Miami Ohio University Athletics
Athletic Director Praises Miami's 2009 Senior Class
5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
May 12, 2009
OXFORD, Ohio--On Saturday, May 9, prior to Miami University's commencement exercises at Yager Stadium, the graduating RedHawk student-athletes gathered at the Gross Center to receive accolades for their outstanding achievements of the past four years.
Director of Athletics Brad Bates addressed the senior class before their families and friends. Here are his comments.
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Welcome and congratulations! This is my favorite day of the year: everyone's smiling!
Just because the two best speakers - Rion (Robinson) and Allie (Stevens) - are yet to come, that doesn't mean I can't take all the time I want to brag about a senior class that I absolutely love.
Let me start by putting today in statistical perspective. How rare is this accomplishment?
Well, of the 470,671 high school swimmers who graduated four years ago with our senior class, only 6,393--1.3 percent--competed within ANY LEVEL of the NCAA for four years.
Of the 102,553 high school women's soccer players who graduated high school with our seniors, only 4.3 percent played in the NCAA four years.
Of the 546,335 high school men's basketball players - only .6 percent played in the NCAA four years.
Of the 1.071,775 million high school football players who graduated high school four years ago, only 1.2 percent played in the NCAA four years.
I could keep going, but you get the idea. For the past four years, our seniors EARNED an opportunity so rare, that only 2.7% of your high school classmates have even remotely paralleled your progress!
Unbelievable! Extraordinary!! Exceptional!!! Impressive!!!!
If being in a rare and distinguished group isn't significant enough, let's see what this senior class accomplished during their four years at Miami.
Let's start with a few of the history makers - those of you who did something that has never, EVER been done in the 200 year history of Miami University.
The first women's basketball team to EVER go to the NCAA National Championship Tournament
The first women's tennis team to EVER go to the NCAA National Championship Tournament
The first hockey class to EVER go to four consecutive NCAA National Championship Tournaments
The first women's cross country team to EVER win the Conference Championship
The first synchronized skating team - from not only Miami, but from the entire United States of America - to EVER win a medal at the world championships
The first Miami team EVER to be ranked number one in the nation, let alone for ten weeks during one season
The first diver EVER in Conference history to win every diving championship all four years
The first field hockey class EVER to play in two Conference Championship games
The first class of women student-athletes EVER to win consecutive Conference All-Sports Championship Trophies ... which we clinched a month ago!
The first Hockey team to go to Frozen Four AND the first Miami team in any sport to play for an NCAA National Championship
And the first time in school history a student-athlete graduation rate that exceeded the Miami University ninth-ranked-in-the-nation public graduation rate with a student-athlete class graduating at 85% (the national average for student-athletes is 50%)!
What else did these seniors do during their time in Oxford?
With three opportunities remaining this year, we have a chance to set the Miami University School record for Championships in one season!
Six of our seniors studied abroad during their time at Miami
Our seniors won four consecutive Collegiate Synchronized Skating National Championships
One team - and several individuals - went to New Orleans as volunteers to assist in cleaning-up after Hurricane Katrina
Six seniors earned Strength and Conditioning All-American honors
These seniors went to two consecutive NCAA Volleyball National Championship Tournaments
A total 58--that's SIXTEEN more than last year's seniors--earned Dean's list. Fifteen earned President's list recognition of a 4.0 at least once - that's 10 more than last year's seniors!
Six competed individually in the NCAA National Championships at least one of their years at Miami
And these seniors contributed to a department cumulative GPA over 3.2
You can tell that I am very passionate about this class ... I could spend all day doing this ... but let me close by saying:
Your graduation today signals an EXTRAORDINARY ACCOMPLISHMENT ... at one of the very few institutions in the nation where you intellectually compete against some of the brightest people in the world...while competing athletically against some of the greatest amateur athletes in the world!!!
We are so very proud of you.
