March 22, 2010

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Loyola Marymount Men's Tennis team will host the second annual Betty Werner Cup this Wednesday at LMU Tennis Center. The Lions will face the Dartmouth Big Green at 1:30 p.m. The match will be played in the memory of the late LMU Senior Associate Athletics Director who lost her battle with cancer in August 2008.

After winning three straight matches the Lions dropped a close 4-3 to Marquette University. They will be looking to regain their winning edge against Dartmouth this Wednesday. The Lions are 6-8 overall this season and have won six of their last nine matches.

Head Coach Brad Sceney said, "It is an honor to play for the Betty Werner Cup. When you get the chance to play for something that has more on the line then just a win for a college team, you really get motivated for the match. It is going to be a great contest and I am proud to be apart of it."

About Betty:
Growing up in the heart of Texas, Werner knew what her passion was at a young age. Battling anybody she could in any sport was just the beginning to an illustrious 40-year career that paved the way for both male and female athletes today.

Her love for tennis started it all. At Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, the women's tennis coach saw her playing at a boys' basketball practice and suggested she play on the tennis team. She did and an athletic career was born. She went on to have a successful career, playing No. 1 singles and doubles, playing the Texas Tennis Circuit and earning the Dallas Tennis Association Sportsmanship Award in 1964.

Werner graduated high school in 1966 and went on to the University of Tulsa where she played tennis. She played No. 3 singles from 1967-68 and No. 1 singles from 1969-70 and finished in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science. She went straight to graduate school and finished with a Master of Education at the University of Missouri in 1971. She then went on to play tennis after college and was ranked No. 1 in women's doubles and No. 3 in women's singles in Louisiana in 1971-72. She also claimed several international championships in racquetball, and was hired at Maryville College as an instructor of health and physical education.

She was then hired as the Women's Athletics Director at Drake in 1974. She was the youngest female administrator in collegiate athletics history (at the time) and the first female administrator at the University.

In 1979, when President Jimmy Carter implemented Title IX throughout the collegiate level, women were given the opportunity to have scholarships for the first time at universities around the country and Werner was at the center of it all.

In 1982, she was appointed to the committee of the NCAA's flagship sport, women's basketball. She served on the groundbreaking committee for five years. While with the group, she was the CBS Liaison, bringing women's athletics at the collegiate level to national television for the first time.

"Betty has done so much in establishing opportunities for young people - specifically women," said Athletics Director Dr. William Husak. "Everyone you talk to will tell you she did it with so much love. Betty will be deeply missed. Words do not do justice in describing how wonderful she was to so many."

Werner was hired to oversee all internal operations of the athletics department at LMU in 2000. During her time, the Lions saw unprecedented success, including the program's first conference titles in women's tennis, women's basketball and men's golf, and the first-ever NCAA tournament appearances for men's and women's soccer - all sports she supervised.

As her career took new heights, Werner continued to stay involved with the sport that started it all. Werner served as chairperson on the NCAA Joint Men's and Women's Tennis Committee. Under her direction, Werner brought both the men's and women's tennis championship to the same competitive site, bringing a heightened marketing exposure to the sport.

"Betty was a strong leader and active participant in the NCAA tennis community for many years. We all miss her tenacity and forthright opinion that help shape college tennis for the past decade." Dartmouth Head Coach Chuck Kinyon said.

On August 16, 2008, LMU and the tennis world lost a dear friend. Betty Werner passed away at her home in Torrance, CA after a five-month battle with cancer. She was 59.

Lions to Watch:
Junior, Ivan Lopez has been leading the Lions this season at the number one position. He has earned a 9-5 winning record in singles and before dropping a close three set match against Marquette, Lopez had been undefeated in singles for five matches. Lopez and transfer Otto Sauer have also established a strong game as a doubles combination. They have proved a formidable opponent going 9-5 overall this season including wins over USD, Azusa Pacific, Gonzaga and Marquette. Over the last two weeks Lopez/Sauer have led the Lions in doubles winning four straight matches. In singles play, junior Johan Berhof has also earned some big singles wins for the Lions, with a 6-5 overall record and big win against Marquette University. Sophomore Geza Bazula has also been on the rise for the Lions in singles play, Bazula is 5-3 on the season winning five of his last six singles contests. Senior, Borja Malet added another win for the Lions with a victory over Marquette Earlier this month, Malet had three straight wins in singles and now has won four out of his last five singles matches. Malet has recently teamed up with Geza Bazula for doubles proving to be a good combination with two straight wins earlier this month. The Lions will also be looking to Renzo Maggi and Jack Zapala for strong play in both doubles and singles.

Dartmouth Big Green:
The Big Green is 8-3 so far this season with wins over Temple, Point Loma and Army. They are coached by Chuck Kinyon and assisted by Dave Jones. As of March 14th the Big Green was ranked 75th nationally but since has fallen off the rankings.

LMU Head Coach Brad Sceney said, "The Dartmouth Coach and Betty were very close, so I know that his team will be equally motivated. Last year was a 4-3 victory for the Lions, and I am expecting another close battle. But this is what competition is all about--I can't wait for the match and I know our guys will be ready!"