Nana Meriwether to Drop Puck, Meet Fans When Mallards Take on Arizona
MOLINE, Ill. (February 27, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards and Genesis Health System will welcome Nana Meriwether, Miss USA 2012, to the Mallards' Friday, March 7 game against the Arizona Sundogs at the iWireless Center.
Nana will drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff just before the 7:05 p.m. start of the game and will meet fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures during that contest.
After being named Miss Maryland USA 2012, Nana went on to win the title of Miss USA 2012 in December of that year. Nana is also a professional and Olympic-level volleyball player, philanthropist and highly accomplished student.
"Since her first visit to the Quad Cities last spring, Nana has been working with us as a member of the Genesis Philanthropy Board of Directors. Her expertise and experience with global health has been hugely beneficial to us. Nana brings a unique perspective and a passion for health and wellness," said Genesis Health Services Foundation executive director Missy Gowey. "I'm excited she'll have a chance to meet our Mallards fans and gain in her understanding of what makes the Quad Cities a great place to live."
In 2007, Nana co-founded the Meriwether Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving health and empowering communities. The foundation conducts health, education, nutrition and empowerment programs that provide assistance to impoverished rural communities in five southern African countries: Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. More information on the Meriwether Foundation can be found at www.MeriwetherFoundation.org.
Born in South Africa and raised in the Washington D.C. area, Nana was standout in volleyball first at Duke University and then, after transferring, at UCLA. At Duke, Nana followed in the trailblazing footsteps of her father Delano, who was the first African American to be admitted to and graduate from the Duke University School of Medicine. By the end of her college career, Nana had broken three NCAA volleyball records, led UCLA to the NCAA Final Four and earned NCAA All-American honors two years in a row.
Nana was a Dean's List student at Duke and was named to the Director's Honor Roll on multiple occasions while at UCLA before graduating with a degree in political science. She was also named to both the NCAA and Pac 10 Conference All-Academic teams.
In addition to appearing on NBC for both the 2012 and 2013 Miss USA competitions, Nana has been featured in Sports Illustrated and on Lifetime's Project Runway and Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta and New York.
Tickets for March 7 game and all Mallards regular season home tilts can be purchased at the iWireless Center ticket office, Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.
About Genesis Health System
Genesis Health System, its affiliates and partners offer a full continuum of health care services. Genesis Health System's affiliates include : acute and tertiary hospital care at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport and DeWitt, Iowa and Genesis Medical Center, Silvis and Aledo in Illinois; home health and hospice services through Genesis VNA and Hospice; Genesis Workplace Services, including occupational health, employee assistance and wellness services for employers and their employees; the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House; senior living facilities offering rehabilitation and long-term care; Genesis Health Group, with more than 170 primary care physicians and specialists; a Family Practice Residency program; Genesis Psychology Associates; three Convenient Care clinics; and Genesis Home Medical Equipment. Partners include the Genesis Medical Park, Crow Valley, Genesis Imaging Centers and Spring Street Surgical Center, Davenport. Genesis Health System serves a 10-county area of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Genesis also manages Jackson County Regional Health Center in Maquoketa, Iowa. For more information, visit www.genesishealth.com.
About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their seventeenth season their fourth in the Central Hockey League. One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10. The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record. In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched. The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club. For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.com. Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards
