Feb. 26, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion senior Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.) has been selected to the inaugural Allstate WBCA Good Works Team as announced on Tuesday. The team is composed of 10 women's basketball student-athletes who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. The 10-member team features five student-athletes from Division I and five student-athletes from Division II, III and the NAIA. Allstate also announced its 10-member Allstate NABC Good Works Team for men's basketball.
"The men and women being recognized with this award have demonstrated a commitment to excellence on and off the court," said Pam Hollander, senior director of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2013 NABC and WBCA Good Works Team® selection panels. "Allstate commends these student-athletes for their contributions and are very proud to introduce the inaugural NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams."
After being bullied in high school, Studevent used an independent study project at Penn State to create "Penn State Athletes Take Action." The program works with the Centre County Women's Resource Center (CCWRC) to develop a program to take into local middle schools to talk with students about bullying and bully prevention on a monthly basis. Throughout her development of the program, Studevent has enlisted the help of several other student-athletes, including athletes from women's basketball, track & field, soccer, cheerleading, football and dance team, to go to weekly training sessions at the CCWRC and then on to present at local middle schools.
Studevent is joined on the NCAA Division I team by Auburn's Blanche Alverson, Oklahoma's Whitney Hand, Brown's Caroline King and Purdue's Drey Mingo. The NCAA Division II, III and NAIA team is comprised of California State's Amanda Deal, Merrimack's Kathryn Ganser, Skidmore's Logan Frederick, RIT's Kayla Wheeler and Ave Maria's Emily Huber.
"We believe in the potential of this exemplary program as an opportunity to promote the good works taking place in collegiate athletics," said Beth Bass, CEO of the WBCA. "The Good Works Team recognizes student-athletes who are conscientious and caring individuals who will continue to make significant contributions as civic leaders in communities across the United States."
Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® will be recognized during the 2013 WBCA Convention and at the 2013 NCAA® Women's Final Four® in New Orleans, and will also participate in a local community project. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the NABC, WBCA and NCAA.
The following players have been named to the 2013 Allstate WBCA Good Works Team®:
NCAA Division I
Blanche Alverson, Senior, Guard, Auburn University, Andalusia, Ala.
Whitney Hand, Senior, Guard, University of Oklahoma, Fort Worth, Texas
Caroline King, Senior, Forward, Brown University, Valencia, Pa.
Drey Mingo, Graduate, Forward, Purdue University, Atlanta, Ga.
Gizelle Studevent, Senior, Guard, Penn State University, La Jolla, Ca.
NCAA Division II, III and NAIA
Amanda Deal, Senior, Guard, California State University, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Kathryn Ganser, Senior, Guard, Merrimack College, Needham, Mass.
Logan Frederick, Senior, Forward, Skidmore College, Arlington, Va.
Kayla Wheeler, Junior, Forward, Rochester Institute of Technology, Clifton Park, N.Y.
Emily Huber, Senior, Guard, Ave Maria University, Indianapolis, Ind.
Penn State closes out the regular-season with road games at Minnesota on Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. (ET) and Nebraska on March 2 at 6 p.m. (ET), both of which can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.