[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATIONS TO C. VIVIAN STRINGER AND THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
the Rutgers University women's basketball coach, C. Vivian Stringer, 
and her team for their excellent success this past season when the 
Scarlet Knights made it to the NCAA Tournament.
  Even though Rutgers didn't make it to the NCAA Final Four, losing to 
the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 92-60, Vivian and the talented young 
women whom she has recruited and cultivated are champions to all New 
Jerseyans.
  Vivian began her career building the fledgling women's basketball 
program at Cheyney State in Pennsylvania, bringing the team to the NCAA 
Championship game in 1982. She moved on to Iowa State, where for nine 
consecutive seasons she brought her team to the NCAA Tournament. And 
then she landed at Rutgers.
  As one most respected head coaches in women's basketball history, 
Vivian has been named National Coach of the Year three times by her 
peers, as well as getting Coach of the Year awards from Sports 
Illustrated, USA Today, Naismith and the Black Coaches Association.
  So Vivian's success at Rutgers, however remarkable, is not 
unexpected. Before this year, the Scarlet Knights had not been to the 
NCAA Tournament since 1994. A recent news article in Newark, New 
Jersey's Star-Ledger describes the reasons behind Vivian's thriving 
tenure best, I think. It said that Vivian, now in her third season: 
``pumped Rutgers with fresh talent and a distaste for mediocrity, a 
combination that has triggered the Scarlet Knights' rise and surge 
through the NCAA Tournament.''
  Vivian has worked hard to recruit gifted women, instill discipline in 
practice and competition, and most importantly, inspire self-confidence 
among the players. The women attracted to the Rutger's basketball 
program all excelled in their high school years and have a strong 
desire to contribute to the game at a college level. The number of 
awards that the players on the team have received individually is part 
of an impressive collection, with honors such as Parade all-American, 
Rookies of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year, and Sports 
Illustrated ``Faces in the Crowd.''
  Again, I congratulate Vivian on her hard work and the ambitious young 
women who play for her. I wish them continued success.

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