RELEASED: July 22, 2004

DANVILLE, KY—Gina Nicoletti has relinquished her position as head women’s soccer coach at Centre College to assume full-time duties as director of the Buck Fitness Center, a 7,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility now under construction at the college.

The fitness center will be located in Sutcliffe Athletic and Recreation Center, scheduled to open in early 2005 as part of The College Centre, a $22-million construction and renovation project currently underway on campus.

The fitness center will offer cardiovascular, selectorized weight training and free-weight equipment. There will also be two modern, glass-enclosed racquetball courts in the facility.

Nicoletti will be responsible for the operation of the fitness center and its programs. The “Fitness Club” at Centre College will be open to the Centre community with memberships also available to the Danville and Boyle County community. Information about enrollment will be available in late fall.

The director’s position will be supported by revenues from the Fitness Center and Fitness Club memberships.

Nicoletti came to Centre College in 1993 as the college’s first full-time women’s soccer coach. She quickly built a successful program that competes in the SCAC (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference), one of the premier soccer conferences in Division III of the NCAA. Nicoletti’s finest season was in 1995, highlighted by a 15-5-1 overall record, a third-place finish in the SCAC and a final South Region ranking of seventh. This year’s team finished 8-6-1 and placed fourth in the SCAC.

“Gina has been a real program builder, taking the team from square one and transforming it into a highly competitive soccer program,” says Brian Chafin, director of athletics and recreation. “She’s organized and meticulous and will do a fine job directing our new fitness center and organizing the Fitness Club. We’ll miss her on the soccer field, but Gina has a new and exciting challenge ahead of her, and I know she’s looking forward to this opportunity.”

Other promotions within the department of athletics and recreation include Sonny Evans to director of athletic and recreation facilities, Lesley Barsotti to associate athletic trainer and Todd Frakes to assistant sports information director for Web content.

Evans has served the college since 1991, most recently as the coordinator of athletic facilities. His responsibilities will be to oversee all of Centre’s indoor and outdoor athletic and recreation facilities, including the newly renovated Sutcliffe Athletic and Recreation Center.

Barsotti joined Centre in 2001 as an assistant trainer. As an associate trainer Barsotti will continue to focus on the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the softball team, although she will work with all the athletic teams.

Frakes, a 1999 Centre graduate, will continue his roles as assistant football coach and assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach. In addition to his coaching, he will be responsible for upkeep of the recently redesigned athletic Web section, focusing on content and maintaining design consistency with the rest of the college’s Web site.

“I’m extremely pleased to have these three outstanding staff members in our department,” Chafin says. “I look forward to working with them in their new assignments in the coming year.”

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

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