The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2012 13 may 1 2013
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SUPPORT OUR SPRING SPORTS DOWN THE STRETCH!
Our Softball team won three straight games last weekend to pull closer to a berth in the Mid-American Conference Championship, and they would love to see you at Lee R. Jackson Field this week to pull for them through the end of the regular season.
We host St. Francis (Pa.) today at 3 p.m., and will give out t-shirts to the first 100 fans. Additionally, any UA Faculty & Staff will receive a free hot dog. On Friday, we have a 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. doubleheader vs. Central Michigan, with sunglasses as that day's giveaway.
The team wraps up the regular season vs. Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday (Kentucky Derby Day, featuring a hat-making contest and a post-game home-run derby contest for youth) and 1 p.m. Sunday (Strike Out Cancer, with t-shirts on sale and a pink-themed gift basket as a prize).
Baseball also is on campus this weekend, with games against Western Michigan at 3 p.m. Friday (#ZipsGameday challenge to win a gift card), 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday (Zippy Kids Club Day with a poster giveaway and post-game autograph session).
Track and Field hosts the Campbell/Wright Invitational at 3:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday as well.
STUDENT-ATHLETE BANQUET
It was a privilege on Monday night to host our annual Student-Athlete Banquet and see our 450-some student-athletes dressed nicely as we honored their accomplishments from the 2012-13 academic year.
Student-athletes were honored for their hard work in their respective sports and in the classroom with a number of individual and team awards, including: the Jim Schonover Award (highest team grade-point average – women's golf for both the 2012 spring and 2012 fall semesters); the Caroline J. Pardee Award (top female athlete – Rachel Tecca, women's basketball); the James Horrigan Award (top male athlete – Scott Caldwell, men's soccer); the Bob Linton Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Awards (Chad Barson – men's soccer; Tina Dimitrijevs – volleyball); and the male and female Newcomer of the Year Awards (Alex McCune – track and field; Alexis Cooks – track and field).
Our 2012-13 All-Sports video, which was unveiled at the banquet, is available here.
THANK YOU
Wanted to thank all of you who made time to share your feedback at our two public forums last week as part of our Strategic Planning process. It is so helpful to me to hear directly from you (and I always welcome that with our Ask the AD feature), and I appreciate all of you who shared thoughts on how Zips Athletics can get even better.
George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal covered the open forums, and his story can be found here.
ATTACK THE MAC!
Best of luck to Men's Golf, which competes in the MAC Championship beginning Friday and going all weekend at Longaberger Golf Course in Nashport, Ohio. We're cheering for you, guys!
SAVE THESE DATES
-Our friends at Canal Park (where our baseball team plays tonight at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.) are hosting UA Night on Saturday, May 4, which includes a Jim Tressel bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 fans. Our own UA Marching Band will perform as well. The Aeros play the Bowie Baysox starting at 6:05 p.m.
Tickets are $6 and group seating is available. To order tickets, visit akronaeros.com and use promo code UAKRON. If your department or organization would like to be recognized during the game, contact the Aeros' Dee Shilling at (330) 253-5151 ext. 286 or dshilling@akronaeros.com
-We are pleased once again to host the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Lee R. Jackson Field on May 9-11. We'll also host a Track Alumni Reunion on May 11, with details available here.
-Our second annual Trivia Night will be held on Saturday, May 18 at Rhodes Arena – please contact Alexa Doutt at (330) 972-2695 or asd9@uakron.edu to buy a table (or individual seats) …
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Watch Kelly Roudabush from Softball, our featured student-athlete of the week, who describes why she chose nursing as a major, what she thinks of UA’s campus, why sweeping Kent State her freshman year is her favorite Zips memory and how the team passes time on road trips.
‘DRIVE FOR 5’ DONORS OF THE WEEK
Thanks to Philip Lombardo for joining our team through the “Drive for 5”! You can join Philip – 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.
ZIPS CLIPS …
… Terry Bowden talks about spring football with Jack Arute and Rick Neuheisel on SiriusXM Sports …
… Coverage of our Spring Game from the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer …
ZIPS CONGRATS TO …
… Dalton Williams, Quentin Hines and Adam Steiner for signing undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams (Cowboys, Patriots and Raiders, respectively) …
… Sydney Blomquist and Brian Lees for signing National Letters of Intent with Women's Soccer and Baseball, respectively. Welcome to the Zips!
… Anthony Henderson, our Director of Athletics Development, who Kaleidoscope Magazine recognized in its 2013 Forty-Forty Club, which honors 40 young African-American professionals in Northeast Ohio …
… our favorite mascot, who turns 60 today. Happy Birthday, Zippy! Be sure to watch this video produced by the University of Akron's Institutional Marketing department celebrating this milestone.
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
