February 13, 2009

NEWMAC Teams Participate in WBCA's "Pink Zone” Initiative

Babson Park, Mass.-The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced today that all 10 of its member institutions have fundraising and awareness events planned in conjunction with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) upcoming "Pink Zone" initiative. The WBCA began the "Pink Zone," formerly known as "Think Pink," in 2007 to help raise breast cancer awareness on college campuses and communities. Last year, over 1,200 teams participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising more than $930,000 to benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. This year, it runs from February 13-22 and has taken on added significance after Yow, the long-time North Carolina State head coach, lost her two-decade long battle with breast cancer in January.

Wheaton kicked off the "Pink Zone" festivities last Saturday, February 7 when the Lyons welcomed Coast Guard. The Wheaton chapter of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) sponsored the event, which was able to raise $160 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. The CAC had promotional and educational materials on hand and sold pink bracelets to fans who made donations, and both teams sported pink t-shirts during pre-game warm-ups.

On Valentine's Day, February 14, Clark will present its "Love Your Life" campaign in conjunction with the women's basketball game versus Springfield at 1:00 p.m. The Clark Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will hand out free pink t-shirts to the first 100 students through the doors. SAAC will hand out pink silicone "Hope, Faith, Love" bracelets at the door for a suggested donation, which will benefit the Kay Yow Fund. Heart shaped lollipops, with an accompanying love note and breast cancer facts, will also be given out to fans.

MIT hosts a double-header on February 14, with the men taking on WPI at 1:00 p.m. and the women welcoming Wellesley at 3:00 p.m. The women will be playing their final home game and MIT's seniors will be honored before the game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and will be able to make donations based on various team statistics accumulated throughout the game. Game programs will printed on pink paper and athletics staff members will wear pink t-shirts.

Smith hosts its "Pink Zone" event this Saturday against Mount Holyoke. The first 50 fans to make a donation will receive a free "Pink Zone" hat. There will also be a "best pink outfit" contest at halftime with the winner receiving a Pioneer Spirit pack. The Smith players will be wearing pink t-shirts and shoelaces as well.

When Coast Guard travels to Mount Holyoke on February 18, the teams will support the "Pink Zone" cause, as players will wear pink shoelaces during the game. Donations to the WBCA Cancer fund will also be taken throughout the night.

Wellesley will join in the "Pink Zone" effort on February 18 when it meets Clark. The Blue will warm up in pink Wellesley athletics t-shirts and both teams will don pink shoelaces. Some of the special edition pink athletics t-shirts will also be raffled off the fans who are encouraged to make donations.

WPI's "Pink Zone" event will also take place February 18, as the Engineers welcome a pair of NEWMAC foes. The women host Babson, in a matchup of two of the conference's top teams, at 5:30 p.m. The men follow with a game against Wheaton at 7:30 p.m. Donations will be accepted in lieu of the price of admission and a pair of student groups will donate their proceeds from the night to the Kay Yow Foundation and the Angela Bangrazi Memorial Fund. Angela Bangrazi was the daughter of longtime WPI scoreboard operator, Chuck Kornik, who lost her battle with breast cancer three years ago. The WPI pep band will donate the money raised from the concession stand that night while the WPI cheerleaders will be giving a portion of the 50/50 raffle.

Babson will host its "Pink Zone" celebration during a men's and women's double-header on Saturday, February 21. The women host Mount Holyoke at 1:00 p.m., while the men take on WPI at 3:00 p.m. Babson will sell special edition pink "Beaver Nation" t-shirts as part of the event, also raffling off several prizes throughout the day, both of which will benefit the Kay Yow Foundation.

Also on February 21, Springfield will take part in the "Pink Zone" initiative when it hosts Coast Guard at 1:00 p.m. The Pride will wear pink t-shirts during warm-ups, pink ribbons will be distributed to all fans and the game program will be pink.

The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The NCAA has also joined the WBCA's Pink Zone initiative by continuing the "Calling for a Cure" campaign, in which all NCAA women's basketball officials will be blowing a pink whistle in games from February 13-22, the period set aside for this year's program. Additionally, officials are encouraged to donate to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. The NCAA raised $25,000 during its 2008 "Calling for a Cure" campaign.

The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference consists of ten highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The NEWMAC sponsors competition within NCAA Division III in the sports of cross country, soccer, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, swimming & diving, field hockey, volleyball, crew, track & field, softball, baseball and golf.

For additional information on WBCA's Pink Zone, visit www.wbca.org/pinkzone.asp.