July 9, 2001
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich has announced the addition of two new staffs members for the 2001-02 academic year. Joining the League staff will be Assistant Media Relations Director Kris Petersen and Administrative Intern Ryan Eklund.
Petersen, who will join the Patriot League staff in July, will serve as the League's primary media contact for women's basketball. She will also responsible for the compilation and dissemination of statistics and information on several of the League's 22 sponsored sports.
Prior to joining the Patriot League, Petersen served as a Communications Assistant at the Big East Conference. She served as the primary media contact for several Olympic sports, including women's soccer and softball.
Petersen holds a bachelor's degree in broadcasting and public relations from Mansfield University, where she was a four-time letter winner in softball and worked in the sports information office. She resides in the Lehigh Valley.
"We are very pleased that Kris will be joining the staff at the Patriot League," said League Executive Director Femovich. "Her experiences in both the institutional and conference environment will be a great compliment to our current staff and will help us address the growing demands on the League office."
Eklund joins the Patriot League after completing a compliance internship in the University of Connecticut athletic department. A former college basketball player at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Eklund graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1999. Following graduation, he joined the basketball coaching staff at Springfield College (Mass.) as a graduate assistant and administrative assistant to the athletic director while working on a master of education with an emphasis in athletic administration. Eklund graduated from the Springfield program in 2001 and joins the Patriot League as the 2001-02 Administrative Intern.
In addition, he has also served as a student-athlete representative to the NCAA Division III Financial Aid and Awards Committee and to the NCAA Drug Education and Testing Committee. Eklund also served as a research assistant to the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee.
"We look forward to Ryan joining the League staff as an Administrative Intern," Femovich added. "As a young professional, he brings with him a variety of experiences that are well suited to a conference office especially in the areas of sport management and compliance."
The Patriot League, which was founded on the principles of admitting athletes who are academically representative of their class, is in its second decade of academic and athletic achievement. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education. The Patriot League began as a successful Division I-AA football conference in 1986. Full League members include American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Associate members include Fairfield (field hockey), Fordham (football), Georgetown (football), Hobart (men's lacrosse), Towson (football), Ursinus (field hockey) and Villanova (women's lacrosse). These member institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation. Alumni from Patriot League colleges and universities have played a leadership role in the shaping of our country.