Ram Report

Serving more than volleyballs

For Hannah Boehmer ’11, her last Cornell trip may be her favorite.

Boehmer and members of the college’s volleyball team took a 10-day trip to Nicaragua this summer. The team experienced the sights, sounds, and culture of the Central American country, provided community service, and, unsurprisingly, found some time for volleyball.

Boehmer, an elementary education major from Riverside, Iowa, said one of the highlights was the chance to work with Nicaraguan youth.

Cornell’s travel party, which included 13 players, went to an orphanage, traveled with the mobile library, and tutored waiters in an English class. They took a zip line forest canopy tour and visited the beach where the last two seasons of “Survivor” were filmed, among other activities.

Cornell went up against the Nicaraguan National team four times during the trip, highlighted with a five-set victory. One match was played outdoors and under the lights on concrete in San Juan del Sur.

“For our team, volleyball is a vehicle that helps us grow as people, allows us to help others and makes life a lot more fun,” Meeker said.

Meeker took his volleyball team to Italy in 2007, and has another overseas trip in the works for 2014 with Sweden and Denmark as potential destinations.

Celebrating the decade’s best

Head track and field coach Lonnie Speidel announced an All-Decade Track and Field Team for Ram standouts who competed during the 2000–01 through 2009–10 seasons.

The team honors 22 student-athletes from the past decade—12 women and 10 men.

“Their accomplishments have rewritten the school record books for Cornell and added to our history as a program,” Speidel said. “While their time as an athlete at Cornell has passed, they are still very much appreciated.”

Women’s team

Lynn Schneider ’05
Rachelle Hawkins ’09
Julie Carne Layne ’02
Heather Axen ’06
Jessica Axen ’06
Jamie Scholz ’04
Cate Johnson Decker ’07
Jen LaBaw ’04
Patricia Gonzalves ’09
Thea Hoyer Moeller ’05
Brittany Sperl ’09
Brandi Rheberg ’05

Men’s team

James Wohrley ’10
Andy Stoecken ’06
James Klobucar ’08
Ean Caskey ’04
Dan McHugh ’02
Jason Williams ’09
Matt Ditch ’04
Chad Compton ’06
Seth Bartlett ’06
Ian Benedict ’01