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Men’s #VNL Preview Pool 12: France Hosts Korea, Argentina, Serbia

2018 FIVB MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE – WEEK 3/POOL 12

  • June 8th-10th, 2018
  • L’arena du pays d’Aix, Aix-en-Provence, France (8,500 spectators)
  • Time Zone: GMT +2 (U.S. Eastern Time +6)
  • FIVB World Ranks: #7 Argentina, #9 France, #11 Serbia, #21 South Korea

SCHEDULE

Date US Eastern Time Local Time Home Team Away Team
8 Jun 9:00 17:00 Argentina Serbia
8 Jun 12:00 20:00 France South Korea
9 Jun 9:00 17:00 South Korea Serbia
9 Jun 12:00 20:00 France Argentina
10 Jun 7:00 15:00 South Korea Argentina
10 Jun 10:00 18:00 France Serbia

STANDINGS

This is a split pool. France is guaranteed a spot in the Final 6, and Serbia is still well-in-contention for the same, currently in 8th place, out of the Final 6 by just points, rather than wins. Technically, all 4 teams in this pool are still alive with 9 matches left to play, but South Korea will likely be eliminated if they’re winless again this week, with Argentina not far behind. We expect it to take 24 or 25 projected points to make the Final 6.

Matches Pts Sets Points
Rank Team W L W L Ratio W L Ratio
1  Poland 5 1 15 16 4 4.000 486 424 1.146
2  Brazil 5 1 15 17 5 3.400 514 475 1.082
3  United States 5 1 14 17 8 2.125 571 517 1.104
4  Russia 4 2 13 14 7 2.000 491 438 1.121
5  France* 4 2 13 14 8 1.750 522 471 1.108
6  Canada 4 2 12 13 9 1.444 513 498 1.030
7  Italy 4 2 11 13 9 1.444 514 479 1.073
8  Serbia* 4 2 9 12 13 0.923 546 540 1.011
9  Japan 3 3 9 12 13 0.923 556 556 1.000
10  China 2 4 6 9 14 0.643 474 518 0.915
11  Bulgaria 2 4 6 9 15 0.600 504 543 0.928
12  Germany 2 4 6 8 14 0.571 487 519 0.938
13  Iran 2 4 5 9 14 0.643 518 544 0.952
14  Argentina* 1 5 5 9 15 0.600 532 563 0.945
15  Australia 1 5 4 7 15 0.467 476 532 0.895
16  South Korea* 0 6 1 2 18 0.111 402 489 0.822

*Denotes teams in Pool 12

POOL PREVIEW

Don’t let the world rankings fool you: France is the best team in this pool, and FIVB has given them a bit of a gift for the home fans in Aix-en-Provence, where the pressure will be high to perform and build support for the upcoming Final 6. Just like in week 1, France will have two matches (Argentina and South Korea) that they should win without too much stress. Then there is a 3rd against a respectable opponent (in week 1, it was the opener against Iran, in week 3, it’s the closer against Serbia) that should be an exciting match, but in which France will be favored to win a competitive match for the home faithful.

STORYLINES TO WATCH

  • Argentina – Argentina got a big pick-me-up with a 3-0 sweep of Italy to close week 2: their first win of the tournament. They did it with a balanced effort of legendary Facundo Conte scoring 12 points, Tomas Lopez scoring a dozen of his own, and Sebastian Sole chipping in 10. Lopez had seen only limited action previously at outside hitter, but with Cristian Poglajen struggling with consistency, the swap sparked the Argentines.
  • France – There’s no real pressure, but the French have been talking all tournament about the need to make their fans care about the team ahead of the Final 6 tournament in Lille that they’re hosting, and ahead of the upcoming World Championships in nearby Italy (and Bulgaria). With that in mind, Kevin Tillie has his full-squad back after a rest last week. That means starting outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth, starting setter Benjamin Toniutti, and starting libero Jenia Grebennikov will all be rested and ready to go. The match against Serbia will be a referendum on their readiness for the Final 6: if France looks dominant there, they’ve handled the pressure of the home crowd, and are ready to compete. If not, Tillie will have a month to refocus his team.
  • Serbia – Serbia is returning from a rest week of their own, with Marko Podrascanin and Aleksandar Atanasijevic back on the roster after sitting in week 2. This begins a long road-trip for them, as they won’t return home until June 26th and in between will head to France, the USA, and China, but they need to stay focused. 2 wins over South Korea and Argentina are necessary, with a win against France being an aspiration. The Serbian offense was wobbly last week without two of their star offensive weapons, and while they came away with 3 wins against Bulgaria, Russia, and Australia, each took 5 sets: meaning just 2 points in the standings.
  • South Korea – The South Koreans are the lone Challenger Team in this pool, and they desperately need a win. The good news for them is that nobody is clearly running away with this subplot: Argentina and Australia have only 1 win apiece, while Bulgaria has 2. South Korea should put their full focus on the match against Argentina, because that’s their best shot at a win. There’s still no news out of South Korea as to the status of their 28-year old star opposite Lee Kang-won, who has been absent for the first two weeks of the tournament.

