May 22, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Denver gymnastics junior Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas) has been selected to represent the University of Denver at the seventh annual NCAA Leadership Conference May 25-29 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the NCAA announced. The 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes each year.

Bankhead carries a 3.650 GPA in accounting/finance for Denver, which finished ranked No. 21 in 2003. Bankhead led the Pioneers and finished the season ranked tied for No. 14 on floor exercise with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 9.940. She led the team with an impressive nine floor exercise titles in 13 meets and finished with the team's best average on any event, a 9.904 mark on floor. Also an all-around performer in each of her three seasons at Denver, Bankhead has missed just three all-around performances in 39 career meets. Bankhead served as team captain during her sophomore season and has been selected to serve in that role again her senior season, along with her senior teammates.

Bankhead was selected from a total of 1,172 nomination forms that were submitted by college and university officials who have NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools. Student-athletes attending the conference represent Dvisions I, II, and III and 22 different sports. During the five-day event, student-athletes have the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, including the demands and expectations of student-athletes; inclusion education; international student-athlete experiences; recruiting visits; student-athlete responsibility; party behaviors; trust gaps within intercollegiate athletics; and sportsmanship.

Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes are asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus SAAC, as well as other campus leaders. The participants are also asked to develop a self-directed project that will address an issue on their campus or in their community, and implement a plan when they return to campus.