LHU Director of Athletics Sharon Taylor, left, thanks college sports TV analyst Karen Weaver (right), featured speaker at the 2010 Women's Athletics Dinner.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University’s 2010 Women’s Athletics Dinner took place on May 3 in the Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center. According to Director of Athletics Sharon E. Taylor, “The banquet honors the achievements of our women’s athletics teams, recognizes the outstanding senior student athlete with the Charlotte E. Smith Award, and gives teammates a chance to say ‘goodbye and best wishes” to their seniors.”

Guest speaker Dr. Karen E. Weaver advised the student-athletes on how to set themselves apart from others. Weaver, a 1980 alumna of LHU, advised, “Think of yourself as unique, one of a kind.” Using the language of marketing, Weaver urged the students to create a “personal brand” – a unique identity that says “This is what I am, what I stand for. These are my skills.” To succeed in a world that is “changing at lightning speed,” she said, “we need to be nimble, to evolve and change with the times.”

Weaver is director of athletics, Penn State Abington. A former All-American student athlete and coach, she is color analyst for CBS College Sports and the Big Ten Network. She earned her B.S. from Lock Haven University, her M.S. from Purdue University, and her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

Weaver and her mother have endowed the JoAnn and Karen Weaver Scholarship through the Lock Haven University Foundation. Weaver urged the student-athletes to think about their legacy and what their education at LHU will mean to them. “Reach back and help those coming behind you,” she said. “Be nice to other people and share your toys.”

A highlight of the evening was the recognition of teams and special awards. The 2010 Charlotte E. Smith Award was presented to the Outstanding Senior Woman Athlete, Leigh A. Titus, lacrosse standout. Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Awards were also presented to juniors Talitha M. Jay and Jennifer E. Williams, and to senior Mary E. Keister, a two-time awardee.

Charlotte E. Smith, after whom the Outstanding Senior Woman Athlete award is named, came to Lock Haven University to teach in the Health and Physical Education Department in 1944. A tireless advocate for women’s sports, she handled multiple duties as professor, adviser to the Women’s Athletics Association, and coach of the field hockey and women’s basketball teams. In 1969 she started the LHU lacrosse program, and coached that sport until 1973.

The printed program for the Women’s Athletics Dinner included 2009-2010 women’s honors, a list which spanned 5 pages. It also listed LHU University Athletics achievements including 13 national titles (team), 13 national titles (individuals) 96 Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference titles (team), 4 Northeast Conference titles (field hockey only),and 3 Dixon Trophy wins.