Cauzillo Selected to Participate in 2005 NCAA Leadership Conference
April 28, 2005
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The NCAA has selected Nicole Cauzillo, a midfielder on the University of Kansas soccer team, to represent KU at the 2005 NCAA Leadership Conference.
The conference provides NCAA student-athletes with a forum to openly discuss issues that may affect them on their campuses and in their communities. It also provides them with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills. The leadership conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities. The five-day conference consists of daily exercises and activities to help the student-athletes develop as individuals and as contributing members to a group.
The conference will be held May 29 – June 2 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Cauzillo, a sophomore from Northville, Mich., was one of 324 student-athletes selected out of the 1,166 nominations received from 298 institutions nationally. A selection committee at Kansas nominated four student-athletes; the NCAA committee chose Cauzillo as the representative.
Cauzillo, who is majoring in English and is enrolled in the University’s Honors program, earned a spot on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll last semester with a 3.67grade-point average. She serves on KU’s Student -Athlete Advisory Committee, which advises KU’s athletics administration regarding issues of interest to student-athletes.
After transferring from West Virginia to begin the fall 2004 semester, Cauzillo became a starter on the 2004 Big 12 Conference Champion soccer team. At the conclusion of the season, Cauzillo was selected to the Big 12 Conference All-Newcomer Team. She has been selected as a team captain for the 2005 season.
“Nicole is the kind of kid who, when something needs to get done, when something needs to be addressed, she takes care of it,” Kansas head soccer coach Mark Francis said. “Also, the fact that at the end of her first semester here the team voted Nicole as a captain is a clear indication of how her teammates view her as a leader. I’m excited that she has the opportunity to attend the NCAA Leadership Conference.”
“Nicole is a great example of a student-athlete who is committed to becoming the best she can become,” University of Kansas Athletics Director Lew Perkins said. “During her short time here, she has established herself as a leader and a model of what you can accomplish through hard work. Nicole’s selection by the NCAA is a great source of pride for the entire KU Athletics family.”
Junior baseball player Matt Baty (Wichita, Kan.), junior tennis player Luiza Loureiro (Brasilia, Brazil) and track sprinter/hurdler Aaron Thompson (Lenexa, Kan.) were KU’s other nominees; the NCAA selected Thompson as the alternate. Past NCAA Leadership Conference participants from the University of Kansas include: Sarah Gonzalez (soccer) 2003, Stacey Schneider (swimming) 2002, Maggie Mason (soccer), 2001.
