July 24, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The fourth annual Race for Hope in Philadelphia is set for Sunday, Nov. 1 and Penn State fans can get involved by supporting former Nittany Lion lacrosse and field hockey standout Deb Andress, who is waging a battle with a brain tumor. The 5K Run/Walk is sponsored by the Brain Tumor Society and kicks off at 8:30 a.m.
Fans are encouraged to sign up for the race or to donate in support of the cause. The funds generated goes to innovative research and support services for brain tumor patients and their families. As of July 24, Team Andress has raised $1,175 with $30,000 as the ultimate goal.
Andress played both field hockey and lacrosse for the Nittany Lions and was a member of teams that won two AIAW National Championships during her Penn State career. In January of 2008, she was named the first women's lacrosse coach at Penn State Abington, a program that began varsity play in the spring of 2009. Andress, also an instructor of kinesiology at Abington, has coached lacrosse and/or played at nearly every level, from youth to national play. A former member of the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Team from 1980-1984, she was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
In addition to her skills as a player, Andress has served as head of the selection committee and head coach for the Philadelphia Area Girls Lacrosse Association U15 and U13 squads from 2002-2006, and she continues to direct and coach the OLMC Girls Lacrosse Youth Organization for second through eighth-grade girls in Bucks County. Andress has a number of connections to Penn State and Penn State Athletics as her husband is John, a former Nittany Lion quarterback. Her son, Johnny, is a senior defender on the men's lacrosse team while daughter Lea is a redshirt freshman attacker for the women's lacrosse squad.
For more information on how to sign up or make a donation, visit the Team Andress page on the Brain Tumor Society's Race for Hope website.