FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, August 22, 2007

CONTACT: Rob Knox Assistant Athletics Director of     Sports Information Management 484/365-7384 rknox@lincoln.edu

Parker Selectd to Attend

NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Banquet

 

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (August 22, 2007) - Lincoln University of Pennsylvania senior track-and-field standout Ashley Parker (Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) has been selected as one of the 30 contenders from over 120 conference nominees for the 2007 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Parker will be honored at the annual Women of the Year banquet on Saturday October 27 in Indianapolis.

In a year of accolades and hard work, Parker continues to set the standard for female student-athletes at Lincoln. She is the first female student-athlete to be named a finalist for the NCAA's prestigious honor among women. From those 30, ten from each NCAA Division, nine finalists are named. The 2007 NCAA Woman of the Year will be chosen from among the nine finalists by the Committee on Women's Athletics.

The NCAA Woman of The Year award honors senior student-athletes for their collegiate achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics. Parker best exemplifies these qualities and a commitment to each of the four areas.

"She's a great leader for us and one of the best I've had in a long time," said Lincoln track and field coach Cyrus D. Jones, who will be inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in December. "Ashley is very deserving of this recognition. She's an outstanding person and I am really excited for her."

A six-time track and field All-America, Parker received the highest honor a student-athlete can earn by being selected to the distinguished ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America third team. In the process, Parker became the first Lincoln student-athlete in school history to be named an Academic All-America.

Parker was named the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Women's Track and Field Performer of the Year earlier this month. In addition to being nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year program, the Health Science major has an overall grade point average of 3.74.

"Despite the many trials and tribulations, tears and happiness, and wins and loses there are five major qualities I have gained by being a student-athlete," Parker wrote in her personal statement for the NCAA Woman of the Year. "The five qualities that have helped mold me into the person I am today are character, patience, discipline, teamwork and time management. Punctuality, commitment, understanding, great focus, and wise decision-making have come from discipline, which has served as the foundation for my academic and athletic success."

Parker recently helped the Lady Lions finish fifth at the 2007 NCAA Division III Outdoor National championship meet by placing third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter dash. The fifth place finish was Lincoln's highest since 2001. During the indoor national championship meet, Parker was fourth in the 55-meter dash (7.19). Parker won the 200-meter dash at the Swarthmore College Twilight Meet. She also ran on the Lady Lions' 400 and 1600-meter relay teams.

Parker is a member of the school record 1600-meter relay indoor team. Parker earned Player of the Week accolades from the Association of Division III Independents on April 23 after helping the 1,600-meter relay team win its race at the Moravian Greyhound Classic. During the indoor season, Parker won the 60-meter dash at the University of Delaware Invitational on January 20 (7.90).

"We are very proud of Ashley," Lincoln University athletics director Dr. Alfonso Scandrett, Jr. said. "It's nice to know that while Ashley excelled on the track that she did not lose focus of her academics."

During the summer, Parker fulfilled an internship at the Atlantic Care Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City observing respiratory therapists. Among some of the campus organizations and clubs Parker belongs to include the HPER (Health, Physical Education and Recreation) Club and National Society of Negro Women. Parker was inducted into the Who's Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities for Academic Excellence and Leadership. She is also an Academic Merit Scholar.

"I have really benefited from my experience as a student-athlete and the experience has equipped me with the tools to be successful and last a lifetime," Parker added.

Founded in 1854, Lincoln University is the first historically black institution of higher education and its graduates include such luminaries as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice of the United States Supreme Court, and acclaimed poet and author Langston Hughes. Lincoln University is nationally regarded for producing African Americans with undergraduate degrees in the physical sciences.

--LU--