France has returned to its primary lineup for week 3 of the 2018 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League that they will host this weekend in Aix-en-Provence, France. That means the return of electric outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth, starting setter Benjamin Toniutti, and starting libero Jenia Grebennikov.

Trevor Clevenot, typically an outside hitter, has also been selected for a second-straight week, but it’s as the team’s reserve libero, rather than his primary position of outside hitter.

Clevenot, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, missed week 1 of the tournament, but was named to the roster as a hitter in week 2. It was said when he returned to the side that it was more for training purposes than intent to play, and that came true: he didn’t see any court time in France’s 3 matches.

Now he’ll serve as backup libero, which allows him to continue training with the team and involves a very low chance that he’ll actually be pressed into action.

Playing without 3 starters, France went 1-2 in week 2 in Lodz. They were swept 3-0 by Poland, beat Germany 3-0, and lost to China 3-2. That slid them to 5th in the table, though as hosts of the Final 6, they’re guaranteed their seat in the next round of the tournament.

This week, France returns home to Aix-en-Provence, where they’ll play South Korea, Argentina, and Serbia. Serbia hasn’t won a match yet, Argentina is 1-5 in the tournament, and Serbia currently sits 8th in the table with a 4-2 record.

Setters: Benjamin Toniutti (Zaksa Kedierzyn-Kozle / POL), Antoine Brizard (Warsaw / POL) 
Outside Hitters/Receivers: Earvin Ngapeth (Modena / Al Rayyan, ITA / QAT ), Julien Lyneel (Shanghai / CHN), Thibault Rossard (Asseco Resovia Rzeszow / POL), Kevin Tillie (Beijing / CHN) 
Opposites: Jean Patry (Montpellier), Stephen Boyer (Chaumont) 
Middle Blockers: Nicolas Le Goff (Latina / ITA), Barthélémy Chinenyeze (Asseco Resovia Rzeszow / POL), Jonas Aguenier (Chaumont), Daryl Bultor (Montpellier) 
Liberos: Jenia Grebennikov (Lube Civitanova / ITA), Trévor Clevenot (Piacenza / ITA)

The Nebraska women’s volleyball team may not have played any spring games as a follow-up to their 2017 NCAA National Championship, but summer preparations are underway for the start of the new season in the fall.

In a move that’s unusual for head coach John Cook, who usually chooses captains in August just before the first matches of the season, he named senior outside hitter Mikaela Foecke and senior libero Kenzie Maloney captains for the 2018-2019 season at the beginning of the spring semester.

That early stability will be crucial for Nebraska, as they’ll be relying on a lot of new faces next season. One of the most intriguing storylines of the year will be the arrival of highly-touted freshman setter Nicklin Hames. The highly-touted prospect was the United States’ starting setter in all but 1 match at last year’s FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship. She ranked 8th in that tournament with 2.48 running-sets-per-set, defined as sets where her hitters faced 0 or 1 blockers: a key setting statistic.

The primary driver behind no spring schedule for Nebraska was the lack of setters: VolleyMob’s 2018 National Player of the Year Kelly Hunter graduated, and backup Hunter Atherton transferred to North Carolina. In addition to the returning hitters Foecke and Jazz Sweet, Hames will also be targeting transfer Lexi Sun, who was All-Big 12 as a freshman last season at Texas.

Foecke led the team in kills last year with 441 (3.53/set) while hitting at a .290 clip. She ranked 68th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten in kills while also contributing 39 aces and 295 digs and playing in all 125 of the team’s sets. Maloney also played in all 125 sets for the Huskers last season. Maloney led the team in digs with 452 (3.62/set).

