gates (volleyball)Quentin Gill (men’s golf )Anja Gugger (women’s tennis)Cassandra Homan (women’s soccer)Kaitlyn Heeke (women’s track and field)Brandon Helms (men’s cross country/T&F)Emily Hoyt (women’s cross country/T&F)Brooke Humphrey (women’s soccer)Megan Irwin (women’s cross country/T&F)Chase Laws (football)Macon Lowman (women’s cross country)Mark Maddox (men’s track and field)Cameron McCarthy (men’s soccer)Doug McLaughlin-Williams (men’s basketball)Mike Mitchell (men’s cross country/T&F)Meredith Morrison (women’s golf )Kasey Motsinger (softball)Dana Murphy (women’s soccer)Ashley Norris (women’s cross country)Courtney O’Brien (women’s soccer)Daniel Orlebar (football)Hannah Parks (women’s cross country/T&F)Paul Pessina (men’s soccer)Christina Post (women’s cross country/T&F)Jennifer Povick (women’s track and field)Lorelle Rau (volleyball)Sean Sassano (men’s soccer)Garrett Sherrill (baseball)Rance Shuler (men’s track and field)Paul Stoltzfus (men’s track and field)Blair Teal (men’s cross country/T&F)Dianna Thomas (volleyball)Todd Topolka (men’s soccer)Adam Van Nortwick (men’s track and field)Shaniqua Wallace (women’s track and field)Natalie Willis (softball)Russell Wilson (football)

Appalachian is one of just six institutions to have multiple programs that earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards in 2006-07, with ASU and UNC Greensboro being the SoCon’s only public institutions to earn the distinction.

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truly a team effort

In addition to the Mountaineers’ unprecedented success on the field, Appalachian athletics also turned in a terrific year off the field. The efforts of those in these many areas of the ASU athletics department were vital to the achievements enjoyed by Mountaineer student-ath-letes, coaches and fans.

Academic Services Academic services for athletes provides academic support to approximately 480 stu-dent-athletes in the form of academic advising, monitoring academic and degree progress, counseling, study skills development, study halls, orientation and academic coaching. Men’s basketball and women’s cross country were recognized publicly for the second consecu-tive year by the NCAA as being in the top ten percent in the country in their sport for their Academic Progress Rate (APR). Ninety-seven percent of student-athletes had a cumulative grade point average that put them in good academic standing at the end of the academic year, which is a two percent increase from last year. In addition, over 30 percent of student-athletes made the Athletic Honor Roll (minimum grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale).

Appalachian Sports network The Appalachian Sports Network provides Mountaineer fans with innovative radio programming on 11 radio stations and eight television stations in the major media markets across the Southeast and the 2006-07 year was a huge success for ASN. A full-time radio presence was established in the Charlotte area, reaching alumni and fans for the first time since the mid-1990s. ASN broadcasts of the 2007 SoCon Basketball Tournament also aired on seven stations throughout the Southeast U.S., Sirius Satellite Radio and ASN affiliates. In ad-dition, ASN welcomed Randy Jackson, former WFMY-TV broadcast personality and father of ASN’s David Jackson, to the broadcast crew for the 2006 football and 2006-07 men’s basket-ball campaigns.

community Service Highlighting a full slate of community service activities for ASU athletics this year was football players that volunteered at Crossnore Academy three times throughout the year to play with students, sign autographs, introduce themselves and invited students to attend games. A variety of student-athletes also participated in community service efforts that included attending lunch at Mabel Elementary, pep rallies at Mabel and Harden Park El-ementary, running booths at the Blowing Rock Elementary Festival and acting as waiters and waitresses at area restaurants as a part of the High Country’s Celebrity Serve, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Development/Yosef club For the second-straight year, the Yosef Club enjoyed a record-breaking year for dona-tions to help provide scholarships for student-athletes. Buoyed by bringing in $290,000 in May, the Yosef Club surpassed the $1 million mark in 2006-07 for the second year in a row. It was also terrific year for the Athletics Facilities Enhancement Campaign, as donations have now exceeded $25 million of the $32 million needed to complete the revitalization of the Mountaineers’ athletics facilities. The unparalleled success in fundraising was buoyed by the 2007 Yosef Club Spring Tour, in which 800 alums and fans participated in eight stops across the Southeast.



Facilities Bulldozers and cranes were a common site in 2006-07. Renovations to Kidd Brewer Stadium included a new ticket building, installation of columns and fencing on the east side of the stadium and the demolition of the old press box and Chancellor’s box facility to make room for the new 100,000-square foot Kidd Brewer Stadium Complex. Owens Field House also received upgrades with new carpeting and installation of a new Black and Gold canopy at its entrance. Renovations at Varsity Gym included a new training room and a new home for ASU wrestling, which includes a practice area, coaches offices, lounges and locker rooms. Appalachian State athletics also converted its old baseball facility into the brand new ASU Softball Stadium, where ASU opened up play on March 31 in first game ever at an on-cam-pus facility. The Jim and Bettie Smith Baseball Stadium is almost complete, pending comple-tion of seating, concessions and clubhouse. This facility provides the baseball team a state-of-the-art Field Turf playing surface, dugouts, lights and scoreboard/message center. The Mountaineers opened their new baseball home with a 6-3 win over Gardner-Webb on April 10. The Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility, which will feature an 80-yard X 60-yard artificial playing surface that will allow all 20 of ASU’s varsity athletics to practice and train during inclement weather, is well on its way to its anticipated completion date during the 2007-08 academic year.

