ECAC to Hold Night with the Olympians at Annual Convention

CAPE COD, Mass. - In conjunction with its upcoming annual convention and trade show in Albany, N.Y., the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), will be hosting two events honoring Olympians who were former ECAC student-athletes. Already confirmed for the event are Jeff Blatnick (Springfield College), Bill Cleary (Harvard University), John Gregorek (Georgetown University), Michelle Guerette (Harvard University/Radcliffe College), Jason Morris (Syracuse University), Zara Northover (Northeastern University) and Helen Resor (Yale University). Combined, those seven Olympians were selected to 14 Olympic teams and won six medals, including two golds and three silvers.

The first event, "A Night with the Olympians," will be a panel discussion moderated by Scott Morlock, the weekend sports anchor at FOX23 in Albany. Sponsored by the Crowne Plaza Albany, that event will take place on Monday, September 29 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the hotel. The second event will be a more informal "Breakfast with the Olympians" on Tuesday, September 30 from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. also at the Crowne Plaza Albany. Both events highlight the ECAC's celebration of 70 years of service and 25 years of women's championships.

Competing for Springfield College, Jeff Blatnick won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979. He then switched from freestyle to Greco-Roman wrestling and qualified for the 1980 Olympic team, but didn't compete because of the U.S. boycott. The 1980 and 1981 AAU super heavyweight champion, Blatnick discovered a lump in his neck early in 1982 and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, cancer of the lymphatic system. His spleen and appendix were removed and he underwent radiation therapy. The disease went into remission and Blatnick made the 1984 Olympic team. In the final match, the 240-pound Blatnick faced 275-pound Thomas Johansson of Sweden. Blatnick took a 2-0 victory, to win the gold medal. Blatnick and his teammate, Steve Fraser, became the first Americans to win gold medals in Greco-Roman wrestling. After a second bout with cancer, requiring twenty-eight sessions of chemotherapy in 1985 and 1986, Blatnick retired from competition but he served as a television commentator during the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics. During his 16-year wrestling career, Blatnick won 10 national titles and various international awards. He was elected to carry the American flag at the 1984 Closing Ceremony in Los Angeles. Since retiring from wrestling, Blatnick has worked as an expert analyst for sporting events and mixed martial arts. Currently, he serves as a motivational speaker and the varsity wrestling coach at Burnt Hills-Balston Lake High School.

Bill Cleary was an All-American college hockey player at Harvard University, where he still holds several records, including most points in a single season (89). He was a first-team All-America selection in 1954-55 when he helped the Crimson to the Beanpot title, a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four and a 17-3-1 record. In 1956, Cleary was a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that captured a silver medal in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Four years later, he was the top scorer for the U.S. team that upset the heavily favored Soviet team and won gold at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. Cleary was also the leading scorer for the 1957 U.S. National Team and captain and MVP for the 1959 U.S. National Team. He began his tenure as the men's hockey head coach at Harvard in 1971, and posted a 324-201-22 record in 19 seasons. In 1989, he guided the Crimson to a 31-3 record and the NCAA championship, the first NCAA team title in school history. Under Cleary, Harvard reached college hockey's final four on seven occasions and advanced to the national championship game three times. Harvard also won two ECAC tournament titles, four Beanpot championships and 11 Ivy League championships under his guidance. On numerous occasions, Cleary has been recognized for both his athletic ability and commitment to amateur athletics. He was the recipient of the Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award in 1993. In 1997, Cleary received the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey, was named to the NCAA Ice Hockey 50th Anniversary Team, was chosen a U.S. Hockey Player of the Decade (1956-66) and was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1989, he was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, which was followed by his selection as one of the "100 Golden Olympians" by the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1996. In 1999, he was named by Sports Illustrated as Massachusetts' 33rd best athlete of the 20th century. The Boston Globe, meanwhile, placed him 68th on its list of the top 100 New England athletes of the past century. After leaving coaching in 1990, Cleary became Athletic Director at Harvard. The Cleary Cup, named in his honor, is awarded to the ECAC's regular season champion. He is now retired in the Boston area.