Kelly Hunter and Annika Albrecht, who both graduated, were last year’s captains.

University of Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook caused a stir on Twitter on Wednesday when he Tweeted “Nebraska would love to go to the White House!” Cook wrote. “Huskers would be honored and proud to visit our leaders in DC and represent Nebraska and the Natty! #gbr”.

The Tweet has since been deleted, and on Thursday Cook’s Twitter account appeared to be gone as well. Both drew thousands of reactions on Twitter while it was up. The national debate over attending the White House, a tradition for national sporting champions of all kinds, has grown louder after President Donald Trump publicly uninvited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles earlier this week.

Cook defended his statements to the Omaha World-Herald on Wednesday, saying that he didn’t think it would be as controversial as it was.

“I was shocked,” Cook told The World-Herald. “It just shows you where our country’s at. We’re divided now.”

He also says that his players have been asking when the team would be invited.

“It’s not just meeting the president,” Cook said. “That’s what people don’t get. It’s a whole cultural and historical experience. It’s not a political statement (on) how we feel about President Trump or not. It’s an honor to go to our nation’s capital when you win a national championship. It’s for the whole nation.” Cook says that he also takes his teams to visit museums, monuments, and historical sites in the nation’s capital.

Cook was at Hudl’s headquarters in Lincoln speaking at HudlWeek as part of a week of celebration and education for the company’s employees.

2017 marked Nebraska’s 5th NCAA title in women’s volleyball, which ranks 3rd behind 7 each from Penn State and Stanford. The team visited the White House after the 2015 NCAA championship.

Donald Trump won 60.3% of the popular vote in Nebraska in the 2016 presidential election, which amounted to a 210,000-vote edge over his primary rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

 

 

Bulgarian setter Georgi Bratoev will return in time for the 2018 World Championships that begin in September, confirming the expectation of about a month of absence.

“There’s no break, which is the most important thing,” Bratoev told Bulgarian media this week. “There is a sprain, which I think should go away within a month and everything will be fine.”

That will leave Bratoev back in plenty-of-time for the 2018 FIVB World Championships, which for Bulgaria begins on September 9th in front of a home crowd where they’ll play Finland.

Bulgaria is one of two hosts of this year’s World Championship, along with Italy, which is the first time that two countries have hosted this tournament. Pool D, where Bulgaria begins their tournament, will be hosted in Varna, as will Pool G and Pool H in the 2nd round of the tournament.

With Bratoev healthy, Bulgaria opens as co-favorites in Pool D, alongside defending World Champions Poland (depending on the health of one of their stars and Nations League leading scorer Michal Kubiak). Also in the pool are Cuba, Finland, Iran, and Puerto Rico, with each team facing off in a single round-robin. The top 4 teams in each of 4 1st round pools qualify for the 2nd round, and then the winners of each of 4 2nd round pools, plus a pair of 2nd-place teams, advance to a traditional Final 6 3rd round.

Bulgarian fans have organized a boycott of Nations League games being hosted in the country because they feel that ticket prices are too high. Their team has faltered, meanwhile, with just a 2-4 record after 2 weeks of play. That includes a 3-0 sweep to Australia in the match where Bratoev was injured, and a 3-0 sweep the next day against Russia. Next week, they’ll play in Osaka, Japan against Italy, Japan, and Poland – the latter of which will serve as a tuneup for the upcoming World Championships. Georgi Seganov is expected to be the team’s starting setter in Bratoev’s absence.

Italian volleyball player Jiri Kovar has been temporarily suspended for failing a doping test in May while awaiting a hearing in front of Italy’s national doping authority NADO. Kovar plays for the Italian runners-up and European silver-medalists Cucine Lube Civitanova.

He tested positive for THC, which is a metabolite and main psychoactive substance found in cannabis (marijuana).

The organization announced the failed test on Wednesday, saying that he tested positive during a May 6th match with Sir Safety Perugia. That match was the final match of the 5-match Italian SuperLega Playoff final, which Perugia won in a 3-0 sweep to claim their first-ever Italian Championship. Kovar started and played all 3 sets of that game, scoring 14 points (2nd-best on the team), hitting 65% with just 1 error, and serving as the team’s primary receiver with 32% positive reception.

