CASE ATHLETICS IN THE NEWS...
February 9, 2010
PHAM SMILES WITH CONFIDENCE ON AND OFF THE COURT...
CLEVELAND, OH - Unlike most kids growing up, Emily Pham liked going to the dentist. Pham liked it so much that she wanted to be one which is among the reasons she is a freshman tennis player at Case Western Reserve University.
The Spartan women’s tennis team opens their spring season this weekend on the road, stopping at the University of Notre Dame to face Saint Mary’s College Friday at 6:00 p.m. before continuing on to Chicago where they will play University Athletic Association (UAA) foes Washington University from St. Louis and the University of Chicago on Saturday at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., respectively.
CLICK HERE to read a spring preview.
“People would just look at me like I was crazy,” said Pham in regards to enjoying her trips to the dentist. “I feel more confident when I leave there. A smile shows your confidence and that you are a really happy person.”
Pham is confident and second-year Head Coach Todd Wojtkowski is happy she is a Spartan. Pham ended the fall part of Case Western Reserve’s 2009-2010 schedule at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles. The Spartan women finished the fall 4-1 and Pham posted a 3-1 record in both singles and doubles.
“It’s (collegiate tennis) really competitive and I liked it,” Pham said. “It was hard balancing academics and athletics, but I felt like the first half of the season has better prepared me for what’s to come in the second half. Our team motivates each other and we are excited about this weekend.”
A big reason, besides tennis, that she came to University Circle is because she was accepted into the Pre-Professional Scholars Program (PPSP), which grants conditional admission to a Case Western Reserve professional school. A very select group of first-year undergraduate students make it.
Her brother Anthony helped Pham not only become a successful tennis player, but also help guide her down her career path. He hopes to attend medical school and one day become a doctor.
“He would hit with me all the time,” said Pham, whose dad is a chemist and mother is a biologist. “There is a lot of science in the family, but my brother really influenced me to go into health care. I saw how much he wanted to help people by one day becoming a doctor and I wanted to do the same.”
The elder Pham is a junior at Washington U, just one of the eight UAA schools which will be in Cleveland for the 2010 UAA Women’s Tennis Championships, hosted by Case Western Reserve, April 16-18.
“Playing on our home courts and having our home fans cheering us on should be an advantage for us in April,” Pham said.
Volleying the tennis ball while following the path to becoming a dentist takes up a lot of the Cincinnati, Ohio native’s time, but she does have a third hobby which she intermingles into her day. Pham took piano lessons as a child and played it a lot at William Mason High School.
“I am trying to keep up with it (piano) in college,” Pham explained. “I like the classical and romanic stuff. When I return home I take lessons, but here I use it to getaway. I usually practice it when I am really stressed studying. I played it a lot over the weekend while studying for my biology and chemistry test.”
“Tennis and piano are my outlets,” she continued. “Tennis allows me to let it all out physically and piano just relieves everything emotionally.”
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
February 4, 2010
THROWBACK: RAU EXCELLED AS GUARD, NOW AS DOCTOR...
CLEVELAND, OH - Case Western Reserve University’s new slogan is “Think Beyond The Possible”. Alumna Rachel Rau did that back in 1995 when she came to Cleveland from rural Winchester, Ohio and 15 years later she’s proof that you can truly do so.
“I would never have guessed that things would have gone so well for me,” Rau said. “If you work hard things can happen. There is also something said for the person who goes the extra mile and is nice to people. I was fortunate enough to do well and ultimately become a chief resident.”
Dr. Rau, who is currently a pediatric hematology/oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, had a nice basketball career at Case Western Reserve. To date, she’s ranked sixth all-time in career points with 1,065. Only eight female players in school history have reached the 1,000-point plateau. She is also fifth in total field goals (410) and third in assists (345).
“Going into college I knew I wanted to go on to medical school,” Rau explained. “CWRU had great academics and that was my main purpose in looking for a college. When I came up for a visit, I met the basketball team and after that I knew I wanted to finish my basketball career there.”
During her career (1995-1999) at Case Western Reserve, which was referred to as CWRU at the time, the Spartans were members of both the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and the University Athletic Association (UAA). That meant every game during their regular season counted more than usual.
“The UAA was (is) a bunch of schools very much in line with what CWRU was, mostly focusing on academics,” said the three-time team captain. “It was still great basketball and it was fun to be able to travel around the country. The competition was also fantastic in the NCAC and it was nice to just hop on a bus and come back on the same night after playing games in that conference.”
Being a Spartan, while double majoring in biology and chemistry opened a lot of doors when she applied for medical school because if you did well as a student-athlete at Case Western Reserve, you will succeed in medical school and be a great doctor. Rau thinks being a member of the women’s basketball team has certainly prepared her for just about anything.
“Poise under pressure, which you certainly get a lot of practice at playing at a varsity level, is invaluable in the medical profession,” Rau explained. “Whether caring for dozens of kids in a busy ER, resuscitating a critically ill child in the intensive care or telling parents their child has cancer you have to be able to stay calm and keep your emotions in check.”
