Tuesday, June 14, 2005

      LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (June 14, 2005) - The Coca-Cola Company and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Tuesday the recipients of the national Coca-Cola Community All-American awards. The Coca-Cola Community All-Americans program recognizes, celebrates and applauds student-athletes who are making a difference in their communities.

      ETSU women's soccer player Erin Ashton (New Bern, N.C.) was selected as one of the honorees in this special group. Ashton, who has posted a 3.88 GPA and is majoring in biology and minoring in philosophy, will be a rising senior and star returning player for the Bucs in the fall 2005. The 2003 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District IV selection, National Dean's List member and three-time Southern Conference Honor Roll recipient served as captain of the ETSU women's soccer team during her junior year.

As a sophomore, Ashton began volunteering at the Johnson City Medical Center. She later traveled to Peru during the summer of 2003 with the Morehead Methodist Church and to Honduras with Global Health Outreach in the summer of 2004 on medical mission trips, providing health care services to the native people. Other volunteer activities include serving as an ETSU Admissions Ambassador; reading to local children; ETSU soccer clinics; Girl's, Inc.; and the Toys for Tots program.  During her summer vacations, Ashton volunteered at the Berne Retirement Home, making countless friends and bringing smiles to many elderly faces. Ashton's philanthropic organizations are the Global Health Outreach and the Children's Hospital of the Johnson City Medical Center.

The honorees include:

• Erin Ashton, East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN), Division I-AAA - Global Health Outreach and Children's Hospital of the Johnson City Medical Center

• Sarah Carlson, Boston College (Boston, MA), Division I-A - Women Connecting Affecting Change

• Crystal Covington, Emporia State University (Emporia, KS), Division II - Lyon County Restricted Emergency Fund

• Hannah Leigh Williams, Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA), Division III - Shelter for Abused Women and Glenvar (Va.) High School Volleyball

• Megan Miller, Mills College (Oakland, CA), NAIA - Milo Foundation

• Traci McLester, Hill College, (Hillsboro, TX), Junior/Community College - Aransas County ISD - Rockport Fulton High School

Since Coca-Cola and NACDA teamed up to launch the Coca-Cola Community All-Americans program, numerous student-athletes and institutions across the country have been recognized for their hands-on volunteerism and community service. 

"In addition to bringing national attention to the importance of volunteerism and community involvement, the Coca-Cola Community All-Americans program recognizes, celebrates and applauds student-athletes who are making a difference in their communities," said John Egan, group director of Colleges and Universities, The Coca-Cola Company.  "Our dynamic partnership with NACDA provides us with an annual, integrated, hands-on program that inspires coaches and student-athletes to contribute time and energy through community volunteer programs.  In addition, it gives us a platform for all schools and local Coca-Cola bottlers to actively embrace as they recognize student-athletes for their tremendous contributions to the communities in which they live, work and play."

Each academic year, athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes are encouraged to nominate student-athletes who excel in community service by participating in the Coca-Cola Community All-Americans recognition program.  Each athletics director reviews the institution's submissions and selects one student-athlete as its campus' annual Coca-Cola Community All-American.  This student is then nominated for consideration in the national recognition program.

The Coca-Cola Company has long supported and developed initiatives that give young people the motivation and tools they need to succeed.  The Coca-Cola Community All-Americans program is a way to recognize and celebrate the student-athletes whose service embodies the American spirit of generosity and volunteerism.  To learn more about the stories of the six national Coca-Cola Community All-Americans, visit nacda.com/cccaa. 

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company.  Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sport drinks. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding one billion servings each day.  For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit the web site at www.coca-cola.com.

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is now in its 40th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Through its series of management seminars, clinics and workshops and publication of the bi-monthly magazine Athletics Administration, NACDA offers educational opportunities to its members. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. NACDA also operates the Sports Academy Directors' Cup program, which honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II and III -- and the NAIA, for a total of four trophies.  For more information on NACDA, please visit the web site at www.nacda.com.