Kovar continued to play in the Champions League Final 4 with Lube, though in more of a reserve role – he scored 1 point in the team’s semi-final win over Zaksa and 2 in their finals loss to Zenit Kazan, though he participated in all-but-one set of the tournament.

Kovar, a 29-year old, 6’8″ (202cm) outside hitter, has played with Lube since 2011, and has been a part of 3 Italian Championship teams (2012, 2014, 2017). He has also played as part of the Italian National Team, including at the 2014 World Championships. He won silver with Italy at the 2013 European Championship and bronze in the 2014 World League.

Lube released a statement that read, translated to English: We regret to inform you that from the anti-doping office we have received information about the positive result of a doping test that Jiri Kovar underwent. THC Metabolite was detected in his body. Until we learn more detailed information, we will not comment on the matter.

A first-time failed doping test, if no mitigating circumstances are discovered, can result in a ban of up to 4 years. However, in the most recent case in volleyball, Bulgarian National Teamer Spas Bayrev, without much in the way of a mitigating circumstance, was given only a 1-year ban for testing positive for marijuana last year.

Because Kovar was the only player to test positive, Lube’s team results are not in jeopardy.

When the Netherlands won the first set against Italy in the teams’ week 4 matchup on Wednesday in Rotterdam, the Americans would have just been sitting down for dinner in Jiangmen, China. In spite of being off the court, that early result clinched the United States’ spot in the Final 6 of the first-ever edition of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League: the first team to officially do so.

After the Americans nabbed an 9th-straight win on Wednesday morning with a 3-1 win over Brazil, the final nail was almost inevitable. Italy dropping a single set in any of their 5 remaining matches meant that the best Italy, currently ranked 8th in the tournament, could do would be tie the United States in wins and points, but they couldn’t match the U.S. in the 3rd tie-breaker: sets ratio.

The Italians, depending on the outcome of their match with the Netherlands (which looks to be headed for a tie-breaking 5th set), are still alive for the Final 6 – but the point is that now only 5 other teams have enough games left to mathematically surpass the U.S. in the standings, which means that the U.S. can finish no lower than 6th (with hosts and automatic qualifiers China being one of the 5 teams still capable of catching the U.S.). Russia, who at present is ahead of Italy in the standings with a 6-5 record, doesn’t have enough points available to them to knock the Americans out, as they’d need 14 points in 4 remaining matches.

The United States stumbled in week 1, but have caught fire since, including a record 8-straight sweeps. They finish up week 4 on Thursday against China and next week head to Argentina to play Serbia, South Korea, and winless Argentina.

With a pair of teams, Serbia and Brazil, just behind the U.S. at 9-2 records, the Americans right now would need 3 wins in their last 4 to clinch first place in the table (good for the 2nd seed in the Final 6 behind hosts China).The U.S. plays Serbia in week 5 – who don’t know right now whether or not they’ll have the services of their star Brankica Mihaljovic, who isn’t playing this week as a result of injury.

Serbia and Brazil could both clinch on Thursday as well with wins over the Netherlands and Russia, respectively; Turkey and the Dutch would both need help in the form of losses from Russia, Italy, Japan, and SOuth Korea to clinch this week.

Polish veteran Daniel Plinski has decided to end his professional volleyball career after 21 years in the sport. His career ends with 498 games played in Poland’s professional league, plus a further 142 international caps with the Polish National Team.

“I made it to the end of my 21st season, it’s time to get off the stage,” Plinski said. “This is a good time to end my career. It is not easy, volleyball has been with me throughout my life. It’s time to change my life and do something else. Ladies and gentleman, loyal supporters – I thank you very much! Thank you for always being with me and my teams.

“I won’t say good bye, I’ll say see you later.”

The 39-year old middle blocker was a part of Poland’s National Team from 20005 through 2010, which included a silver medal at the 2006 World Championships and a gold at the 2009 European Championships. Plinski started and played all 3 sets in that World Championship final, where Poland would be swepr by Brazil, and scored 4 points on 3 kills and 1 block.

He began his career with Stolarka Wolomin from 1997-2002, before that team merged with Polmien Sosnowiec, where he played until 204. He spent his entire career in Poland, including most recently with PGE Skra Belchatow from 2007-2014, Cerrad Czarni Radom from 2014-2016, and the last two seasons with Indykpol AZS Olsztyn.

