Feb. 14, 2011

Bronx, N.Y. - While the Fordham women's basketball team was in Philadelphia last week battling the La Salle Explorers, two members of the team, senior Kristina Bell and freshman Abigail Corning were honored, in absentia, at the Breakfast of Champions back at Rose Hill. Bell, a Management major in the Gabelli School of Business and Corning, a Marketing major in the Gabelli School of Business were lauded for their academic prowess.

Bell, a guard for the Rams, has steadily moved up the rankings in the Fordham record books. She currently sits in fourth place in career starts (101), third position in minutes played (3487), and fourth in free throw percentage, .823 (158-192). Her highlight of the 2010-11 season came early in the year against Elon. In that game, the senior posted a career-high 22 points, by hitting six field goals and three three-point attempts. She also pulled down seven rebounds in the game.

Corning, in her first season with the Rams, has already been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice. The first time she earned the award was November 22. In that week, she averaged 11 points per game. She took home the accolade for the second time on January 10. The second award followed a stellar performance against La Salle in which she scored 12 points, on 3-of-5 shooting. She made all four of her foul shots and dished out three assists.

All of the Rams in attendance on Sunday, February 6, were honored for compiling a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher at the Eighth Annual Breakfast for Champions in the McGinley Center. The event was sponsored by the Fordham Athletic Department with assistance from the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and the Office of Academic Advising.

The 319 honorees represented over 57% of the student-athletes at Fordham and is the largest number of student-athletes to attend a Breakfast for Champions.

Executive Director of Athletics, Frank McLaughlin, explained the meaning behind the "Proud to be a Ram" message that had been printed on the back of Fordham's practice t-shirts. It comes from one of the Seven Blocks of Granite, Al Bart, who visited Fordham in 2002. He told the story that when Fordham football routinely played in front of a sold out Yankee Stadium in the 1930's, the last thing then head coach Jim Sleepy Crowley would tell the troops before the left the locker room was "to remember to be proud to be a Ram!".

It was only fitting that two basketball Rams were feted at the breakfast because the special guest speaker was former Rams' woman's basketball player Mobolaji Akiode, GSB '03, who received a $2000 check for her charity, Hope 4 Girls Africa. The charity, which she founded, is a USA-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the increased participation and empowerment of disadvantaged young African women in sports and education.

The current Rams will do their charity work this Saturday, February 19, as they participate in 'Think Pink' in conjunction with the WBCA Pink Zone and the Kay Yow Foundation to help raise awareness for breast cancer. The game with St. Bonaventure is scheduled to begin at 1:00 P.M.