The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2012 13 february 27 2013
|
|
|
|
RANKED!
Congratulations to our Men’s Basketball team, which this week earned our program’s first-ever Division I Top 25 ranking in a major poll when we were voted 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Since the first practice in October, Coach Dambrot has encouraged his team – and all of us – to #ThinkBigger about the potential for Zips Basketball. While Coach Dambrot isn’t satisfied, it is a well-earned public recognition by his peers for what we already have accomplished this season.
There are just two chances left to watch this team at James A. Rhodes Arena – on Tuesday, March 5 vs. Miami (on STO), and on Friday, March 8 vs. Kent State (on ESPN2). Tickets for those games can be purchased on this page – as can MAC Tournament tickets.
WOMEN’S HOOPS LEADS THE MAC EAST
Speaking of historical firsts, our Women’s Basketball program swept the regular-season series with Kent State for the first time after a 77-71 road win Saturday. The victory also gave us another half-point in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, which we now lead 5.5-3.0. We have tied our program record for wins in a season (18) and won at Kent State for the first time in 25 years!
We have a one-game lead in the MAC East over Bowling Green and Miami with three to play, and we can finish as high as second in the 12-team conference standings, so please support Coach Kest and our team down the stretch!
Our next home game is at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the JAR against Ohio. Tickets are available here. Don’t forget, we will close out the home schedule with Senior Day at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3 vs. Miami, in a game televised by STO and streamed on ESPN3.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS!
Congratulations to our Rifle program for winning the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Conference Small-Bore Championship for the second consecutive year!
Our Rifle squad was ranked No. 17 in the nation entering last week’s competition at Ohio State, and edged Navy by four points for the championship. We earned 2,279 points out of a possible 2,300 – to put that in perspective, we took just over 99 percent of the available points!
In Indoor Track and Field, our Men finished second in the Mid-American Conference and our Women placed fourth. Congratulations to individual first-place performances by Gabriel Genovesi in the 800 meters, Tyshaun Peoples in the Long Jump and 60-meter hurdles, Martel Durant in the High Jump, Shawn Barber in the Pole Vault, Alex McCune in the Heptathlon and Brittany Cheese in the Pentathlon.
Good luck to Women’s Swimming and Diving, which starts competing in the MAC Championship tomorrow in Buffalo!
WATCH PARTY TONIGHT
If you’re not making the trip to Athens, join us at 7 p.m. tonight at Johnny J’s Pub and Grille in the Valley (1282 Weathervane Lane) for our Official Watch Party for the Ohio game, which will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.
“DRIVE FOR 5” NEW MEMBER OF THE WEEK
Thanks to Patrick and Denise Horning for joining the “Drive for 5”! You can join Denise and Patrick – and our team – by signing up here as we seek to elevate Zips Athletics by having 5,000 donors and fundraising $5 million annually by 2015.
VIDEOS AND AUDIO FILES OF THE WEEK
Coach Dambrot joined Ken Carman on 92.3 The Fan last night …
Terry Pluto touches on our basketball success on WKSU …
Coach Dambrot’s weekly video update, which covers the BracketsBusters win over North Dakota State and being ranked for the first time, is available here …
Our student-athlete profile of the week is Women’s Basketball record-setting point guard Kacie Cassell, who shares how she approaches her position and her favorite memory to date as a Zip …
ZIPS CLIPS …
More of college basketball’s best national media are taking notice of the Zips, as both Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News and Yahoo’s Pat Forde look at our season to date and our postseason potential …
USA Today’s Scott Gleeson writes that Zips Basketball is thriving thanks to LeBron James …
Even the one and only Dickie V of ESPN is noticing how awesome the Zips have been playing, baby …
Tonight’s game is previewed by Ryan Isley of More Than A Fan, Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio and George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal …
Jackson also spent some time with Coach Dambrot to write this profile …
IN MEMORARIUM
Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of Bob Kline,
who passed away Tuesday morning. Bob played football for the Zips
in the 1940s and was proud to participate in the on-field ceremony
60 years later after the final game at the Rubber Bowl, which was
about as old as InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field is today
when he first wore the Blue and Gold. Thanks to his neighbor,
Bill Donovan, for letting us know of his passing.
ASK THE AD
As always, if you have a question or want to comment about Zips Athletics, click here now or at any time on the “Ask the AD” button on the home page of GoZips.com.
Go Zips!
Tom Wistrcill
Director of Athletics