He three times played on medal-winning teams at the FIVB Club World Championship with Belchatow, earning silvers in 2009 and 2010 and bronze in 2012. His career also included 5 Polish Cups, and a further 5 Polish Championships.

Individually, he was named the best blocker of the international Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner trophy in 2008 and 2009.

His team from Olsztyn finished 4th last year in Poland’s PlusLiga, where he was ranked as the 21st-best middle blocker in the league last season by Data Volley statistics. His final year as a professional included 4.39 point/match and 1.50 blocks/match.

Plinski won’t travel far from the court after his retirement though: he’s already been signed on to be a domestic commentator for volleyball for next season’s Champions League matches.

The new incarnation of Ravenna Volleyball, which started again in Serie C in the 2009-2010 season and promoted back to the SuperLeague, has made big investments so far this off-season. The club, which was 8th past year out of 14 teams in Serie A with a 14-12 record and 41 p0ints, has signed a new coach, a new middle blocker, and a new setter to lead the team to next season.

The coach is Gianluca Graziosi, who has signed a two-year contract. He comes from Bergamo, where he led the Serie A2 men’s side the last two seasons, including a first-place finish in the Girone Blu with a 19-3 record last year. He’s also the coach of the National B team that will play at the Mediterranean Games in late June.

The new coach says that his team will focus on technique and the spirit to fight.

“It did not take me more than half an hour to convince me,” the coach said of his recruitment. “Last year I was offered the guide of Club Italia, which is the maximum goal for a technician who has worked mainly in the field of youth, but I passed because my goal was to train in Superlega. Marco introduced me to a team project with many talented young players, for a chance that stimulates me a lot because I like not only managing, but also building players.”

Club Italia is a team directly controlled by the Italian Volleyball Federation, who installs their best teenage players on the squad. The goal is to give those players an opportunity to compete against professionals rather than in youth leagues.

The two biggest new faces to arrive in the team are Belgian middle Pieter Verhees and Italian setter Davide Saitta.

The 28-year old, 6’9″ (205cm) Verhees will play his 7th-straight season in Italy after spending last year with Vibo Valentina, the 2 before with Monza, the year before that with Modena, and his first two seasons in Italy with Latina. He was named the best middle blocker of the Italian Championship in the 2016-2017 season, and was part of an Italian Cup winning team with Modena in 2015.

A back injury sidelined him for crucial matches of last summer’s European Championship tournament, but he showed no ill-effects once the Serie A season began: he ranked 5th among middle blockers with 204 points in 96 sets played. One of Europe’s more offensive-minded middles, he had 137 kills and 53 blocks over the course of the season.

The man feeding him passes next year will be former Italian National Team setter Davide Saitta. The 30-year old has been playing in France since 2014, where he won the 2016 French Championship with Paris Volley and in 2017 was named both the best setter and MVP of the French Ligue A.

Internationally, he was the backup setter on the Italian team that took silver at the 2013 European Championships. He was also named the best setter of both the 2005 European U-19 Championship and the 2007 World U-21 Championship.

Ravenna had two setters last season: 34-year old Santiago Orduna, and 22-year old Matteo Pistolesi. Last year’s starter Orduna has moved on, signing with Milano for next season, and ranked just 13th among the league’s setters in points last year. Ravenna as a team hit 56.9%, which ranked 9th in the league.

Other moves for the team:

  • Austrian Paul Buchegger has left the club. The 22-year old was one of the great surprises of Serie A last season, ranking 2nd in the league in scoring with 458 points in 94 sets (4.87 pts/set). He hit 46.2% on the season at outside hitter and also had 49 aces.
  • Giacomo Raffaelli re-signed with the club. He scored 64 points in 67 sets at outside hitter last season. The 22-year old played mostly a reserve role last season, and is currently training in Rome with the Italian National “B” team, mostly a U23 side.

USA Volleyball has honored Joan Powell with the 2018 Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award during its annual recognition banquet on in May in Dallas during the 2018 Open Championships. The award, which USA Volleyball considers its highest honor, is named after Friermood, the award’s first recipient in 1965, USA Volleyball’s second president, and one of the primary drivers behind volleyball being made an Olympic sport.

The award is a lifetime-achievement honor of sorts, recognizing those from every side of the sport, including administration, who have contributed to the sport in the United States.

