UVM's Cote Selected to Attend NCAA Leadership Conference BURLINGTON, Vt. - Junior Kami Cote (Copperton, Utah), a member of the Vermont women's hockey team, has been selected to attend the 2004 NCAA Leadership Conference that will be held May 30-June 3 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Cote, a goaltender and an All-ECAC Honorable Mention selection in 2003-04, led the nation in saves (1,332) and ranked tenth overall among the national leaders in save percentage (.927). She set a new single-game school record with 66 saves in Vermont's 2-0 loss at #6 Wisconsin in the season opener. She also set new UVM single-season marks in saves (1,332), minutes played (1990:57) and games played (34). Cote, an assistant captain, posted five shutouts this season, including back-to-back efforts of 4-0 and 3-0 versus Union, to lead Vermont its first ECAC victories and ECAC sweep as a Division I program. She was named to the ECAC Honor Roll six times this season and garnered ECAC Goaltender of the Week honors twice during the year. Cote is the first Catamount to earn all-ECAC honors in Vermont's Division I era. Cote also excels in the classroom as a physical education major. She is a Dean's List student and has been named to the UVM Athletic Council Academic Honor Roll, ECAC Division I All-Academic Team and was named a AWCHA Division I Academic All-American this past year. The NCAA Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. This will be the seventh leadership conference that the NCAA has hosted for student-athletes who compete in fall, winter and spring sports in Divisions I, II and III. The conference was designed as a forum for student-athletes to discuss key issues collectively, and to provide them with an opportunity to enhance skills, which will enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The conference also provides student-athletes with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and to improve planning and priority management. During the five-day event, student-athletes have the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, which include the demands and expectations of student-athletes; inclusion education; international student-athlete experiences; recruiting visits; student-athlete responsibility; party behaviors; trust gaps within intercollegiate athletics; and sportsmanship. Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes will be asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus student-athlete advisory committees, as well as other campus leaders. Cote was selected from among 1,175 student-athletes representing 295 institutions. A total of 324 student-athletes from around the country have been choosen to participate in the event. Other University of Vermont student-athletes nominated for the 2004 Leadership Conference included Chrissy Battram (Parkhill, Ontario), a member of the women's basketball team, David Hehn (Sarnia, Ontario), a member of the men's basketball team and Sullivan Silva (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), a member of the men's soccer team. This marks the fourth straight year a Vermont student-athlete has been selected to attend the conference. Past UVM participants include Kristal Kostiew (track and field-2003), Jon Cooper (men's tennis-2002) and Elaina Coutrayer (track and field-2001). Criteria for selection include the student-athletes' demonstrated ability and strong desire to be a leader and the student-athletes' potential to benefit significantly from a leadership development experience. College and university officials who have CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools are encouraged to nominate student-athletes for the conference. Many of the participants selected for the leadership conference are also members of the student-athlete advisory committees in their athletic conference or on their campus. --30-- -- ________________________________ Lisa Champagne Assistant Director Athletic Communications University of Vermont 226 Patrick Gym Burlington, VT 05405 P: 802/656-1818 F: 802/656-8328 [log in to unmask] http://www.uvmathletics.com