Nation's Top Lacrosse Players Honored On CSTV

CSTV's Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship to benefit "Friends Of Jaclyn" Foundation

June 5, 2007

NEW YORK (June 5, 2007) - The Warrior Tewaaraton Awards Show Presented by Toyota will air on CSTV on Thursday, June 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET.  Hosted by CSTV's Greg Amsinger, the telecast includes a special presentation of CSTV's annual Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship, and will air exclusively on CSTV for the fourth consecutive year.  CSTV provides comprehensive coverage of the Tewaaraton Awards Banquet from the University Club in Washington, D.C., which was emceed by CSTV lacrosse analyst Sheehan Stanwick, and honors the nation's top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse players. 

The Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship was awarded to the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse National Champion Northwestern lacrosse team, and benefited the "Friends of Jaclyn" foundation.  CSTV's Executive Vice President, Content, Tim Pernetti presented the scholarship check to 12-year old Jaclyn Murphy, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2004.  After her diagnosis, Jaclyn was adopted by the powerhouse Northwestern women's lacrosse team, which has won the last three NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships.  The players keep in constant contact with Jaclyn, who is also a fixture on the Northwestern sideline during games. 

Friends of Jaclyn is a charitable organization, created to raise public awareness for pediatric brain tumors.  Funds are used to offset medical expenses for children who are diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer and to contribute to other charities that are specifically related to pediatric brain tumors.  For more information, go to www.friendsofjaclyn.com.

"The entire experience at the Tewaaraton Awards ceremony was incredible, and my family is delighted that Northwestern received the Diane-Geppi Aikens award, as they are truly emblematic of Diane's qualities as a person and coach," said Denis Murphy, Jaclyn's father.  "We are grateful for the donation to Friends of Jaclyn.  Jaclyn continues to be an inspiration for the Northwestern women's lacrosse team and many other children afflicted with this disease."

The Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship was initially created to honor the senior women's college lacrosse player who displays the same extraordinary leadership, character and perseverance as exhibited by Diane Geppi-Aikens, the Hall of Fame women's lacrosse coach who passed away from brain cancer just weeks after leading Loyola (Md.) to the NCAA semifinals in 2003.  CSTV's establishment of the Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship is part of the network's commitment to covering and promoting women's college sports and women's lacrosse in particular.  The network televised the NCAA Divisions I, II and III Women's Lacrosse Championships this season in addition to a complete schedule of women's games.    

Geppi-Aikens coached the 2003 season in a wheelchair.  CSTV chronicled Loyola's memorable 2003 season in its documentary, Season of Hope: The Diane Geppi-Aikens Story, which followed Geppi-Aikens and her team on the sidelines during games and practices, on the team bus, in the locker room and at home. She passed away on June 29, 2003, at the age of 40. 

In her 15 seasons as head coach at Loyola, Geppi-Aikens posted a 197-71 record, guiding her teams to 10 NCAA Tournaments appearances, seven trips to the semifinals and one National Championship game.  She earned three National Coach of the Year awards, and produced 35 All-Americans and three Academic All-Americans.

About CSTV Networks

CSTV Networks, Inc., now part of the CBS Corporation, is the leading digital and cable programming company dedicated to college sports. Connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company, its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV: College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports; CSTV.com and its network of more than 215 official athletic sites; CSTV All Access, broadband services providing live audio and video of more than 10,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more.  Further information is available at www.CSTV.com.