After Case Western Reserve, Rau attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus, Ohio, where she received her M.D. in 2003. After completing medical school at OSU she did her pediatrics residency (2003-2006) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Following her residency, Rau spent a year (2007-2008) as pediatrics chief resident and she is currently a hematology/oncology fellow, which means she is getting further trained in the field of pediatric oncology. Most of what she does at this point is research in a lab. Rau still sees patients once a week, but she is currently concentrating on leukemia research.
“I always had a sense of what I wanted to do mostly because I had a young cousin pass away from leukemia when I was 12,” Rau explained. “Several shadowing experiences I had in high school and college reinforced that decision. I can’t imagine doing anything else at this point.”
For about a year and a half, Rau has been, through genetic manipulation, giving mice a very specific type of leukemia. She then follows the mice and ultimately treats them. According to her, it takes a while to get a mouse project like this off the ground.
“Research is a funny thing,” Rau explained. “Sometime you get a lot of great results early on and sometimes it takes awhile to evolve. I am starting to see some significant results and hopefully I will have some more publications in a year or so.”
“I am studying two specific genetic mutations that occur very commonly in leukemia,” continued Rau, who has edited a book and co-authored numerous publications and presentations as well as taught in her field. “The results are going to be intriguing and certainly will have an impact on how we manage that type of the disease.”
So where does Rachel want to be five years from now?
“I will be in a major academic center because that’s where most of the pediatric oncology patients are treated,” said Rau, who can see herself doing patient care and research over the next five years. “There are a handful of private practices out there, but the bulk is taken care of at places like here (Johns Hopkins) and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital near CWRU’s campus.”
Rau (pictured with her family above) and her husband, Dr. Peter Wung, married back in 2003. Although they met during their third year of medical school at Ohio State, the two most likely crossed path as fellow undergrads at Case Western Reserve. Dr. Wung’s field is adult rheumatology. They were classmates at CWRU, but their paths never crossed. Rachel and Peter have a two-year old daughter, Abby, and are expecting a boy any day now.
“It’s amazing where life takes you,” Rau laughed. “If you told me 10 years ago I would be married with two children at this point I would have never envisioned that for myself. I always told my mom I was never going to get married and have kids.”
The modern day Spartan women will be honoring their predecessors this weekend as part of Throwback Weekend. CLICK HERE for more info.
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
February 2, 2010
PATEL LOOKS FORWARD TO TENNIS THIS SPRING...
CLEVELAND, OH - As the calendar has turned to 2010, sophomore Rohan Patel (Cincinnati, OH) has set up to have a big year in the classroom, on the tennis court and in the workplace.
The spring tennis season is already off to a fast start as Patel and his teammates defeated NCAA Division I Robert Morris University (Pa.), 8-1 on Sunday [January 31]. Patel played a big role in the win as a 7-6, 7-5 winner in the No. 3 singles slot and an 8-3 winner with sophomore partner Sean Carr (Columbus, OH) in No. 2 doubles.
“It was a nice win for us against a Division I school which we never played before,” said Patel. “The result (8-1) seems pretty one-sided, but the match was actually pretty close and could have played out differently, so we’re happy to get the win.”
Listening to Patel talk about that match and the upcoming season, it’s evident he is more concerned with team goals and success than his own play. This could be because as a sophomore, he is already co-captain of the team. Having only one upperclassman on the team (senior co-captain John Smetona) has thrust him into this role.
“As a sophomore, I guess I’m fairly young in college, but on the team I’m one of the elders and one of the more experienced on the team,” explained Patel. “Stepping into the leadership role is a little disconcerting at first, but you get the hang of it. Some guys look up to you and you try to set an example.”
“He could have been a captain for us as a freshman,” said second-year Head Coach Todd Wojtkowski. “He came in here very mature, focused and driven. It was a no brainer for me, all I have to do is get a message to him and he’s probably more efficient at getting it to the rest of the guys then I am.”
Last season, Patel went 8-11 as a No. 2 and 3 singles player. He feels that facing the tougher competition as a freshman is valuable experience which he will capitalize on this season.
“I’ve gotten a lot better since last year,” said Patel. “(The improvement) is mostly because of Coach Wojtkowski. He puts in so much effort and gets the best out of us. I’ve had some wins this year that would have been impossible last year.”
Coach Wojtkowski wasn’t the reason Patel decided to come to Case Western Reserve however, because Wojtkowski was just in the process being hired as Patel decided he would come to University Circle to further his education and tennis career.
“I didn’t know who the coach was but I knew I wanted to play tennis,” Patel recalled. “I met with (Athletic Director Dr. Dave Diles) and I liked what I saw. I picked Case and it’s worked out really well.”
“We were extremely lucky that Rohan decided to come here because he had chances to go to other schools in the UAA [University Athletic Association],” explained Wojtkowski. “He came here because it was his best chance to play tennis. Rohan came in ranked 900, which wouldn’t have put him in the lineup of many schools, but he’s worked hard and already beat a couple of top 150 kids and that’s a big difference.”
