May 7, 2005

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Loyola Marymount women's basketball team will embark on a foreign tour to Australia for 12 days starting on May 8th. The Lions will start in Sydney, then head to Brisbane before wrapping up their trip in Cairns. LMU will play five games while in Oz, and the student-athletes will be earning credits towards graduation while taking a class during the trip.

"At LMU, being a student-athlete is so much more than playing basketball and winning championships," said head coach Julie Wilhoit. "It's also about learning life lessons off the hardwood. Our goal as coaches is to expose our student-athletes to the finest basketball and academic experience. Going to Australia with our team is a perfect opportunity to achieve this goal."

The Lions leave Los Angeles late on Sunday, May 8th. After crossing the international date line, they will arrive in Sydney on the morning of May 10th. They will hit the ground running, sightseeing in Sydney and visiting Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Australia.

On their second day, they will play their first game against the Australia Institute of Sport. Following the game, the Lions will head to Darling Harbour, a waterfront park and home of the Sydney Aquarium. On May 12th, the Lions will visit The Rocks, a historical area where Australia was first established by the British. After spending time at Manly Beach, the Lions will take on the Australia Institute of Sport again for game two.

On Friday, May 13th, the team will take a sightseeing tour of the Sydney Opera House. In the afternoon, they will climb the Harbour Bridge that overlooks Sydney. The Harbour Bridge is the largest steel arch bridge and has become a symbol of Sydney.

The Lions will fly to Brisbane on May 14th and play their third game against the Gold Coast Rage. LMU will play the Southern District Spartans on May 15th. On the 16th, the Lions will visit the Australian Woolshed, an attraction based on a typical outback sheep station. It offers visitors a memorable Aussie farm experience with the opportunity to enjoy some of Australia's unique wildlife. Visitors can feed kangaroos and hold a koala. The team will head to Surfers Paradise in the afternoon to have some fun at the beach.

The team heads north to Cairns, the final city on the trip, on May 17th. The team will play its final game on the 17th against the Cairns Dolphins. The Lions will travel to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park on the 18th to learn about Australia's indigenous culture. After experiencing Aboriginal culture, the bravest Lions will have an opportunity to bungy jump off of a 165 foot tower in a rainforest.

On the final day in Australia, the team will have an opportunity to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. From the moon, the Great Barrier Reef is the only living structure visible on earth. It is a national treasure and one of the true wonders of the world.

Twelve student-athletes will be making the trip- Sara Brown, Amanda DeCoud, Ashlee Dunlap, Bronwyn Evans, Jevay Grooms, Carrie Noyes, Valerie Ogoke, Amanda Patton, Jenni Smith, Nicole Thompson, Bianca Ziemann and Rachael Ziemann will representing LMU. It will be the first time that the Lions will be playing with Brown and Dunlap who had to sit out the 2004-05 season after transfering to LMU.

Dr. Maureen Shaukowitch, the Director of Internship Programs and Fieldwork for the School of Education, will accompany the Lions on the trip and lead a seminar-style course titled, "Australia: Its History and Culture." The course will examine literary works on Australia (both literature and film) and examine the historical and cultural perspectives of Australia. From the exploration of the literature, film, and news of Australia, the student-athletes will be able to discern the unique dimensions of its Natural/Cultural identity, values and manners.

To follow the Lions as they travel Australia, click here or follow the link on LMULions.com. There will be stories about the team's adventures and games, player journals, and photo galleries.