NEAC Members Hold Multiple Events in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, multiple North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) member schools are holding various events throughout the month in an effort to raise awareness and funds to fight this dreaded disease.  Here is a quick look at the upcoming events around the conference, as well as details on those that have already occurred:

Cazenovia College: The Wildcats will host a “Dig Pink” event on Saturday, October 22, along with SUNY Canton and conference members Morrisville State College and SUNYIT.  In addition to the Wildcats wearing pink jerseys during those matches, the event will feature a concession stand and a 50/50 raffle.  All proceeds from the event will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, which was established in 2004 to raise money and awareness about cancer through the recreational activity of volleyball.  Donations can also be made to Cazenovia’s Side-Out page, which can be found by clicking here.  Full details for Saturday’s event can be found here.

College of Saint Elizabeth: The Screaming Eagles’ women’s soccer team and the women’s volleyball team both showed their support for breast cancer awareness by each hosting a “Think Pink” event.  The Eagles soccer team held a Think Pink Day on Sunday, October 8^th when they hosted fellow conference member Wells College, where they wore pink jerseys during the contest and wound up with a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory.  A full recap of that contest can be found here.  The volleyball team held a Think Pink Night on Tuesday, October 4^th when it hosted John Jay College.  The Eagles did not disappoint during the special night, picking up a 3-0 sweep in front of a home crowd filled with supportive fans.  A full recap of the match can be found here. 

Gallaudet University: The Bison participated in the annual American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) “Dig Pink” event when they hosted fellow NEAC member Penn State Harrisburg on Thursday, October 13^th.  Gallaudet wore special pink game jerseys during the match to show its support for the fundraising initiative of the Side-Out Foundation.  Prior to the start of the match, Harrisburg presented Gallaudet with a generous donation for the Side-Out Foundation as well as a special pink volleyball that was used for the first point of the match. A full recap of the event and the match can be found here.  Although the event already took place, donations can still be made to Gallaudet’s Side-Out Foundation online page that can be found here.

Lancaster Bible College: Although the Chargers have no home events planned this month, their women’s basketball team will once again hold a Breast Cancer Awareness Night during this upcoming season.  The Chargers will wear pink sneakers and sell pink T-shirts during the night, with portions of the proceeds going to the Kay Yow Foundation.  The date of the event has yet to be determined.

Morrisville State College: Throughout the entire month, the Mustang fall athletic teams have each designated a day in their athletic schedules to honor the memory of those that have battled breast cancer and survived, or lost their fight, by wearing special black and pink jerseys during the contest and donating all game proceeds to the Carol M. Baldwin Research Fund of CNY.  The field hockey and men’s and women’s cross country teams kicked things off with events on October 1^st, with the football team following on the 8^th and men’s and women’s soccer choosing the 16^th.  The women’s volleyball team will wrap up the events on the 21^st when it hosts SUNY Canton.  Full details on Morrisville State’s month-long initiative can be found here.

Penn State Berks: The Nittany Lions held their second annual “Dig Pink” match on Wednesday, October 5^th when they hosted DeSales University.  The team wore pink jerseys during the match and also sold Dig Pink T-shirts at the door, which helped raised $330.50 on the night that was donated to the Side-Out Foundation.  A full recap of the event and the match can be found here.  Although the event has already taken place, donations can still be made to Berks’ Side-Out Foundation online page found here.

Penn State Harrisburg: The Harrisburg women’s soccer team and Head Coach Mark Brown wore the color pink when they hosted NEAC member Lancaster Bible College on Saturday, October 8^th in support of the Feel Your Boobies Foundation.  Items such as baked goods, drinks, candy and Penn State Harrisburg shirts were sold at the event, with all proceeds going to Feel Your Boobies, a Middletown-based organization which not only raises breast cancer awareness, but educates women about the importance of self-breast examination.    A full recap of the event and the match can be found here.

SUNY Cobleskill: Cobleskill held its third annual campus-wide Breast Cancer Awareness Walk last Friday, which kicked off the school’s Alumni and Parent Homecoming Weekend.  The walk was sponsored by the school’s senior resident assistants and led by Cobleskill alumnus and current UPD officer John Bagdovitz.

SUNYIT: The Wildcats held two events to support breast cancer awareness in the past week.  The SUNYIT men’s soccer team sported pink jerseys during its match against conference member Lancaster Bible College last Saturday, which finished in a 2-2 tie and kept the Wildcats undefeated in conference play at 7-0-1.  Additionally, the women’s volleyball squad held its third annual “Dig Pink” event this past Tuesday.  The Lady Wildcats wore pink jerseys during their match against the visiting Oswego State Lakers and auctioned them off directly following the event, which also included a bake sale, a 5/50 raffle and a Chinese auction.  It was a very successful night for SUNYIT, as the team earned a 3-1 victory and raised $1200, which will be donated to the Side-Out foundation.  A full recap of the event and the match can be found here.  Although the event already took place, donations can still be made to SUNYIT’s Side-Out Foundation online page found here.


Please support the fight against breast cancer by attending any these upcoming events or by making a donation to any of the aforementioned Side-Out Foundation pages.  Donations can also be made directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation through its website, which can be found here.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The North Eastern Athletic Conference has thirteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, Pennsylvania State University -Harrisburg, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Institute of Technology, SUNY Morrisville State College, Wells College, and Wilson College.  Associate members are: Hilbert College (M Lacrosse), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf).  The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of baseball, women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s tennis.