The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2012 13 may 15 2013
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THE PNC WAGON WHEEL CHALLENGE COMES DOWN TO BASEBALL
A total of 15 points – one for each sport that both Akron and Kent State sponsor – are available in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge. With just baseball remaining, we are tied 7-all, and this week’s three-game series will decide who will have Wagon Wheel bragging rights for the 2012-13 school year.
Please join us for three special home games:
-Tomorrow (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. at Canal Park for the annual Diamond Classic for Kids, with proceeds going to Akron Children’s Hospital. If you didn’t buy in advance, tickets can be purchased at the gate.
-Friday at 3 p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Field: we’ll honor former Zips pitcher Alex Loftin, who is battling leg cancer. He’ll be here to throw out the first pitch and we’ll be selling our popular “Hit Men for the Mob” t-shirts to help offset his medical expenses. Also during pre-game, first baseman Bryan White will be presented with his diploma as he was unable to participate in the University's commencement ceremony last weekend due to our series at Central Michigan.
-Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Field: It’s Senior Day and we’ll recognize Sam Trecaso and Jared Turocy for their careers.
Hope to see you there cheering on Head Coach Rick Rembielak and the squad!
QUESTION: HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TRIVIA NIGHT YET?
Answer: If you haven’t, you better hurry!
Reservations are filling quickly for our second-annual Trivia Night event, held at 6 p.m. Saturday on the playing floor at Rhodes Arena. It’s a night of food, drinks, trivia, music and interaction with your favorite Zips coaches. I promise: You will have fun if you come.
Prizes include an invitation to the Director of Athletics Suite for a 2013 home football game, a Football pre-game tailgate party in the Stile Athletics Field House Indoor Golf Facility with the UA head men's and women's golf coaches, running out of the tunnel with the football team before a 2013 home football game, having dinner with the Zips head coach of your choice, and serving as an honorary coach for one home football game of your choice.
To purchase your tickets (or, better yet, an entire table), please contact Alexa Doutt, Director of the Z-Fund at (330) 972-2695 or asd9@uakron.edu.
THREE-PEAT!
Our Men’s Outdoor Track and Field program continues to be the best in the Mid-American Conference after capturing our third consecutive championship (and fifth in six years). Congratulations to Coach Dennis Mitchell, his staff and especially our student-athletes.
Senior Nick Banke was named MAC Most Valuable Performer by winning the discus and finishing runner-up in the shot put and hammer. Freshman Shawn Barber followed his indoor pole vault title by capturing the outdoor as well with a championship meet record. Sophomore Martel Durant took the high jump title, and Coach Mitchell earned MAC Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in his career.
TICKET UPDATE
A few notes on the ticketing front we wanted to share:
-Season ticket renewal deadline for Football and Men’s Soccer is quickly approaching with a June 1 date. If you have not yet renewed, you should have received paper invoices for both sports. Please contact our ticket office at 888-99-AKRON (25766) or click here to renew your seats.
-We have nearly 200 deposits for NEW lower-level Men’s Basketball season tickets – we fully expect to sell out of the lower level on a season ticket basis for the first time in program history. We will be launching renewals at the end of this week and we will be communicating with those who make a deposit for new or additional season tickets about their time to choose during our Select-A-Seat events from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31.
-For the first time we are selling season tickets for Volleyball, which just announced its 2013 schedule. Please support Head Coach Ron Arenz and our team as they build on last season’s MAC Tournament appearance.
-We want to continue to build our fanbase, particularly with Zips alumni, and are proud to announce our Recent Alumni All-Sport Season Ticket Package. This incredible value provides all six of our season tickets (football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer) plus parking and concessions at football and $20 toward the Z-Fund (while receiving credit for twice as much). We also are offering discounted season tickets in each sport for alumni – call the ticket office at 888-99-AKRON (25766) or visit the C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium.
STUDENT-ATHLETE VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
A triple dose for your viewing pleasure:
-Watch Baseball’s Jared Turocy discuss why he likes Coach Rem’s teaching style, what he’s preparing to do for a career and whose job he likes best;
-Charlie Bull from Men’s Golf, who describes where he volunteers his time, how Akron differs from his home country of England, and how Coach Trainor helps him with the mental game of golf;
-UA physics student Eric Copenhaver explores the physics of pole vaulting with MAC champion Shawn Barber
‘DRIVE FOR 5’ DONOR OF THE WEEK
Thanks to Ms. Mary J. Pappano for joining our team through the “Drive for 5”! You can join Mary and the rest of our Zips Team – by signing up here as we seek to elevate Zips Athletics by having 5,000 donors and fundraising $5 million annually by 2015.
SAVE THESE DATES
Several of our sports programs will be hosting golf outings in the coming months:
-Football Summer Jamboree presented by LeafFilter
(June 10 at Medina Country Club)
-Baseball Diamond Legends Classic
(July 22 at Media Country Club)
-Men's Basketball Summer Classic presented by FirstEnergy
(Aug. 19 at The Quarry Golf Club)
-The Invitational, to benefit Men's and Women's Golf
(Oct. 1 at Firestone Country Club)
For more information, please contact our Z-Fund at (330) 972-FUND.
ZIPS CONGRATS TO …
… Men’s Basketball, for being invited by ESPN to participate in the 2013 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tournament, Dec. 22-25 at the University of Hawaii. We are working on setting up a fan trip for those of you interested in spending Christmas in Paradise with the Zips!
… Therany Dunnigan, who is transferring from North Carolina State to Akron and will compete for our Women’s Basketball program. Welcome!
… Bryan Gallego, Saad Abdul-Salaam and David Meves, who were added to the Portland Timbers Under-23 team roster for the Premier Development League season. I think they’ll enjoy playing for the head coach there …
… Charlie Bull, who tees it up starting tomorrow in the NCAA Columbus Regional. Good luck!
…Prang Pantusart and Angelina Jogasuria, who compete in the NCAA Tournament as a Women’s Tennis doubles team starting next Wednesday. Good luck!
ZIPS CLIPS …
… Zanesville Times Recorder's Sam Blackburn writes about Zips senior offensive lineman Adam Bice who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals this week …
… Michael Beaven of the Akron Beacon Journal profiles local Baseball signee Dom Iero …
THE LAST WORD FOR AWHILE …
With the spring semester officially over, this will be the last weekly edition of Zips Line … we’ll hit your inbox a couple of times over the summer, and resume our normal schedule when the fall semester ramps up. Have a great summer and Go Zips!
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
