SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio –The Mayor of South Euclid will recognize two Notre Dame student-athletes at South Euclid City Hall on Monday, Apr. 14. Mayor Georgeine Welo will recognize wrestler Victer Crenshaw and basketball player Jerome Pierce at the South Euclid City Council meeting Monday evening at 8:00 p.m.

The Notre Dame student-athletes represent a pair of historic firsts for the College's Athletic Program. Crenshaw, a junior from Cincinnati (Sycamore High School) earned the program's first-ever National Championship in March, when he won the 157- pound weight division at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championships.

Shortly thereafter, Pierce, a senior from Toledo (Libbey High School) was tabbed as a First Team NAIA-II All-American in Men's Basketball. The 5-foot-8 point guard wrapped up his four-year career in March as the program's all-time leading scorer, with 2,271 career points. He becomes the first NDC player to be named as a First Team All-American in any sport.

“We're very proud of both these young men,” said NDC Director of Athletics Sue Hlavacek. “What Mayor Welo and the City of South Euclid are doing is wonderful.”

Victer Crenshaw – Junior (Cincinnati, Ohio – Sycamore High School/Cleveland St) Crenshaw transferred to Notre Dame after wrestling two years at Cleveland State, and he represents one of Notre Dame's success stories in start-up athletic programs. Notre Dame Wrestling was instituted in 2006, and in just two seasons, the Wrestling Falcon program has produced three All-Americans, a national champion, and three home dual meets against Big Ten opponents.

A Cincinnati native, Crenshaw went into the National Championship Tournament, held March 6-8 at the Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, ranked No. 5 in the nation in the 157-pound weight class. Crenshaw went 4-0 in the 157-pound weight class in a methodical march of decisions to lead Notre Dame to a 13th-place finish at their second NAIA National Championships. In running the table in four bouts, Crenshaw defeated three other ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Wayne French (Sr/Malta, MT) of the University of Great Falls (MT). Crenshaw defeated French, 7-2 in the title bout.

Crenshaw went 22-3 in his 25 collegiate bouts in 2007-08. The junior grappler earned five falls, four tech falls, and five major decisions along the way. Crenshaw placed third in the State Championship in his senior year at Sycamore, and he has now won 20-plus bouts in each of his three collegiate seasons. He is now 68-29 over his combined three seasons at Cleveland State and Notre Dame.

Jerome Pierce – Senior (Toledo, Ohio – Libby High School) For Jerome Pierce, the All-American honor closes out one of the finest careers in the history of Notre Dame Athletics. Pierce's First Team award is added to a long list of career accolades for the 5-foot-8 floor leader of the program that was instituted in 2001. The four-year Falcon was earlier honored as the 2007-08 Player of the Year in the American Mideast Conference (AMC) North Division (March 4), and he was named to the All-Division Team three consecutive seasons (2005-08).

Pierce hangs up his high-tops as Notre Dame's all-time leading scorer, with 2,271 points. Among 10 other career records, Pierce also leaves College Road as the all-time program leader in assists (476), steals (204), scoring average (19.1 PPG), and games played (119).

For four seasons, the diminutive playmaker ignited crowds at Notre Dame's Murphy Gymnasium with signature long-distance 3- pointers – he holds the Falcons' career record for 3-point field goals made (451).

Pierce was recruited to Notre Dame from Toledo's Libbey High School, where he earned three letters for the Cowboys. At Libbey, the 5-foot-8 point guard averaged 14.2 points per game as a senior and was named First Team All-Toledo, and First Team All-District.

As a freshman at Notre Dame, Pierce stepped onto the court and contributed right from the opening tip. He played over 32 minutes per game and averaged 17.3 points. In that season (2004-05), he was named the AMC North Freshman of the Year.

As a sophomore (2005-06), Pierce set the Falcons' single-game scoring record (46 vs. St. Vincent College-PA, Jan. 14, 2006) and led the AMC in 3-pointers made (4.0 per game).

In his junior season (2006-07), Pierce set NDC's single-season scoring record (620 points), averaged 20.0 a game, and led the Falcons to their first-ever postseason berth.

This past season, Pierce eclipsed the College Road career scoring mark (on Dec. 1, 2007) and sported a scoring average of 20.9 points per contest. He and his teammates also earned the program's first-ever Division Championship (AMC North). The championship was clinched on Feb. 23 in a game dominated by Pierce, who poured in 39 points. It was the 13th 30-point game of his collegiate career. And none of it along the way surprised Head Coach Kevin Bille.

“Jerome is a special talent,” said the Falcons' bench boss, who coached Pierce all four years at NDC. “What's more, he is a great person, and it's been a privilege and a source of pride to watch him grow on and off the court.”

Both Pierce and Crenshaw, as well as their respective Head Coaches, Bille and Wrestling Head Coach Frank Romano, will be on hand for the special recognition Monday. The Mayor will honor them at the beginning of the City Council meeting, which is slated to begin at 8:00 p.m.

For additional information, contact Notre Dame Sports Information Director Skip Snow at 216.373.5319 or ssnow@ndc.edu.

Notre Dame College is a co-educational liberal arts institution in South Euclid, Ohio. The Notre Dame Athletics Department sponsors the Falcons' participation in 17 men's and women's sports. The College is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the American Mideast Conference (AMC), which is the largest NAIA conference in the country. 

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