ATHLETICS

Seeding Success

If the saying is true and recruiting is the key to success at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics, UVM should feel pretty good about the performance of its teams given the limited number of scholarships its coaches have been able to offer.

In order to take athletics to a higher level, however, Bob Corran made it clear when he was hired as athletic director in 2003 that increasing scholarships was paramount, adding that there are only three ways to do this: through institutional support, departmental revenue, and private donors. The University has increased its support, but without the addition of a larger facility to draw more fans and increase revenue, private donors will continue to be the driver of athletic scholarships.

Fortunately for the University, there's been an influx of new scholarship money from private donors over the past few years, and the results have been dramatic. The rise of some programs to regional and national prominence parallels these gifts and has fueled a long-term plan by the athletic department to increase scholarships, which it has already done by upping the total number from 82 to 124 over the past five years.

"Recruiting high-quality student-athletes is essential in terms of competitive success," says Corran. "Even with our scholarship plan we still lag behind many of our peer institutions, but fortunately that's starting to change as a number of people have really stepped up financially and supported this program."

Track and field and cross country star Sean Steinhagen, who is on a scholarship given by Frank Livak '41, is a prime example of what a donor-sponsored scholarship can do for an athlete, the donor, and the University. Without the scholarship Steinhagen, who owns six school records ranging from 500 meters indoors to the outdoor mile, says he wouldn't have been able to pay for school as an out-of-state student.

Heading into his senior year, Steinhagen, who earned All-New England status in indoor and outdoor track in 2006 and is a three-time team MVP, hopes to win an America East title and qualify for the NCAA regional meet and possibly the nationals. He could also make history by flirting with breaking the elusive four-minute mile; a feat that's never been accomplished at UVM.

"I've never met Mr. Livak, but I am very grateful to him," says Steinhagen. "It's really nice to know that he follows my career. There's definitely some pressure to perform, but I really couldn't have asked for more from the University. I never would have made it without his help. I barely survived with a partial scholarship, so his generosity has made this possible and set me up really well for life."

Basketball standouts Michael Trimboli and Amy Rosenkrantz, who are on scholarships thanks to a $100,000 endowment gift from Bill '79 and Laurie Shean '80, have helped keep those programs at a high level as the men reached the America East Championship game and women the America East semifinals in 2007. Trimboli was the 2006 America East Rookie of the Year and has averaged over 15 points and five assists per game. Rosenkrantz stepped up in the AE tournament by averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Not surprisingly, the University's only fully scholarship-funded programs — men's hockey, men's and women's basketball, and skiing — are among its most successful. Corran sees similar possibilities for success in other sports such as soccer and lacrosse. Both men's teams have appeared in national top 25 polls and with America East Conference officials recently calling for soccer and lacrosse members to fund scholarships within 75 percent of the NCAA limit, the conference should continue its upward swing.

"We think these are areas where the conference and UVM can be very successful," says Corran. "As more scholarship funding becomes available, we'll be able to recruit kids that previously would not have been interested. To some extent, thanks to our private donors, we've already seen that."