Powell has been an active member of USA Volleyball since 1974 – the year after she graduated college. As a player, her Colorado Connections team won 3 USA Volleyball Open National Championships in the 30 & over division and she has been selected as a USA Volleyball All-American 5 times. She was a PAVO nationally certified official for almost 40 years, and was active as a USA Volleyball national referree for 27 years. That includes officiating the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III Championships, with her last coming in 2009.

She 5-times served as president of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO) and in 2011 was chosen as the NCAA’s first national coordinator of officials for volleyball. In 2016, she took over the same role for the Pac-12 Conference.

Powell has served on the USA Volleyball Board of Directors and was previously a member of USA Volleyballs Rules Committee. In 2008, the USOC senter her to Beijing as the team leder for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team. She coached in high school in Colorado for 30 years and led Coronado High School to 4 state championships. In 1998, she was named the Disney Teacher of the Year.

“Absolutely humbling to be among the group of Frier award winners,” Powell said after being introduced as the 2018 Frier recipient and what it means to her being added to that list of volleyball’s legends. “That group of people and what they have done for the sport of volleyball… I am the recipient of what those people did for this great game. No award necessary. Being introduced to this game, and for them being the care givers of the game provided me great opportunities. Wow. Wow.”

Awards Presented at Boyce Banquet
Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award: Joan Powell
Tom Haine All-Time Great Player Award (Indoor): John Brame
Flo Hyman All-Time Great Player Award (Indoor): Polly Lowery Simmons
All-Time Great Player Award (Beach): Randy Stoklos
Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach (Contemporary Division): Anna Collier
Bertha Lucas All-Time Great Coach (Pioneer Division): Jeff Mozzochi
George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball: Steve Robb
George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball: Lynne Updegraff
Wilbur H. Peck Referee Emeritus Award: Doug Wilson
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Program Director: Dan Smith
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Male Coach: Joe Hovanes
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Female Coach: Karen Schmitz
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Parent Award: Kathy Gettinger
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Service Award: Joe Thomas
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Clinician: Sarah E. Hammers
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Referee: John Bear
Junior Service Award – Outstanding Scorer: Lauren Lange

All-Time Frier Award Recipients:

  • 1965 Dr. Harold T. Friermood
  • 1968 Harry E. Wilson
  • 1969 Viggo O. Nelson
  • 1971 Dr. W.P. Burroughs
  • 1972 E. Douglas Boyden
  • 1973 Dr. Marshall L. Walters
  • 1975 Dorothy C. Boyce
  • 1976 Edward A. Heisler
  • 1977 Merton H. Kennedy
  • 1978 Edward B. DeGroot, Jr.
  • 1979 Leonard Gibson
  • 1980 Wilbur H. Peck
  • 1981 Bertha H. Lucas
  • 1983 Dr. Murray Koorhan
  • 1984 William Walter Baird
  • 1985 C.L. “Bobb” Miller
  • 1986 Glen G. Davies
  • 1987 John B. Koch
  • 1989 Robert L. Lindsay
  • 1990 Roger G. Burton
  • 1991 Ann Davenport
  • 1992 Donald S. Shondell
  • 1993 Lea S. Wagner
  • 1994 Russell J. Sherman
  • 1995 Harold W. “Buck” Buckner
  • 1996 Dr. Karen M. Johnson
  • 1997 Arthur “Bud” Fields
  • 1998 Albert M. Monaco, Jr.
  • 1999 Thomas E. Slaymaker
  • 2000 Patricia Ann Murray McChesney
  • 2001 Ken Erickson
  • 2002 Joseph Sharpless, Dr. James E. Coleman (posthumously)
  • 2003 Gary J. Colberg
  • 2004 Peter J. Dunn
  • 2005 Stewart L. McDole
  • 2006 Rebecca B. Howard
  • 2007 Douglas P. Beal, Ph.D.
  • 2008 Chuck Stemm
  • 2009 Hank Van Arsdale
  • 2010 Susan True
  • 2011 Fred Wendelboe
  • 2012 Mike Hulett
  • 2013 Kevin Twohig
  • 2014 Tom Blue
  • 2015 Kerry J.W. Klostermann
  • 2016 Dr. Cecile Reynaud
  • 2017 Margie Mara
  • 2018 Joan Powell

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