The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2012 13 january 24 2013
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OUR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
As you would expect, this weekly e-mail often covers our record in the field of play. I wanted to take a moment, however, to share with you how our student-athletes are faring in the most important venue in which they “compete”: the classroom.
We have received final academic information from the fall semester, and I am so proud of our Zips. Our athletics department-wide GPA for fall 2012 was 3.008, with 13 of our 19 varsity teams earning a collective 3.0 or better. We had an impressive 202 undergraduate student-athletes (out of 450) earn Dean’s List honors.
Four graduate and 23 undergraduate students earn a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall 2012. Congratulations to Alan Agnew, Andrea Arney, Chad Barson, Ariane Beaumont-Courteau, Ksenia Berestetska, Andrew Besch, Meghan Bowling, Kyle Cochrun, Tina Dimitrijevs, Gus Dudek, Hanna Ek, Kaitlin Flanagan, Heath Harris, Alex Helfrich, Courtney Jarvis, Alegra Kastens, Claire Lucas, Marisa Papp, Molly Raspopovich, Brad Ruhaak, Rachel Tecca, Brian Walsh, Sean Weems, Joe Wesley, Dalton Williams, Alexandra Wood and Martin Zegarelli!
Kudos, too, to Associate Athletics Director Anne Jorgensen and our academic services staff – Kristina Artino, Melissa Ethridge, Chuck Lewis, Kyle Lobbins, Dolores Pope and Marc Smith, plus more than a dozen graduate assistants -- for all that they do to encourage the success of our student-athletes.
At halftime of our Men’s Basketball game vs. Central Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 5, we will bring all of our Dean’s List honorees – as well as those from the band, cheerleaders, dance team and Zippys – onto the court to recognize their terrific academic achievements during the 2012 calendar year. Please join me in congratulating our young men and women who, in every sense of the term, are true student-athletes for The University of Akron.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES ARE DOING …
This semester, our freshmen student-athletes are working with 10 different organizations in the Akron community as part of our Freshmen Workshop Series. They are being led by older student-athletes who are serving as peer mentors to 10 to 12 freshmen each throughout the year. This program is a wonderful way to facilitate leadership development at both ends of the student-athlete spectrum, and ties it together with a meaningful community service activity.
These community initiatives have started in the last week. Senior J’lani Pryce from Track and Field and five other student-athletes hosted a sports day for kids with disabilities Saturday at the Akron Rotary Camp, taking kids through six different sports and teaching them drills and basic fundamentals. On Tuesday, Junior Broderick Alexander from Football and two freshmen went to the Akron Food Bank, where they packed more than 400 boxes to be delivered to the hungry in different neighborhoods all over the state. Many more of these types of activities will be occurring in the weeks ahead.
I’m proud of what our student-athletes are doing, and we will continue to pursue ways to make a difference in the greater Akron community. If you believe there are opportunities that Zips Athletics could be involved with, please contact Kyra Lobbins at kyralob@uakron.edu.
GET YOUR LEBRON BOBBLEHEAD!
With 10 straight wins and a 5-0 record in the Mid-American Conference, our Men’s Basketball is making a lot of noise and starting to receive a significant amount of local and national attention. Based on ticket sales, we are expecting our largest crowd by far of the season to date when we host Buffalo at 7 p.m. Saturday at James A. Rhodes Arena, and we want to jam the JAR for every remaining home game.
If you do not already have tickets, get on board before you get shut out! We have seven home contests left (including Ohio on Feb. 2 and Kent State on March 8 or 9), and mini plans are still available in 3-, 5- and 7-game increments, which saves money over single-game pricing. While supplies last, we’ll include a free Zips winter hat with every mini plan purchase. Please click here or call 888-99-AKRON (25766).
The first 1,500 fans through the door Saturday will receive a LeBron James bobblehead, the first in a 2-part set that also includes a Keith Dambrot bobblehead to be distributed when we face Bowling Green on Feb 16. We’ll also be hosting hundreds of children and their families with the LeBron James Family Foundation, as well as many people from campus as part of our Men’s Basketball Faculty & Staff Appreciation Event (call 330-972-6920 for details of an exclusive ticket package that includes a pre-game dinner).
