For Immediate Release: Thursday, 10 July 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

KIM COCHRANE NAMED ACADEMIC COUNSELOR FOR UTPA ATHLETICS

EDINBURG, TX-The University of Texas-Pan American's athletic department has a new academic counselor.

Kim Cochrane will join the staff September 1st. She will replace Dawne Hill, who resigned recently to become Texas-Pan American's Coordinator of Student Development.

A native of Biddeford, Maine, Cochrane served as an academic counselor for the football, men's gymnastics, baseball and wheelchair soccer teams while earning a master's degree at Springfield College. Her responsibilities included supervising weekly study halls, and implementing workshops dealing with performance and academic enhancement.

A four-year member of the varsity field hockey team and a captain at Southern Maine, Cochrane earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at USM. She served as chair of the Student-Athletic Advisory Committee, and was a student-athlete delegate to the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL.

At Springfield, Cochrane earned a Master of Education degree in Counseling and Psychological Services with a concentration in Athletic Counseling, and was a member of both the Athletic Counseling Research Team and the Student Advisory Board.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity at UTPA," said Cochrane. "I think it will be a great opportunity, because of the growth of the program, both athletically, and campus-wide. I met with a lot of the coaches, and the athletic staff was really welcoming. (Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Support and Student Services) Chris (Uchacz) did a great job introducing me to a lot of the people when I went there, and I'm really looking forward to getting down there."

"I am very excited about the addition of Kim to the Athletic Academic Support staff," said UTPA Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Support and Student Services Chris Uchacz. "Kim's training in academic counseling for student-athletes at Springfield College will no doubt prepare her for the challenges that lie ahead. During her recent visit to campus, her enthusiasm and passion for working with student-athletes was apparent, and will help in the further development of our academic support program for student-athletes".

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