The NCAA has announced the nominations for the 50th Anniversary Gold Awards, including twelve from the Peach Belt Conference. Dr. Mary Lisko and Marvin Vanover were named the nominees from Augusta University Athletics.


DR. MARY LISKO
 
Dr. Mary Lisko served as the Faculty Athletic Representative for 17 years at Augusta University. She retired as an Emeritus Faculty in 2006 after a 29 year tenure, retiring as the Assistant Dean of the Hull College of Business and Director of Student Support and Advising.
 
Dr. Lisko served, including serving as chair, for several NCAA committees. She served on the Academic Requirements Committee (chair) from 1996-2002. At the time this committee encompassed all three NCAA Divisions and she was one of the only Division II personnel. Additionally, she served on the Initial Eligibility Committee, NCAA Clearinghouse (now Eligibility Center) Committee, Initial Eligibility and Waiver subcommittees, the Division I Academic Standards Review Committee and on the Academic Standards Taskforce Review. She also served as the vice president of the Faculty Athletic Representative Association.
 
In addition to her work for the NCAA, she also served on several institutional committees to include the Athletic Committee, the Non-Traditional Student Committee and the Registration Management Committee. During her time as a professor, she taught accounting, finance, marketing, income tax, microeconomics, auditing, logistics and advertising classes in the Hull College of Business.
 
She was inducted with the 2016 inaugural class of the Peach Belt Conference Hall of Fame.
 
MARVIN VANOVER
 
Marvin Vanover was the first commissioner of the Peach Belt Conference and served in that capacity for 16 years. Beginning in 1989, Vanover became involved with the initial planning of the PBC and was asked to serve as an interim commissioner in April 1990 for one year. He was named the PBC's first full-time commissioner in June 1991.
 
His term as commissioner followed a 25-year career as the head men's basketball coach and athletic director at Augusta University.
 
Under Vanover's leadership, the Peach Belt Conference grew into one of the preeminent Division II Conferences in the nation with 24 National Championships during his tenure. PBC teams won national titles in men's basketball, women's tennis, men's tennis, softball and baseball and over 300 PBC student-athletes were named All-Americans.
 
As a coach, Vanover led the Augusta University Jaguars for 23 years including two straight NAIA District 25 championships in 1970 and '71. Aside from winning the regional and advancing to the NAIA national tournament, the 1969-70 team was ranked #5 in the nation with a 27-3 overall record, the best by a Vanover-led team. In 1978 he led the team to their first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, where the Jaguars faced current Division I power Central Florida.
 
It was also during this time that Vanover produced All-Americans Joe McBride (1970) and Chip Wilson (1971). Vanover also received many accolades of his own including the NAIA District 25 Coach of the Year and the Georgia Collegiate Coach of the Year from the Atlanta Tipoff Club for the 1969-70 season. It was also during this time that 'Marvin Vanover Day' was declared in Augusta on February 14, 1970, and he was named a Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of his home state. He received a certificate of commendation from the mayor of Augusta and the Georgia state senate, as well as a commendation presented personally by the Governor of Georgia.
 
He went on to be named Coach of the Year in 1975-76 and in 1980-81 from the South Atlantic Conference as he moved the Jaguar program to the NCAA Division II level. In 1980-81 he was also named Coach of the Year in the NCAA's south district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The road leading to AU's Fieldhouse
was named in his honor on Nov. 18, 2003, which was also declared Marvin Vanover day in Augusta.
 
 
Nominations were submitted by the schools along with two nominees from the conference office.
 
This award, which is part of the division's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration that launched Aug. 7 and will extend through the 2024 Division II Baseball Championship in June, will recognize two individuals (one individual who identifies as male and one who identifies as female) who have made a positive impact in Division II.
 
The nominees include current and former student-athletes, coaches, faculty members and administrators from active member schools and conferences who have helped shape Division II over time.
 
"The nominees reflect the considerable impact so many individuals have had on intercollegiate athletics over the years but also the pride the Division II membership demonstrates consistently in providing the experiences that enable young people to make a positive difference in the world," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II.
 
Conference offices will review the nominated individuals and select two conference winners (one individual who identifies as male and one who identifies as female) by Nov. 6. The NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee will review the finalists and select the two overall winners, who will be recognized at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
 
"The quality of nominees will certainly make it challenging for the Division II Identity Subcommittee to recommend just two Gold Award recipients," Steeb Gronau said. "It truly is eye-opening to read through the candidates' accomplishments and realize how their contributions have made us better as a division."
 
As part of the anniversary celebration, Division II also will provide a commemorative scholarship opportunity for student-athletes from active member schools who exhibit the core values of Division II and have not yet exhausted their athletics eligibility. Two recipients from each conference and two representing the independent institutions will be announced in May during the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida. Nomination procedures for the scholarship will be announced to the Division II membership in January.
 
To learn more about Division II's 50th anniversary celebration, visit ncaa.org/dii50.
 
The list of Peach Belt Conference nominees is below.  Click on any name to learn more.
 

Nominee	Institution
David Brunk	Peach Belt Conference
Diana Kling	Peach Belt Conference
Dr. Mary Lisko	Augusta University
Marvin Vanover	Augusta University
Vince Alexander	Clayton State University
Maia Kuhnen	Clayton State University
Simon Earnshaw	Georgia College & State University
Shanteona Keys	Georgia College & State University
Zoe Willis	Georgia Southwestern State University
Dr. Joe Cabri	Lander University
Jami Cornwell	University of South Carolina Aiken
Randy Warrick	University of South Carolina Aiken

From the PBC