Rawding to Have Season Ending Surgery

Van Zanic

Director of Sports Information

(724) 847-6886

vgzanic@geneva.edu

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 3, 2008

RAWDING LOST FOR THE SEASON, SENIOR

TO HAVE SEASON ENDING SURGERY

Beaver Falls, PA – It was not exactly the early Christmas present interim head coach Amy Russin was looking to receive. Russin and the Geneva women’s basketball team received the bad news on Tuesday that senior forward Renee Rawding would be undergoing season ending foot surgery at the end of December. Rawding, who has played a huge role in the success of the Golden Tornadoes in the past two seasons, will forego the remainder of the season in hopes of gaining a medical redshirt that will enable her to come back for one more year.

“This is certainly a blow to our team,” said Russin. “Renee brings a lot of leadership and experience to a team that is in desperate need of those elements.” Rawding was one of only two seniors on the roster which is now left with only Michawn Rich to carry the torch of the 2009 senior class. “Renee has been a significant part of the recent success of our program and we are just hopeful that her career is not over.”

Rawding helped lead Geneva to its first back to back 20-win seasons in school history the past two years. In her sophomore season, Rawding averaged 17 points per game and led the Golden Tornadoes with 61 three-point field goals as Geneva advanced to its first trip to the NAIA national tournament. Last year, Rawding helped Geneva to a 20-6 overall record with a scoring average of 11.8 points per game.

“This has been an injury that has hampered her mobility for two years,” said Russin. “We are just hopeful that the surgery will help her get back to where she was a couple of years ago.”

Rawding has started in each of Geneva’s four games this year with the Golden Tornadoes sitting at 3-1 to start the campaign. She is currently Geneva’s second leading scorer at 13.8 points per game.

The Golden Tornadoes will begin their run without Rawding in the line-up on Wednesday night when they open PAC play at Grove City.