GoASu.com The official website of ASU athletics underwent its first complete redesign in three years, which launched officially on August 1, 2006. In addition to bringing fans the most comprehensive and up-to-date news surrounding Mountaineer athletics on the web, new features of GoASU.com include live streaming video of selected home events, sortable ros-ters and stats and regular insights on the inner workings of ASU athletics from the Voice of the Mountaineers , David Jackson. In just 10 months since the relaunch, GoASU.com has had nearly 7 million page views, including over 70,000 in one week during the Apps’ run to their second-consecutive NCAA Division I football national championship in December.

licensing Appalachian State University has contracted with the Licensing Resource Group, Inc. (LRG) to help manage the University’s licensing program. LRG acts as an intermediary for ASU, enabling it to work directly with manufacturers and retailers. This ensures that deci-sions can be made promptly and that manufacturers can become licensed with the Uni-versity in a timely manner. The 2006-07 year showed a continued increase in revenue from royalties.

marketing and promotions ASU athletics’ marketing and promotions staff has been hard at work during the 2006-07 year with their Mountaineer Summer Reading Program, partnering with Reich College of Education to encourage students in K-7th grades to continue reading throughout the summer break. In its first year of existence, 37 public schools joined the program with a total of 12,000 students participating. The Junior Mountaineer Kids Club also debuted in 2006-07, giving young Mountaineer fans a chance to be more heavily involved with ASU athlet-ics, with first-year participation at 80 kids strong. Other successful events included record crowds at 2006 Football Fan Fest and the ever-popular Football and Basketball 101 sessions.

Appalachian athletics boasts nearly 100 employees, including coaches and administrative staff.

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SAAB and life Skills Student-Athlete Advisory Board representatives planned social events such as Winter Bash, Battle of the Sports and the All-Sports Banquet and decided on community service ideas like Adopting the Crossnore Academy, and Tabs for Kids. With the help of Academic Affairs, SAAB hosted a tailgate before an ASU football game for Crossnore’s students and staff in which each child was provided a gold t-shirt for autographs, a ticket to the game and access to the field during post-game.

Strength and conditioning Under the direction of first-year head coach Jeff Dillman, ASU strength and condition-ing Staff saw many changes over the last year. An increase in staff size, new equipment and help in designing the new weight room at the new Kidd Brewer Stadium Complex, along with daily interaction with student-athletes from all 20 of Appalachian’s varsity sports, were among the top priorities for the strength and conditioning staff in 2006-07.

ticket office Appalachian State University’s ticket office reported a 46-percent increase in season ticket purchases for the 2006-07 football season, including staff/faculty, senior citizen and youth season ticket purchases. The ticket office also reported a 21-percent ticket purchase increase for senior citizens for the 2006-07 men’s basketball season.

Yosef club Highlighted by 800 alums and fans attending the 2007 Yosef Club Spring Tour, the Yosef Club had. The athletic development team raised over one million dollars for student-athlete’s scholarships and two million dollars for the Athletic Enhancement Campaigns which now brings the total to twenty-five of the thirty-two million dollars needed. The Yosef Club continues to encourage former athletes to visit and support mountaineer teams. Yosef Club members will also see implementation of a new priority system recognizing financial support of ASU’s athletic department.



Facilities enhancement

Kidd Brewer Stadium complex • Strength and Conditioning room for all student-athletes • Training/Hydrotherapy room for all student-athletes • Student-athlete study hall and tutorial space • Locker rooms • New stadium entrance plaza — “Welcome to The Rock” • Athletics offices • 20 stadium suites • New Chancellor’s suite • VIP Club seating • New press box for media and game operations • Restroom, concessions and merchandise areas • Greenwood Parking Lot access trail • West side entrance bridge

Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium • Located at Broyhill Inn and Conference Center • 2,000 seating capacity • Locker room • Indoor batting cage• Construction of playing field, including state-of-the-art Fied-Turf playing surface, dugouts, walls, lights and scoreboard/mes-sage center, is complete. • Construction of indoor hitting facility is complete. • Appalachian officially opened its new home with a 6-1 victory over in-state rival Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, April 10.

Sofield Family indoor practice Facility• Located beyond right field of current softball venue • Facility, which will feature an 80-yard X 60-yard artificial playing surface that will allow all 20 of ASU’s varsity sports to practice and train during inclement weather, is on schedule to open this summer.• Taping and changing rooms • Stairway connecting to Kidd Brewer Stadium west gate• Foundation is complete. • Erection of steel for outer shell is complete. • Installation of siding, which comprises outside walls, nearing completion. • Internal construction (floors, ceiling, inside walls) has begun.

ASu Softball Stadium • Located at former baseball venue • 1,000 seating capacity • Locker room • Indoor batting cage• Initial construction is complete. • Apps opened play at their first-ever on-campus facility on March 31 versus College of Charleston.

AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS · College of Charleston 46.5 ... Dec. 2 MONTANA STATE W, 38-17 ... 2006-07 AppAlAchiAn StAte AthleticS AnnuAl RepoRt .

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