Good morning K-State fans!
It's Homecoming at Kansas State University and we are excited to have our terrific alumni and friends back on campus. As a reminder the annual Homecoming parade takes place this afternoon at 5 p.m. starting along Poyntz Avenue near Manhattan Town Center featuring honorary Grand Marshalls Jack and Donna Vanier.
In addition to a full slate of regular "day-before-the-game" activities I have the opportunity to speak to the Ahearn Fund National Leadership Circle this morning. We can't thank all our donors enough for the tremendous support K-State is receiving. Did you know that we now have Ahearn Fund donors in 48 states? Let's find some purple pride for the Ahearn Fund in Vermont and Maine!
Tysyn Hartman Named Finalist for Academic Heisman
Congratulations to senior Tysyn Hartman as earlier this week he was named
one of 16 finalists for the prestigious National Football Foundation Campbell
Trophy. The "Academic Heisman" is the pinnacle of awards for football
student-athletes as it honors those who have succeeded not only in the field
but in the classroom and in the community. Tysyn and the other finalists will
be guests of the NFF in December in New York City for its annual awards
banquet. Each NFF National Scholar Athlete also will receive an $18,000
postgraduate scholarship for being named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy. We
are proud of Tysyn and salute his accomplishments in the classroom and on the
field. The National Football Foundation's decision to recognize Tysyn as one of
16 national finalists for their most prestigious award is a perfect example of
what we are striving for when we talk about K-State's vision of a model
intercollegiate athletics program with a world-class student-athlete
experience. Tysyn, his family and teammates as well as Coach Snyder, our
athletic staff and the K-State faculty and staff should all be proud of their
collective priorities which have resulted in this tremendous honor.
A Must-Read
I know many of you enjoy our daily Sports Extra stories from Mark Janssen -
I certainly enjoy his stories during my morning cup of coffee. In case you
missed it earlier this week, click
here to read the story on cross country runner Martina Tresch. Martina's
story is not only yet another example of a student-athlete going from walk-on
to stardom, but it also shows how K-State is an international university and
how international students have come to Manhattan and had successful
experiences both on the field and in the classroom. Did you know that K-State
has students and alumni from more than 90 countries around the world and is
currently engaged in over 50 exchange programs with foreign institutions around
the globe? This fall there are more than 1,800 international students studying
right here at K-State. You can click
here to learn more about K-State's office of international studies.
Tresch and Cross Country Teams off to Big 12's, more Athletic &
Academic Excellence
Good luck to Coach Mike Smith, Martina and both our men's and women's cross
country teams as they head to College Station for the Big 12 Championships. The
women run at 11 a.m. and the men at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Also earlier in the week
six K-State runners were named Academic All-Big 12 as Kyle Hanson, Sarah
Swenson and Boglarka Bozzay were named members of the first team and Phillip
Banowetz, Lane Porter and Laura Lee Baird earned second team honors.
Volleyball Downs Missouri, Match at Baylor to Air on K-StateHD.TV
Thanks to a terrific crowd at Ahearn Field House, Coach Fritz and the
volleyball team picked up a big win over Missouri on Wednesday night to move to
16-7 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 play. The Cats are closing in on the final
stretch of their schedule and Saturday's match at Baylor will air live across
the globe on K-StateHD.TV beginning at 7 p.m.
Progress of BBTF
As the start of basketball season draws closer, it is exciting to see the
progress being made on our new Basketball Training Facility. Check
out these most recent construction photos as steel beams are beginning to
be erected - our student-athletes and coaches, thanks to the support of our
Ahearn Fund members, will certainly benefit from this world-class facility.
Enjoy this beautiful fall day! Later today I'll be at the campus United Way kick-off event - perhaps I will see you there. In the meantime, thanks so much for continuing to follow us on twitter, facebook, k-statesports.com, K-StateHD.TV and K-State Sports Extra for all of the latest happenings in K-State Athletics. Please make it a point forward the links above to your other K-State friends.
We'll see you tomorrow for the men's basketball scrimmage in Bramlage at
12:15 p.m. and of course plenty early before kick-off at Bill Snyder Family
Stadium.
Go Cats!
John Currie
