The Sting: Summer 2002

DiCuirci hands over pep band baton Mike DiCuirci, who developed the renowned Yellow Jacket Pep Band into arguabl y the fin est basketball pep band at any level of coJJege bas– ketbal I, has dec ided to resign his post after 23 years at the helm. Former Xenia Hi gh School band director John Harner will take over when the 2002- 03 hoop season gets underway. DiCuirci started will a small group of 35 members in the old Student Center Gymnasium upon his arri val on campus in 1979 and saw the pep band expand to have as many as J 60 on the roster. The result was an unmj stakable sound that turned the Cedarville Uni versity home game atmosphere into a happening. "In recent days due to health concerns and changing prioriti es, I have had to take a hard look at my life and schedule," said DiCuirci. "I believe it is time to resign as pep band director. I do this with a feeling of sadness, but I do believe it is the right thing to do." · The pep band produced a CD entitled "Blue and Gold" in L999. That same year, Di Cuirci was inducted to the Cedarville Uni versity Athletic Hall of Fame for hi s leadership as director. DiCuirci, a l 97 l graduate of the Uni versity of Michigan, will contin– ue hi s role as a Professor of Music at the Uni versity and director of the symphonic band. Cedarville University Athletic Hall of Fame Athletic HALL _Qf FAME ~!i1i!li'l1M !lJ'!.1''lJJ~ The f our newest members of the Cedarville University Athletic Ha ll of Fame were in.ducted in a banquet held on February I during Alumni Weekend. The quartet includes (from l-r) DI'. Shirley Schneide1; merito– rious service to men '.s basketball for over 30 yea rs; Melissa Hartman, who played women '.s volleyball, basketball, and tennis from 1992-96; Steve Brumbaugh, a member of the Yellow Jacket men's tennis team f rom 1986-90; an.cl No rris Smith, a fo rmer member of the basketball and baseball squads f rom 1959-63. Jim Clark moves to sports information office Jim Clark will move into the CedarviJJe Uni versity sports info rmati on offi ce beginning July l. He has agreed to become the school's first full-time assis– tant sports info rmation director working alongside SID, Mark Womack. Clark, who is a 1975 graduate of Cedarville Coll ege, has held the title of assistant Sil) on a part-time basis for the past fi ve years. During that time, he has served full-time as the Admi ss ions Producti on Coordinator. Clark will continue to assist hi s wife Teresa, who is the Lady Jacket head vol– leyball coach. While he will contribute in many areas of the sports information office, a primary focu s will be to organize and design all publicati ons produced by the Yellow Jackets. Clark accumul ated 21 years of business experience in the areas of newspaper publishing, advertising sales, marketing, computer graphics and design, desktop publi shjng, and journalism in Fort Wayne, IN pri or to coming to Cedarville in J 996. Johnson honored for 200 victories Cedarville University women 's tenni s coach Pam Johnson was recogni zed for her 200th career dual match victory with a plaque pre– sented to her from athletic director Pete Reese at the Athletic Honors and Appreciation Banquet. Johnson has a 2 17-103 record in 26 seasons at the helm after leaqing the Lady Jackets to a best-ever LS-5 mark trus spring. After winning the American Mideast Conference and NAIA Region IX titl es, Johnson's teams own two region championships, seven NAIA Distri ct 22 champi onships, two AMC titles, two Mid-Oruo Conference titles, and two Western Buckeye Coll egiate Conference crowns. She has taken ten teams to the NAIA National Tournament and has coached 2 l NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Johnson has served as the NAIA National Tournament Director since 1989. STING