Villanova Men's Basketball Team to Receive 2006 Wanamaker Award Presented by Philadelphia Sports Congress; Alex's Lemonade Stand & Afleet Alex to Receive Community Service Award.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Villanova University Men's Basketball Team has been named the 2006 winner of the John Wanamaker Athletic Award for their impressive 2005-2006 season. Since 1961, the award has been presented to the "athlete, team or organization that has done the most to reflect credit upon Philadelphia and to the team or sport in which they excel." The Philadelphia Sports Congress (PSC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, presents the award each year in conjunction with IPC/Amerimar Management Company.

In addition, Afleet Alex and Alex's Lemonade Stand will jointly receive the Philadelphia Sports Congress Community Service Award, presented to the "individual, business or organization that has done the most to contribute to the quality of life in Philadelphia through sports."

The recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 28 at The Wanamaker Building's Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia.

John Wanamaker Athletic Award

Villanova was ranked in the top 10 for every week of the season, and earned the school's first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament en route to a 28-5 record. Though the team lost to the eventual national champion Florida Gators in the regional finals, Villanova captured the imagination of Philadelphia sports fans. The Wildcats went 14-2 in Big East Conference play, set a program record with an .889 winning percentage and 24 wins during the regular season, and advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1988.

Head coach Jay Wright was named "Coach of the Year" by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Naismith Award and CBS/Chevrolet. Senior guard Randy Foye, who averaged 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Wildcats in 2005-06, was named "First Team All-American" by the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, and The Sporting News as well as Big East Conference "Player of the Year" and Philadelphia Big 5's Outstanding Player of the Year.

"Villanova had one of the great seasons in Philadelphia college basketball history, and all with a four-guard lineup that faced many bigger opponents," said PSC Chairman Robert P. Levy. "And it all happened in the year when we celebrated the Big Five's 50th Anniversary and were named the country's No. 1 city for college basketball (by The Sporting News)."

"We are honored and humbled to be recognized by the Philadelphia Sports Congress. The Wanamaker Award has been presented to many legendary Philadelphia teams. For our basketball team and our university to be mentioned in the same breath as some of Philadelphia's greatest teams is a thrill for everyone in the Villanova family," said Jay Wright.

Sports Congress Community Service Award

In addition, the Afleet Alex racing team will receive the Philadelphia Sports Congress Community Service Award for their tremendous support of Alex's Lemonade Stand - a Philadelphia-based charity that raises money to fight childhood cancer. Alex's Lemonade Stand was created when then four-year-old cancer patient, Alex Scott, opened a lemonade stand in front of her Wynnewood, PA home to raise money to cure pediatric cancer. When Afleet Alex's owners (all Philadelphia-area residents) learned of Alex's efforts, they decided to lend their name and support, including donating a portion of Afleet Alex's winnings to the charity.

"Our partnership started when I initially gave as anonymous donor in September 2004," said Chuck Zacney, owner of Afleet Alex. "Later, as the charity continued to raise money and awareness, and Afleet Alex continued to win and garner his own attention, you couldn't miss the fact that there was this terrific little girl more concerned about helping others than herself and then there is this great horse from Pennsylvania. The partnership between the two was natural."

When Afleet Alex took third place in the Kentucky Derby, and went on to win the Preakness after a near-fall at the top of the stretch, both the colt and Alex's Lemonade Stand landed in the national spotlight. Racetracks across the country began hosting their own Alex's Lemonade Stands to raise money for the charity. Afleet Alex went on to win the Belmont Stakes and helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Alex's Lemonade Stand. (As of May 2006, the charity has raised more than $6 million.)

"We are especially honored to be receiving this award in partnership with the owners of Afleet Alex," said Liz Scott, Alex's mother. "Their support brought our daughter's story to millions and helped us raise over $4 million for childhood cancer research in 2005. We are forever grateful to them and the entire Philadelphia community for their continued support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and childhood cancer research."

The John Wanamaker Award Ceremony

The Philadelphia Sports Congress, IPC/Amerimar Management Company, CBS-3 and the Philadelphia Daily News present the Wanamaker Award ceremony and luncheon. The public participated in the Wanamaker Award nomination process via ballots in the Philadelphia Daily News and online. The Wanamaker Selection Committee then made the final decision. CBS-3's Beasley Reece will emcee the event. Previous recipients of the Wanamaker Award and Philadelphia Sports Congress Community Service Award are listed at www.philadelphiasportscongress.com.

The Philadelphia Sports Congress (PSC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.pcvb.org, seeks to attract major sporting events and conventions to the Philadelphia area. The Sports Congress, working in conjunction with the City of Philadelphia, the city's professional teams and universities, has attracted many events to the city and is currently working on bids for future sporting events.