| UTM chancellor, AD named to OVC posts | | Posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 4:03 pm
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Phile Dane | | | MARTIN, Tenn. — The Ohio Valley Conference Spring Meetings concluded May 29 in Brentwood, Tenn., with the selection of Dr. Tom Rakes, UT Martin chancellor, as OVC Board of Presidents vice chair, and Phil Dane, UT Martin director of athletics, as OVC Board of Athletic Directors vice chair for 2009-2010.
Dr. Robert Bell, Tennessee Tech president, was named chair of the conference presidents board, while Mark Wilson, Tennessee Tech athletics director, will serve as chair of the athletic directors board.
The appointments come as UT Martin has experienced a recent upswing in successful athletic programs in football, men’s basketball, softball, women’s soccer and women’s tennis.
“We are honored to serve and represent our university in a leadership capacity within the Ohio Valley Conference,” said Rakes.
“I will be honored to serve as vice-chairman of the board of athletic directors in 2009-2010 and chairman in 2010-2011. We have an outstanding group of athletics directors in our conference, and it will be a pleasure to serve in this leadership role as we strive to further enhance the image of our conference among Division I and Football Championship Subdivision conferences in our country,” Dane added.
During the meetings, participants discussed a variety of topics and heard from several presenters, including Bill Regan, NCAA director of membership services. The week concluded with the league’s annual Honors Luncheon, which honored the OVC Male and Female Athletes of the Year. UT Martin graduate, Lester Hudson, was named the top OVC male athlete for the second consecutive year.
Hudson, a member of the regular-season OVC basketball champions, was also recognized as a member of the first-team all-conference team and was previously named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press for the second year. He was one of 16 total All-Americans at the Division I level named by CollegeInsider.com. | | | | |