A 1982 graduate of Georgetown University, John Gregorek was an eight-time All-American and was a champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 1981 World University Games and at the 1982 Indoor NCAA Championships. At the 1984 Olympics, he ran the 3,000 meter steeplechase and finished eighth in the first round and 11^th in his second round heat, but did not advance to the finals. In addition to the 1984 Olympics, he competed at the 1987 World Championships 5K. He also made the U.S. team that did not compete at the 1980 Olympic Games. Gregorek captured the Ocean State Marathon title in 1995 with a time of 2:16 which qualified him for his fifth U.S. Olympic Trial. In 1982, he also ran an impressive 3:51.34 in the mile.

Michelle Guerette, a 2002 graduate of Harvard, is an eight-time senior national team member and a two-time Olympian. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Guerette earned a silver medal in women's single sculls, finishing less than half a second behind the winner, Rumyana Neykova. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, she finished fifth in the quadruple sculls. After competing in the 2004 Olympics, she embarked on a solo career, and was the first pick for the U.S. team at the 2005 World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan, at which she placed third in the women's single sculls. The next year she placed fifth at the 2006 Championships in Eton, England. At the 2007 Henley Royal Regatta, she won the Princess Royal Challenge Cup. She won a bronze in the single sculls at the 2007 FISA World Championships. In college, her Radcliffe crew finished second in the varsity eight at the 2000 Women's Eastern Sprints and finished sixth in the varsity eight at the 1999 NCAA Championships.

Jason Morris started his Judo journey in 1975 at the age of eight and retired after his fourth appearance at the Olympics in 2000.  Included am ong the many awards and titles Jason won is a silver medal in the 1992 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships. A wrestler at Syracuse University, Jason is now a seventh degree  black belt. He has won 60 career international medals and ranked first in the nation for 12 years (1987 - 1996, 1999-2000). Perhaps most impressively, he is a five-time Olympian (1988 Korea, 1992 Spain, 1996 USA, 2000 Australia, 2008 China (Coach)). He is the owner/operator of Real Judo Magazine and head instructor at the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC).

Zara Northover was one of the top throwers in Northeastern University history. She went undefeated in the shot put at the conference level, winning four America East Championships (two indoor and two outdoor) and two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships. She set the CAA record of 53'2.25 in the shot put. As a senior, she was named CAA Field Athlete of the Year after winning the shot put, discus and hammer and placing seventh in the javelin, helping lead the Huskies to their first CAA title in any sport. Northover also won the shot put at the New England Championship and ECAC Championship four times each. Her throw of 55'0.75 at the ECAC Championship during the 2007 outdoor season set the Northeastern and ECAC records. Northover was a five-time NCAA Championship qualifier and had the best national finish of her career in her final season, placing 10th at the NCAA Championship during the 2007 outdoor season. Internationally, she finished fifth at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games. During the summer of 2007, Northover won the shot put at the Jamaican National Championship and placed ninth at the Pan American Games. On June 8, 2008, Northover won the Island Games in Uniondale, New York, with a throw of 17.56 meters, allowing her to compete in the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston, Jamaica. She won the shot put at the Olympic Trials on June 28, with a throw of 16.78 meters, and was officially selected to represent Jamaica in Beijing by the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association on July 8, becoming the first Northeastern women's athlete to compete in a Summer Olympics. In Beijing, she finished 16^th in her qualifying heat and 31^st overall.

At the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, Helen Resor had two assists to help the U.S. women's hockey team to bronze medal. She became the first Yale hockey player of either gender to earn an Olympic medal since five Bulldog men won silver with Team USA in 1932. She tied Jenny Potter for the best +/- rating on the U.S. team with +10. She had an assist on Team USA's second goal of the bronze-medal game when she fed Katie King for the first of King's three goals. Resor was the second-youngest member of the U.S. team and tied for ninth overall at the Games in points among defensemen. Resor also won a gold medal with Team USA at 2005 IIHF Women's World Championship and a silver medal at the Four Nations Cup during the 2006-07 season.

About the ECAC^®
The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with 321 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities.  The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors more than 100 championships in 37 men's and women's sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports.  The ECAC also administers eight affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,500 student-athletes in 23 sports are recognized annually.  Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men's and women's ice hockey and men's lacrosse.