The main reason Patel came to Case Western Reserve was to enroll in its nationally renowned biomedical engineering program, which has been ranked fourth by U.S. News & World Report.
“[When coming to Case] I knew I wanted to do biomedical engineering and Case has one of the top 10 programs in the country,” explained the sophomore. “(The program’s) getting tougher, as expected. My top two priorities are school and tennis and they make for pretty full days. Tennis practice takes two or three hours then with homework and studying for tests, it keeps me pretty busy but it’s rewarding at the same time.”
Patel has clearly handled the workload well this far as he boasts a 3.7 GPA. His excellence in the classroom has led to a prestigious internship with Proctor and Gamble which he has already secured for this summer.
“I was really happy to get the internship and am looking forward to this summer,” said Patel. “I’ll be working in research and development for the beauty and grooming department. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be working on but I’ll be assigned a project for 12 weeks and present it at the end. The thing that’s good about P&G is they actually use the projects that interns work on.”
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
January 28, 2010
THROWBACK: ZITO LED CASE TECH TO FIRST PAC TITLE....
CLEVELAND, OH - After holding Throwback Weekend at old Adelbert Gymnasium the past four years, the Case Western Reserve University basketball teams will return to Horsburgh Gymnasium, the Spartans current home and the past home of the Case Institute of Technology Rough Riders, for the fifth anniversary.
Horsburgh Gym was dedicated on May 24, 1957 and it was head-over-heels better than the Rough Riders previous basketball home, according to Don Zito, CIT ‘62.
“They had been playing on the third floor of Fenn College (now Cleveland State University),” Zito said from his winter home in Nevada. “It had a mat on the wall at one end because behind the basket there were only a couple of feet. After a layup you would run into the wall.”
The Case Western Reserve men will wear fire engine red Western Reserve University (Red Cats) uniforms on Friday (Feb. 5) night when they host Brandeis University and bear the brown of Case Tech on Sunday against New York University (Feb. 7). The women’s team will wear Mather College yellow in both games.
Click here to see a slide show of the brand new uniforms, courtesy of the CWRU Alumni Association.
Don Zito was a Rough Rider back in the late 50s and early 60s, but his ride during his basketball career at Case Tech was anything but rough. Zito was a four-year starter and co-captain his senior campaign back in 1962. He earned second-team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) honors and was a Beta Theta Pi Little All-American that year.
“The thing that I was actually proudest off was never statistically tracked at the time,” Zito explained. “I was a pretty good defensive player. I just didn’t seem important back then, but I remember one write-up in the Case Tech newspaper after a game claimed I had ten blocked shots. That’s what I loved the most – blocked shots and the steals were my most favorite part of the game.”
The 1961 Rough Cats, Zito’s junior season, won the PAC title and his freshmen team in 1959 won the freshmen PAC title. Zito also won the Girlando Award which was awarded to the team’s MVP in 1962. He was inducted into the Case Reserve Athletic Hall of Fame back in 1996.
“I remembered we dunked Nip in the pool under Horsburgh after we had won the PAC,” said Zito, who was 6’6 and weighed 220 pounds during his collegiate playing days. “We warned him it was coming, so he dressed appropriately.”
The Nip the Akron native is referring to is Philip “Nip” Heim, one of the most successful basketball coaches in Case Tech’s history. Heim compiled a 128-121 win-loss record in his 15 years (1948 to 1962) as the Rough Rider head coach. Heim eventually was named to both the Naismith Basketball Coaches’ Hall of Fame and to the Ohio Basketball Coaches’ Hall of Fame.
“We were only allowed to play 17 games a year, we were limited to how many practices we could have and there was no postseason,” Zito explained. “The whole thing [varsity sports] was pretty low key and Nip was not as tough as he could have been because that was the nature of the beast. It [varsity sports] was meant to be a supplement to your education and I think he coached accordingly.”
The 1961 PAC title was the first championship in the then-new league. After that school year, Heim retired from active coaching and was named Case Tech’s athletic director. He was then named the first athletic director of the newly federated (1967) Case Western Reserve University, a position he held until his retirement in 1974.
“It [the federation] was absolutely necessary,” said Zito, the 2002 recipient of the Case Alumni Association’s distinguished Meritorious Service Award. “There were a lot of minuses from the standpoint of the two schools (Reserve & Case Tech) being so competitive athletically, but academically they were so complimentary it was unbelievable.”
Zito studied metallurgical engineering and four days after graduating (1962) from Case Tech’s University Circle campus he went to work for Parker Hannifin Corporation in Cleveland, a place he would spend his entire professional career.
“I started as a sales engineer in 1962 when the company did around 55 or 60 million (in sales per year),” Zito explained. “When I took early retirement over 35 years (1997) later I was a corporate officer and president of what was called the fluid connectors group and we were at six billion. They believed in promoting within and I had a nice ride.”
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.