May 12, 2003

Alahaivala selected to participate in NCAA Leadership Conference

Mika Alahaivala, a sophomore on the Missouri Southern men's track & field team, has been selected to participate in the NCAA Leadership Conference.The event will take place May 25-29 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Alahaivala is a javelin thrower for the Lions track & field program who this year set a school record in the event with a throw of 223'-7" and won the MIAA title with a mark of 205'-3". A native of Ylivieska, Finland, he'll leave for the conference right after the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, for which he is an automatic qualifier in the javelin.

Alahaivala, who studied in Thailand in the fall 2002 semester, is an international business major with a 3.625 GPA. At the conclusion of the 2001-02 academic year, he was one of three members of the Southern men's team, and 63 male Division II track athletes nationwide, to earn recognition on the United States Track Coaches Association All-Academic Team.

A total of 1,172 nominations were submitted by college and university officials across the country who have NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools. A total of 302 student-athletes from the NCAA Division I, II and III levels were selected, representing 22 sports. The NCAA Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes.

The conference is designed to enhance student-athletes' leadership and communication skills and to enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The convention setting provides the student-athletes with and opportunity to create dialogue surrounding topics that affect them on campus and in their communities.

The conference also provides them with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and improve planning and priority management. A total of eight student-athletes from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association have been selected to participate in the conference.