The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Weekly Release
June 26 | Football
AKRON, Ohio -- University of Akron senior defensive back Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central) is listed among the top 20 cornerbacks in the nation by The Sporting News in its preseason college football magazine.
Smith, a second-team All-MAC pick last fall, tied for the conference leadership in passes defended with 18 (16 break-ups, two INTs). The 5-11, 200-pounder heads up a UA defensive unit which figures to be improved over last season when the Zips ranked fifth in the Mid-American Conference in pass defense efficiency. In addition, Smith was tabbed first-team All-MAC by league correspondent Doug Zaleski.
Marshall's Daninelle Derricott, picked by Zaleski as the MAC's preseason Player of the Year, is the only other Mid-American corner listed by TSN in the top 20. The Zips are picked to finish second in the East Division behind three-time defending champion Marshall.
Athlon also selected Smith on its first-team All-MAC, and listed
sophomore Brandon Payne (Rankin, Pa./Woodland Hills) as the
all-league punt returner. Payne, the MAC's Freshman of the Year
last fall, is tabbed second-team All-MAC running back and
first-team kick returner by Lindy's. Lindy's also picked Akron to
place second in the East.
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Akron opens its 100th intercollegiate football season on Sept. 2 at Virginia Tech. Kickoff is 1 p.m. in Blacksburg.
Eighty-Eight Zips Named to Spring Dean's
List
Eighty-eight UA student-athletes were named to the Spring Semester
Dean's List, according to recent statistics released by the Zips'
academic advisor Nancy House.
It was an outstanding semester for the department academically as nine of the Zips' 13 programs (counting men's and women's cross country and track & field as one each) showed improvement over Spring Semester 1999. The overall student-athlete GPA topped out at 2.775 the highest departmental GPA since records were first kept in Fall, 1987.
Seven Zips were named the GTE Academic All-District Team during 1999-2000: Tim Ritley (football), Gigi Hopple Dostal (cross country), Orjan Bjaneso (soccer), Gabe Rhoads (soccer), Matt Sprague (soccer), Ali Janutolo (softball) and Becky Schrage
