Carlow University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will lend their efforts to the battle against cancer.
| Marketing and Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | January 26, 2017 |
| 412.578.2095 (phone) | |
| 412.260.6807 (cell) | |
| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Pittsburgh, Pa. – For three of their next five games, Carlow University men’s and women’s basketball teams will battle more than just their scheduled opponents – they will also lend their efforts in the battle against cancer.
Both the men’s and women’s team will raise awareness and hopefully a little money to fight cancer in their games at Oakland Catholic’s Donahue Pavilion on the following dates versus the listed opponents and starting times:
Friday, January 27 – Alice Lloyd University
(6 pm, women/8 pm, men)
Saturday, January 28 – Asbury University
(1 pm, women/3 pm, men)
Tuesday, February 7 – Point Park University
(6 pm, men/8 pm, women)
The last game is the annual “Pink the Pavilion” game against crosstown rival, Point Park, in which all fans attending the game are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness of breast cancer.
That cause is especially important to women’s head coach Liz Stieg, whose mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor. She also lost her father to cancer in May 2015.
“This disease has hit me close to home and I know it has done the same for so many others. We realize that there are much bigger things out there than basketball, but we hope to use the game in a positive way to help people heal,” she said.
Men’s head coach Tim Keefer, himself a cancer survivor, said that the opposing coaches and teams have been invited to join in the efforts and feels that finding a cure for cancer is something that transcends the competition on the court.
“While we are on the court, both teams will be playing to win, but we also understand that there are circumstances away from the court that any one may face and in that battle we all stand together,” he said.
The coaches on both teams will be participating in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ (NABC) “Coaches vs. Cancer” initiative known as “Suits and Sneakers,” where the coaches all don athletic shoes with special laces along with their traditional suits.
The special laces honor the memory of eight-year-old Lacey Holsworth, an avid Michigan State fan, who lost her battle with cancer in 2014.
For more information, please visit www.coachesvscancer.org, or the Carlow University athletics home page: www.carlow.edu/athletics.
Editor’s Note: The news media is welcome to cover any of the games, particularly the Pink the Pavilion games against Point Park University on February 7. Coach Keefer and the rest of the basketball coaches and players are available for interviews.
About Carlow University
Carlow is a private, co-educational, Catholic university located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Eds, Meds, and Tech” district. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow’s graduates, curriculum, and partnerships reflect its strong commitment to social justice; ethical, forward-thinking and responsible leadership; and service to the community that has a meaningful impact. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in three colleges: Health and Wellness, Leadership and Social Change, and Learning and Innovation. Carlow graduates are in demand for their professional expertise, in fields ranging from nursing, the sciences, and perfusion technology to counseling, education, and forensic accounting; their entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset; and their ability to manage change. Carlow’s eleven athletic teams are known as the Celtics, a reflection of the university’s Irish heritage and roots.