May 29, 2009

BRYANT HEAD SOFTBALL COACH LISA-ANN WALLACE TO RIDE IN PAN-MASS CHALLENGE

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Bryant University head softball coach Lisa-Ann Wallace will be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge on August 1-2, taking on the two-day, 198-mile bike ride through Massachusetts to help raise money for cancer research and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Coach Wallace will join over 5,000 other cyclists in the 30th Annual Pan-Mass Challenge,
Coach Wallace with her father, Uly Primeau, following the Bulldogs' first Northeast-10 Conference Championship in 2005.

which runs from Sturbridge to Provincetown, and will be riding in memory of her father, Uly Primeau, who lost his battle with prostate cancer on February 26, 2009. A dedicated father and devoted Bulldog supporter, Primeau was the Bryant softball program's biggest fan.

"He was always in the pursuit of being happy and making others happy," wrote Wallace in an online dedication to her father. "He instilled in me a sense of humor and a quick laugh, the lightness of life, the competiveness to always do my best and not make excuses.

"As I became a college softball coach, he was always there to make me see the positive side to any situation that could potentially be viewed as negative. He would always pick the goodness to bring out, the positive things that happened on the field and make me see that a loss is not always a bad thing but something you could learn from."

To take part in the Pan-Mass Challenge, each rider must raise a minimum of $3,000. To help Wallace achieve this goal and help her and others find a cure, click here. Donations are tax deductible and may be made online.

This event raises significant funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute every August and last year was no exception. The Challenge raised more than $35 million last year by donating 100 percent of all rider-raised funds to the DFCI. The Pan-Mass Challenge holds the promise to help eradicate this disease which affects millions each year.

To learn more about the cause, please visit Coach Wallace's Pan-Mass Challenge page.