Women's Basketball Meets New AD Petroziello

The St. Mary's University College women's basketball team was the first individual team to meet with new Athletic Director David Petroziello in advance of the 2010-2011 school year.  With classes beginning September 7th, Petroziello took the opportunity to meet with the team and elaborate on his vision for athletics at St. Mary's.

"I was very impressed by the quality of the young women who are part of Coach Peron's program" said Petroziello. "They are all bright, extremely switched-on people who are dedicated to their educations and to their sport. St. Mary's is fortunate to have such excellent ambassadors, and I am excited to see them develop over this season and beyond."

Topics discussed included the future of the athletic program at St. Mary's, details on the ACAC transition, and an explanation of the new realities of what it means to be varsity athlete at St. Mary's.

Some new initiatives include an academic oversight program which will ensure that all varsity athletes are working progressively towards the obtention of their degrees. This program will be composed of tutoring, advising, study hall requirements, and class attendance rules.

Another exciting new initiative for Lightning Athletics is the introduction of a community service component to the responsibilities of a varsity athlete. Each athlete will be expected to complete a quota of community service hours each semester in order to qualify to play on a team. Volunteering with community groups, mentoring young people, or developing a grassroots NGO will all count towards fulfilling this requirement.

Needless to say there are exciting changes happening at Lightning Athletics, and the entire department from the athletes to the coaches and staff, are dedicated to doing what is necessary for our program to grow into an indispensable part of the university community.

The women's basketball program is an integral piece of this puzzle, stay tuned for more and come out and support these remarkable young women!!

For more information on Lightning Athletics, including information on how to sponsor an athlete or team, please contact Athletic Director David Petroziello at:
(o) 403-254-3728 / david.petroziello(at)stmu.ab.ca