Laurel Richie '81 was appointed president of the Women's National Basketball Association on April 21 by National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern, according to a WNBA press release. Richie will assume her new position on May 16 as the WNBA heads into its 15th season this summer. She will oversee the day-to-day operations of the league under NBA Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver. Before her appointment, Richie who majored in policy studies while at Dartmouth served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Girl Scouts of America, where she managed branding, communication and publishing for the national organization. Richie's former work experience also includes time at advertising companies Leo Burnett Worldwide and Ogilvy and Mather, where she worked with brands like American Express, Pepperidge Farm and Huggies. Richie recently received the YMCA Black Achiever's Award and was named one of the 25 Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal. Richie's experience in marketing and advertising will serve her well as she tries to continue the development of the WNBA brand on the national stage, according to the press release.
Big Green women's runner Alex Tanner '11 set a new school record in the 400-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 59.03 at Saturday's Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton. Tanner earned Dartmouth's only first-place finish at the meet and is the only female in Dartmouth history to record a time under one minute in the 400-meter hurdles. Chrissy Supino '12 posted the next-highest women's finish, placing fourth in the 800-meter race. On the men's side, Tom Robbins '11 took fifth in the mile with a time of 4:06.01, and Connor Reilly '13 placed fifth in the 100-meter dash. David Irving '11 posted the men's highest finishes at the invitational, finishing second in the discus and third in the hammer throw. The Big Green men and women now look ahead to the Penn Relays and UMass Invitational, both of which will be held next weekend.
The 40th-ranked Cornell University men's tennis squad ousted the Columbia University Lions in Saturday's Ivy League Championship matchup to procure its first-ever Ivy crown. Earning a 6-1 finish, the Big Red (26-4, 7-0 Ivy) rounded out its undefeated League season with the victory over the Lions (8-15, 2-5 Ivy). Dominating in doubles, the Big Red swept all three matches before winning five out of the six singles matches. Four of the single victories were earned in straight sets. In the number one spot, Cornell's Jonathan Jaklitsch notched a three-set victory over Columbia's Haig Schneiderman. Cornell's placement in the 2011 Division I men's tennis NCAA championship tournament bracket will be announced on Tuesday. The first round of the tournament is on Friday, May 13.
