SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield College and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presented the fourth annual Hoophall Classic Leadership Award to Springfield College sport management students Brooke Fairman (Huntington, Mass.) and Gregory Weigert (Windsor Locks, Conn.). Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame President and Chief Executive Officer John Doleva made the formal presentation during the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena.
Both Fairman and Weigert were key contributors during the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic, the leading high school basketball tournament in the country showcasing the nation’s top recruits. As part of their responsibilities, Fairman and Weigert helped lead more than 75 student event staff workers and more than 30 student liaisons during the event. They created and conducted training sessions for volunteers of the event; collaborated with Springfield College Office of Conferences & Special Events, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and ESPN to ensure schedules of events; and supervised all event operations during the five-day tournament.
Fairman is a native of Huntington, Mass., and is the current president of the Springfield College Sport Management Club. Fairman served as one of the main student leaders for the Springfield College Department of Sport Management and Recreation at this year’s Hoophall Classic, the third consecutive year she assisted at the event. She has earned dean’s list status on a regular basis during her academic career at Springfield College, which includes a double minor in business management and coaching. She graduated from nearby Gateway Regional High School before enrolling at Springfield College, and currently works as a camp counselor for the Huntington Recreation Committee during the summer.
Weigert is a native of Windsor Locks, Conn., and has participated in the Hoophall Classic for three consecutive years working as a supervisor, team liaison, and member of the event management and operations staff. Currently a dean’s list student, he has served as a Springfield College student ambassador for both the Team IMPACT organization and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Weigert remains active in his hometown volunteering as an assistant varsity baseball coach for Windsor Locks High School and as a youth basketball supervisor for the Windsor Locks Parks and Recreation Department.
The Hoophall Classic Leadership Award is presented annually to both a male and female junior majoring in sport management who has maintained a successful grade point average and demonstrated a combination of service to Springfield College and the Hoophall Classic. The recipients are each awarded a $2,500 scholarship to be used during their senior year at Springfield College.
Founded in 1885, Springfield College is known worldwide for the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy—educating students in spirit, mind and body for leadership in service to others. With its foundation of academic excellence and rich athletic heritage, Springfield College prepares students with real-world leadership skills for careers that transform lives and communities. The college offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of health sciences, human and social services, sport management and movement studies, education, business, and the arts and sciences. It also offers doctoral programs in physical education, physical therapy, and counseling psychology. The college is ranked in the 2016 edition of “Best Colleges” in the top tier of “Best Regional Universities – North Region” by U.S.News & World Report, and is designated as a premier Leadership Development Center by the YMCA of the USA. More than 5,000 traditional, nontraditional and international students study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at regional campuses throughout the country.
