PURDUE’S MIOTON A FINALIST FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL WOODEN CUP AWARD

November 20, 2008   WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Fifth Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award given for the most outstanding role model among athletes, announced its nominees for the 2009 award ceremony according to Fred Northup, President, Athletes for a Better World.   Purdue women's basketball player, senior Lauren Mioton is among the five finalists for the collegiate award and is the only female to make the cut.   The Wooden Cup is given to a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest positive influence in the lives of others. The award recipients will be announced at a ceremony held at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club on Wednesday, January 14.   With Peyton Manning, John Smoltz, John Lynch, and Andrea Yaeger as previous recipients, the Wooden Cup is becoming one of the most prestigious awards in all of sports. Recipients are considered role models and athletes of excellence both on and off the field.   Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization committed to changing the culture of American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to athletes in all collegiate and professional sports. Nominations come from every conference in the NCAA.   1n 2007-08, Mioton started four games and averaged 10 minutes a contest at the point guard and shooting guard positions. In addition to her on-court contributions and her studies, Mioton found time to organize a cookbook, "Live to Eat," to benefit the Lake Ponchartrain Foundation for wetlands preservation in Louisiana. Mioton partnered with the BOILERmaker NETwork, the Purdue women's basketball adult booster group on the cookbook project and they raised over $8,000 for the Lake Ponchartrain Foundation.   This year, Mioton was crowned Purdue's homecoming queen and is a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship.   Cal Ripken is known as the "Iron Man" of baseball for having played in 2,632 consecutive games.  He received the third highest vote tally in the history of the Hall of Fame, and has been named by Condoleeza Rice as a Special Sports Envoy for the US State Department traveling the world as a spokesperson for character, fair play and sportsmanship.  Now a successful businessman owning several teams, businesses, as well as heading "Ripken baseball" for 800,000 kids aged 4-12, Ripken has become an American institution whose life is an example of "winning more than the game," the slogan of ABW.   The 2008 Collegiate Wooden Cup recipient will be announced at the award ceremony Jan. 14. Finalists for the collegiate division include: ·         Ryan Adler – Hobart College, Ice hockey ·         Andrew Berry – Harvard College, Football ·         Lauren Mioton – Purdue University, Basketball ·         Tim Tebow – University of Florida, Football ·         Rob Whiting – Vanderbilt University, Cross country   The Wooden Cup is named in honor of John Wooden, one of the most successful coaches in collegiate history and a Purdue graduate. Wooden's legacy as a person of integrity, high moral character, compassion, and civic-mindedness continues to make him one of the most admired coaches in the history of sport.   Recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup are chosen by a committee chaired by Vincent Dooley, former University of Georgia athletic director, and other distinguished individuals involved in athletics across the country.   About Athletes for a Better World: Founded in 1998, Athletes for a Better World (ABW) exists to change the culture of sport by developing individual character, teamwork, and civic responsibility through commitment to the Code for Living.  ABW's vision is to have the Code become a part of every sport at every level, so that it becomes the common language and standard expectation of behavior for everyone. ABW provides free support and resources to coaches and athletes across the country who want to teach and live out these values. "The Code for Living" can be found on playing fields, locker rooms and athletic facilities across the country. Currently, ABW players and coaches are represented in every state and several foreign countries.