fall 2013 19 News on the hill Scott Wiegandt ’89 (2001 EDMT), who has lifted Bellarmine’s NCAA Division II athletics program to national prominence in his eight years as athletics director, was named one of 28 winners of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award, given by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. The award was presented June 15 in Orlando, Fla. The AD of the Year Award, which spans seven divisions, highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to their schools and communities, said NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione. In the past three years, Bellarmine has been host of 12 NCAA Division II national championships, as well as the 2013 men’s basketball Elite 8. In 2010-11, Bellarmine brought home the national championship in men’s basketball—the first national sports championship in Bellarmine history. Mr. Wiegandt also has overseen a dramatic upgrade in facilities, including construction of the Owsley B. Frazier Stadium and the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex and extensive renovations to Knights Hall. As a student-athlete himself, he earned All-America status as a senior pitcher for the Knights baseball team. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989 and played in the minor leagues for nine years, including stints with the Louisville Redbirds and the Nashville Sounds. Two new coaches Larry Owens, a native of Southern Indiana who played Bellarmine baseball with Scott Wiegandt, is the new head coach for the Knights. Mr. Owens came to Bellarmine from the Chicago White Sox organization, where he had served as a pitching coach since 2007. He replaced Matt Tyner, who resigned to accept a position with the University of Richmond. A graduate of Jeffersonville High School, Mr. Owens played at Bellarmine for one season (1986-87) before transferring to Vincennes University, where he earned an associate’s degree. He moved on to Armstrong Atlantic State University for his final two seasons of baseball while earning his bachelor’s degree. In 1990, Mr. Owens (who, like Mr. Wiegandt, was a left-handed pitcher) was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 27th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft. After playing professionally for a year, he returned to Indiana as the freshman baseball coach for Jeffersonville High School. He has also been a scout for the Boston Red Sox and has coached at the NCAA Division I level for Louisville, Memphis, Austin Peay and Missouri State. Owens is the third member of the 1986- 87 Knights starting pitching rotation to become a full-time Bellarmine employee. The others are Mr. Wiegandt and Dr. David Porta, a professor of biology. Bellarmine University has hired Jenni Horvath Grzebin as its volleyball coach. Ms. Grzebin, played at Xavier University and has been an assistant coach at the University of Toledo and the University at Buffalo. The Oxford, Ohio, native was an Atlantic 10 all-tournament team selection in her junior and senior seasons at Xavier, and was team captain in 2007, when the Musketeers reached the NCAA Tournament. This is Ms. Grzebin’s first head coaching position. She inherits a program that was 18-8 last season. Wiegandt named D2 AD of the Year Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee
Bellarmine Magazine_Fall2013_Web
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