Portal:1998 Spring Women/Intro

Fourth in the Nation, losing to Navy

VIC TISE

You know that pic might be from the Final 4 playoffs at Penn State in the Spring of 98, where we did play Navy. I’ll check with CDR (R) Ashley (McCrea) Sullivan (USNA-00) for clarity. Before the Final 4 trip, Paula Kelly (as a 3 degree) came to my office and said she heard that I was a Rugby Coach and if I would like to go to the Final 4 as the Team OIC. Evidently, the OIC the team had was a female Air Force Major and her husband had had a heart attack and she could not make the trip. Of course, I wanted to be the OIC and go to the Final 4. Here is why I am pretty sure it was Spring of 98 - Shalanda Baker went to Russia to play for the Eagles that Spring and did not go to the Final 4 with us. Had she gone to the Final 4 with us, the results would have been way different.

Another antidote - BG Lorenz (GeeLow) the Commandant came to me as the new OIC and said, “LTC Tise, there are girls on this team on academic probation, honor probation and disciplinary probation - fix this.” He directed the disciplinary probation Cadet would be on room confinement throughout the trip to Penn State - she could only go to the practices, matches and team dinners. Then he said all Cadets and OIC will travel in uniforms.