Jet Open Golf Tournament Raises $43,000 to Benefit Newman University Athletes
Contributed by Director of Editorial Services Ken Arnold
Contact: Kelly Snedden
Director, Communications
316-942-4291, ext. 2164
sneddenk@newmanu.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2008
Jet Open Golf Tournament Raises $43,000 to Benefit Newman University Athletes
Wichita, Kan. - The Newman University 24th Annual Jet Open Charity Golf Tournament raised $43,840 to help support Newman athletic scholarships, programs and facilities. The event held April 28 at Rolling Hills Country Club, hosted 136 players and featured prizes for top teams and individuals, and a silent and a live auction.
“I’m delighted with the success of this year’s Jet Open event,” said Newman Athletics Director Randy Smith, who joined Newman earlier this spring. “This was my first Jet Open tournament and I had a great time meeting more donors and supporters of Newman University. I am humbled by their generosity to support our student-athletes and athletics programs.”
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A post-tournament dinner served as the venue for the auctions, and featured the announcement of Martin Park of Wichita as this year’s recipient of the Ray Dondlinger Award. This award is presented annually to a person who has played a key role in the tournament’s success. Park, owner of Mommy’s Helpers, has been an generous contributor to Newman University and this year was a member of the Jet Open committee.
“Martin has really been a crucial partner for Newman over the past few years,” said Steve Harshberger, Newman head softball coach and Jet Open committee chair. “His leadership, committee work and generosity are greatly appreciated. It’s a privilege to have him as part of our team and he’s one heck of a golfer too!”
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For the second consecutive year Martin Park (right) assembled the winning team for Newman University’s annual Jet Open Charity Golf Tournament. He shares the honor this year with his daughter and Newman alumna Heather Park (second from left), along with Derek Harrison (left) of Wellington and Vanessa Slater (second from right) of Wichita. Park was also recognized that evening with the university’s Ray Dondlinger Award for his support of Newman athletics.
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For the second consecutive year Park assembled the winning team for the Jet Open. He shares the honor this year with his daughter and Newman alumna Heather Park, along with Derek Harrison of Wellington and Vanessa Slater of Wichita.
The dinner also included recognition of the Newman University male and female student-athletes of the year. John Beavers of Herington, Kan., baseball player, and Blake Henry of Tulsa, Okla., Cross Country runner, were named co-recipients of this year’s Men's Student-Athlete of the Year award. Dixie Matzen of Conway Springs, Kan., tennis player, was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Mark Stovall, head wrestling coach, was named the Athletic Department’s Head Coach of the Year.
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Newman University’s Head Wrestling Coach Mark Stovall was named Coach of the Year for the university during the annual Jet Open Charity Golf Tournament held the end of April.
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The Jet Open again featured a golf ball drop on the 18th fairway, sponsored by Howard Sherwood of Sherwood Construction. More than 200 golf balls were dropped from a hovering helicopter to see whose golf ball landed closest to the pin on the fairway. Former Newman employee Joe Childs received a cash prize for winning the Helicopter Ball Drop.
Newman University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. Newman offers men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams in basketball, bowling, cross-country, golf, soccer and tennis, as well as women’s softball and volleyball, and men’s baseball and wrestling.
For more information and to view photos from this year's event, click here. |
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Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 (Archive on Thursday, January 01, 2009)
Posted by admin_schneiderl Contributed by admin_schneiderl
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