May 6, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -A total of 302 student-athletes who have been tabbed as current or future leaders on their college campuses will meet this month to discuss key issues in intercollegiate athletics, and to enhance their leadership skills when they participate in the seventh annual NCAA Leadership Conference. Five MWC student-athletes were selected as part of the conference: Todd Mortensen, BYU; Landon Jones, Colorado State; Stella Conger, SDSU; Spencer Toone, Utah; Jennifer Hancock, Wyoming.

The activities will take place May 25-29, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

The 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. The conference is designed to enhance student-athletes' leadership and communication skills and to enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The convention setting provides the student-athletes with an opportunity to create dialogue surrounding topics that affect them on campus and in their communities. The conference also provides them with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and improve planning and priority management.

The student-athlete leaders were selected from a total of 1,172 nomination forms that were submitted by college and university officials who have NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools. Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes will be asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus SAAC, as well as other campus leaders. The participants are also asked to develop a self-directed project that will address an issue on their campus or in their community, and implement the plan when they return to their campuses.

Criteria for selection include the student-athletes' demonstrated ability and strong desire to be a leader and the student-athletes' potential to benefit significantly from a leadership development experience. In order to be eligible for the conference, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing, and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year.

Todd Mortensen     Brigham Young University      Football
Landon Jones       Colorado State University     Football
Stella Conger      San Diego State University    Women's Rowing
Spencer Toone      University of Utah            Football
Jennifer Hancock   University of Wyoming         Women's Tennis