Gettysburg's Cantele Earns National Award
from press releases
WILMINGTON, N.C. - As a player, a coach, and an
administrator, Carol Cantele has touched the lives of countless
people in and out of the Gettysburg College athletics community
over the last three decades, and recently, her
dedication and passion were recognized by the National Association
of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) with the
Judith M. Sweet Commitment Award, given to those individuals who
have provided outstanding leadership and commitment to colleagues
and student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics.
The Judith M. Sweet Commitment Award is presented annually to
recognize athletics administrators who are committed to providing
high level service, guidance and inspiration to colleagues within
intercollegiate athletics. Nominees include administrators
below the senior ranking level that many times work behind the
scenes in intercollegiate athletics departments, conference offices
and/or organizations and who provide outstanding service and
dedication in making a difference above and beyond the call of duty
every day.
"I am very honored to receive this special recognition by the
NACWAA organization," said Cantele, "and would sincerely like to
thank my colleague, Susan Fumagalli, who took the time to nominate
one of her peers."
Cantele exemplifies the definition of the award and continues to be
a driving force behind Gettysburg's athletics success. As a coach,
she has molded the women's lacrosse team into one of the premier
programs in the nation. The Bullets continually rank among the top
teams in Division III and have won more conference championships
than any other team in the Centennial Conference. Cantele has been
honored as regional and national coach of the year several times
during her tenure. In her 17 seasons at the helm, Gettysburg
is 223-76, including a 9-0 start to 2009.
Cantele was also the Bullets head field hockey coach from 1993-2002
before leaving the position to concentrate on women's lacrosse and
her position as Senior Women's Administrator. As the field hockey
coach, she won a record 121 games and led Gettysburg to five
conference championships.
Under her tutelage, 31 Gettysburg student-athletes have garnered
All-American honors in field hockey and women's lacrosse, with
three being named national players of the year. Many of those
individuals have taken the lessons learned from Cantele and become
coaches themselves, including Washington (Md.) College's Julika
Blankenship and current Gettysburg assistant Katie Hagan.
"She challenges the players to think about the game every day, and
in doing so each player pushes the envelope every time they step on
the field," said Hagan. "Every time they play she expects them to
be better. She has these high expectations because she sees that
each individual is capable of more. Coach Cantele is the first one
to hold us accountable and the first one to praise when we
accomplish our task."
"Coach Cantele is always coming up with creative ways to keep the
team fresh and always thinking about how we can be better," added
Hagan. "Her passion is why this program continues to
thrive. She doesn't know how to settle. I am so very
fortunate to be a part of this program again."
Off the field, Cantele is constantly seeking ways to improve the
student-athlete experience through her positions as Assistant
Director of Athletics and Senior Women's Administrator. She
instituted "best practices" that aid in the development of
student-athletes into exceptional leaders who make an impact
throughout campus. One program she implemented focuses on
developing team captains, which builds upon the strengths of the
individual to better the team.
Cantele also serves as the advisor to the Student Athlete Advisory
Council (SAAC) and helped put together the Student-Athlete/Faculty
Appreciation Day to celebrate the accomplishments of Gettysburg
student-athletes as well as recognize the guidance and leadership
distributed by members of the faculty.
"Carol has worked tirelessly, much of the time behind the scenes,
with our Student Athlete Advisory Committee," said Gettysburg
Director of Athletics David Wright. "When Carol assumed
responsibility for the SAAC, there was very little interest from
our students - that has changed."
In addition to her work at Gettysburg, Cantele has shared her
knowledge and experiences at a number of national and regional
conventions. This past January, she and her staff were presenters
at the US Lacrosse Convention where they focused on building and
developing practices and drills to enhance learned skills,
constructing a positive and competitive team environment and
assembling purposeful practices that have form, shape, and
style.
Cantele has worked hard to advance the cause of women's athletics
over the course of her career, including presenting at the
Snell-Shillingford Symposium, which is designed to encourage female
student-athletes to find creative ways to pursue their passion for
athletics after graduation.
"Through her energy and passion for Gettysburg College and our
athletic program, the students have become highly engaged and have
taken the program to incredible heights," said Wright. "She
mentors athletes across all teams and takes them to local
conferences, regional symposiums, and national forums. Gettysburg
College student-athletes have "hands on" experience when they
graduate thanks to Carol's great work. "
A 1983 graduate of Gettysburg, Cantele was a member of both the
Bullets field hockey and women's lacrosse teams. She helped the
field hockey team to a conference championship and a pair of
national tournament appearances, including winning the 1980
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Division
III championship. Cantele also helped the 1981 lacrosse team to its
first and only Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) title and a
fifth-place showing in the AIAW Tournament.
Always mindful of her roots, Cantele is quick to reference the
people that have helped her along the way in her career, including
former Gettysburg coach and administrator Lois Bowers and former
Plymouth State University field hockey coach Dot Diehl.
"I have been blessed to be associated with countless strong and
passionate mentors in my life and my career, which have influenced
me beyond words," cited Cantele.
Judith M. Sweet, former President of NACWAA, served as Director of
Athletics at the University of California at San Diego for 24 years
where she mentored many young men and women into careers as
athletics administrators. She served as the first female
President of the NCAA in 1991. After retiring from UC San Diego,
she was selected as the first female Senior Vice President and
Senior Woman Administrator at the NCAA. Sweet has received
many awards and honors in her career for her commitment and
dedication to mentoring, education, professional development and
leadership in intercollegiate athletics.
