Eagle Athletics Begins New Chapter in 2014-15
8/27/2014 8:22:00 PM | General
Hennon presented with construction hard hat to recognize conference championship
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STATESBORO, Ga. – A tradition initiated by Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein upon his arrival, Georgia Southern Baseball Coach Rodney Hennon was presented with a construction hard hat today, emblematic of the work ethic his team displayed this spring on its way to a conference championship. The Eagles parlayed that NCAA automatic tournament berth into one of its most successful trips in its postseason history. The compelling conference tournament championship led later to a win over fifth-ranked Florida State in the NCAA regional in Tallahassee.
The success of the Eagle Baseball program in 2014 was one of the highlights of the previous year with conference championships in Volleyball, Golf and Softball. In addition to the accomplishments on the field, Georgia Southern Athletics posted its highest single-semester GPA in history, compiled a 2.95 GPA across all programs in 2013-14 and increased the number of student-athletes who were recognized for academic honors. Eagle coaches and student-athletes also connected in the community, contributing 1,500 hours of volunteer service to various organizations.
These highlights and a review of the department's achievements over the last 22 months were part of this morning's departmental meeting that included University President Brooks Keel delivering the message of sportsmanship on behalf of the NCAA. Athletics administrators provided updates and addressed changes to university and department policy and procedures and NCAA bylaws with all Eagle coaches and support staff in attendance.
Hennon was presented with his construction hard hat today after two employees, Sammie VanLandingham and Angie Estes, were recognized for their efforts and commitment to the department. Coach Dustin Wood (Volleyball), Coach Larry Mays (Golf), Coach Carter Collins (Golf), Annie Smith (Softball), Frank Hook (Athletic Foundation) and Brandon Cox (Operations) are previous recipients of a hard hat as a representation of hard work and exceptional effort.
As the University embarks on a new era in the Sun Belt Conference and the highest level of competition for the Eagle Football program, Kleinlein encouraged the coaching staff to establish new legacies for their programs and write their stories in this exciting new chapter.
"The last 22 months have brought about significant change and our programs and departments have had some major achievements and everyone on our staff has contributed to that success," said Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein. "We talk about the journey every day and our departmental meeting today was one of the opportunities to show what has been accomplished. We looked at what we have done and now set our sights on establishing that leadership role in the Sun Belt Conference."
Georgia Southern Women's Soccer has led the Eagle Athletic Department into the new era with two straight wins to open its season as Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Cross Country and Football all get underway this weekend.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA.
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