Sarah Rockwell joins Nanook Swimming

Head coach of Nanooks' swimming, Scott Lemley, recently announced the addition of Sarah Rockwell for the 2007-2008 season.

Rockwell formerly attended the University of Southern California in 2005 but was forced to leave for medical reasons. She then got married and was working and living in Anchorage until Lemley contacted her.    "[Coming to Fairbanks] it all happened really fast. Scott and I started talking two weeks before school started and I wasn't really thinking about coming back to school because I had been working and I'm married," Rockwell said in a press release. "But Scott called me up and told me "we have a team up here with a great facility and a great school and great girls." He had been my coach when I was younger and we've kept in touch since so I have a lot of trust in him and that was a big part of it [my decision]." Rockwell will be entering UAF as a freshman.

Prior to college, Rockwell was a notable swimmer at Robert Service High School where she received the honor of State Swimmer of the year in 2002 and in 2004-2005 she became the first Alaskan High School swimmer to set state record times in every event.

"She's someone who is world class," Lemley said in a press release. "We potentially have someone who will qualify for the Olympic trials and represent our country: that's the caliber of swimmer that she is."

UAF Athletes volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters

University of Alaska men's basketball and women's swimming teams volunteered Saturday the 8th helping to build two 3-bedroom houses for two single women and their children. Their work continued the next Saturday with the women's basketball and men's hockey teams volunteering. The Nanooks also hosted the "Bigs for a Day" event with Big Brothers Big Sisters on Sunday.

This is UAF's third year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and the student athletes seem to really like it. "Not only is it fun to work with other sports teams in our department," Rebecca George said in a press release. "It's good to actually get out in the community and do something really productive."

Partnership Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Teresa Thompson, enjoys working with the UAF athletes.

"It's a win-win partnership," Thompson said in a press release. "Not only do we give students the opportunity to volunteer in the community, but our kids get the chance to be around the university athletes, which are pretty much local stars, and we get increased visibility by association."

Any UAF students interested in volunteering should visit the volunteer opportunities section of the UAF leadership program website www.uaf.edu/leadership.