As you know, Coach Dambrot and LeBron have a unique and special relationship, and this promotion is one way to celebrate their bond and thank LeBron for everything he’s done for our basketball program. We’re eager to create a great #ZipsGameday experience for many deserving kids in the Akron area as well, and for all of you who come out to support the Zips.
FOOTBALL ROO-NEWALS AVAILABLE!
If you were a 2012 football season ticketholder, you should have received an e-mail and a call from us as we have started our renewals for 2013. We have some great incentives for renewing early, including tickets to an upcoming Men’s Basketball game, and we’ll be opening up new sales next week.
We appreciate you doing so now either by phone or online so we can save money and paper. And now that we moved our season opener at UCF to Aug. 29, football season is two days closer!
GET “SOCIAL” WITH US!
Do you use social media? Are you a big fan of the Zips?
As part of our Social Media Night for our doubleheader on
Saturday, Feb. 2, we are offering a special ticket promotion and
two UA basketball fans a chance to cover as a social media
correspondent our nationally televised Men’s Basketball game
against Ohio as well as our Women’s Basketball’s Play
4Kay contest against Buffalo.
Fans can purchase a $15 general admission ticket which provides
them entrance to both the men's and women's basketball contests,
and a #ZipsGamedayt-shirt
(while supplies last). The package also comes with an entry for a
chance to win one of the two social media correspondent spots. Fans
wishing to purchase this package should watch for the promo
on Facebookand Twitter.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Assistant Coach Charles Thomas leads Men’s Basketball student-athletes Carmelo Betancourt and Deji Ibitayo through ballhandling drills that they practice every day.
“DRIVE FOR 5” NEW MEMBER OF THE WEEK
Former men’s basketball student-athlete and All-American Wil Schwarzinger has signed up for the “Drive for 5.” Thanks, Wil! You can be Wil’s teammate – and ours – by signing up here as we seek to elevate Zips Athletics by having 5,000 donors and fundraising $5 million annually by 2015.
ZIPS CONGRATS TO …
… our 38th annual Varsity “A” Association Sports Hall of Fame inductees: Michael Andy (football), LeShaunte Edwards (track), Russ Klaus(football), Ken MacDonald (administration), Julie Bias Pratt (softball), Ken Pryor(soccer) and Michelle Rizzo Wardle (cross country, track). Also being recognized that night will be Kenneth “Red” Cochrane Meritorious Service Award recipient Ted Curtis, and Mike Krino Varsity “A” Achievement Award recipient Karl Schwarzinger. They will be honored at a banquet on Friday, Feb. 15 at the University's Martin Center – tickets for the event are available by calling Alexa Doutt at 330-972-2695 or e-mailing her at asd9@uakron.edu …

… former Men’s Soccer goalie David Meves, who was selected by the Portland Timbers with the third overall pick in the MLS Supplemental Draft …
…. Men’s Soccer freshman Dillon Serna, who signed a homegrown contract with the Colorado Rapids of MLS …
… Track and Field members Gabriel Genovesi, Shawn Barber and Alexis Cooks, who the MAC named Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, Men’s Field Athlete of the Week and Female Field Athlete of the Week, respectively, after their performances at the Kent Duals on Friday. Barber set the Stile Athletics Field House pole vault record …
… Women’s Tennis for winning its season opener over Middle Tennessee State …
… Carla McNamara, Catherine Carr, Emily Reamer of Women’s Swimming and Diving, each of whom earned first-place finishes in our dual meet Friday vs. Miami …
… Men’s Basketball, whose Feb. 9 game at Miami (Ohio) was selected to be televised on ESPNU – already the third time this season that has happened. Tip-off is 1 p.m. …
ZIPS CLIPS …
… Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer profiled Men’s Basketball sophomore Demetrius Treadwell, who now has posted consecutive double-doubles in MAC contests …
… George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal looks at Nick Harney’s recent play …
… coverage of Men’s Basketball’s 71-67 victory Saturday at Kent State – our fifth in a row against our arch-rival, which lifts us to a 4.0-2.0 lead in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge – is available from George Thomas and Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Record-Courier …
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
