The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2013 14 march 27 2014
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THE FUTURE OF ZIPS BASKETBALL
The Women's Basketball season was one for the record books, as we
won our first Mid-American Conference Tournament championship, made
our first appearance in the NCAA Tournament and tied a program
record with 23 victories!
I could not be more pleased with the team's performance this year
or more excited about the future, and I would like to thank all the
fans who showed up in Cleveland for the MAC Tournament two weeks
ago and in West Lafayette, Ind., last weekend for our NCAA
Tournament game against Purdue.
Please join us in congratulating Head Coach Jodi Kest, who has
rebuilt the program over the last eight seasons, and the best
senior class in the 40-year history of the program: Kasie Cassell,
Cari Guyton, Hanna Luburgh, Rachel Tecca and Carly Young.
I also thank you for supporting Men's Basketball this season,
which achieved a number of milestones worth applauding and has a
bright future as well.
Head Coach Keith Dambrot has led his team to the post-season seven
years in a row and for the ninth-straight season posted 21 wins
– an honor shared with Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Ohio
State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
Our Men overcame a number of obstacles and distractions to advance
to the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament for a remarkable
ninth-straight time. I thought Elton Alexander, who covers us for
the Cleveland Plain Dealer, did a nice job of summarizing our
season in this recent article. As he points out, the core of
this talented team returns for 2014-15.
The Men's team will hold its annual Celebration Banquet on
Friday, April 11 at Rhodes Arena at 6 p.m. Reservations can be
made by contacting Amanda Baird, Administrative Assistant for Men's
Basketball, at (330) 972-7781 or via E-mail. Seats are
$20.
The Women's team will have its Post-season Banquet on Friday, May
2 on the FirstMerit Foundation Club Level (fifth floor) of
InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. You can contact Candace
Smith, Director of Women's Basketball Operations, at (330) 972-8274
or by E-mail
to make your reservation. Seats are $20 for that event as well.
After selling a record number of season tickets this year, those
interested in being a new season ticketholder next season for the
Men or Women can place a deposit by calling 1-888-99-AKRON
(25766). Renewal information for current season
ticketholders will be announced at a later date.
FOOTBALL SPRING GAME DETAILS
Despite the current weather conditions, it is officially Spring
and Football has begun its Spring practice schedule this semester.
Head Coach Terry Bowden and his staff are counting the days until
our annual Blue-Gold Spring Game at InfoCision Stadium –
Summa Field on Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m.
A variety of events surround the game, including our fifth-annual Youth Clinic inside Stile Athletics Field
House that morning, Zips Fest on Vine Street, and our annual Alumni
Reunion Weekend. Additionally that day, Men's Soccer will take on
Louisville in an exhibition match at 11 a.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium
– Cub Cadet Field and Baseball will face Bowling Green at 1
p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Field. The football, soccer and baseball
contests are free as is parking.
We hope you can join us on campus that day!
TRIVIA NIGHT SET FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 12 AT
JAR
Our third-annual
Trivia Night will be held on Saturday, April 12 at James
A. Rhodes Arena at 6 p.m. There will be plenty to eat and drink
as well as plenty of opportunity to mingle with many of our head
and assistant coaches, and department staff members. This is a fun
team event with trivia in categories such as movies, music, history
and of course sports. It's one of my favorite nights of the year
and I guarantee you will have a good time!
Reservations are filling up, please contact Alexa Doutt with our
Z-Fund at (330) 972-2695 or via E-mail to buy a table or individual
seats.
COMPETING THIS WEEK ...
... Track and Field starts the outdoor season by sending 50 athletes to three
meets, including the 87th-annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
at the University of Texas ...
... After having mid-week games canceled due to inclement weather,
both Baseball and Softball continue MAC play on the road this weekend.
Baseball has a single game on Friday and doubleheader on Saturday
at Toledo, and Softball has a doubleheader at Central Michigan on
Friday and single games at Eastern Michigan on Saturday and Sunday
...
... Women's Tennis competes at Northern Illinois on Friday afternoon
...
... Men's Golf heads to Greenville, S.C., to participate in the Furman
Intercollegiate on Friday through Sunday ...
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON OUR BRAND
As part of our ongoing IMPACT
2020 Strategic Plan, we are seeking feedback from everyone
associated with Zips Athletics regarding our brand identity. We
have developed a survey to understand your thoughts on our brand
– meaning logos, colors, merchandizing, etc. – and
already have received hundreds of responses with terrific
feedback.
Click here to access the survey. We have some
great prizes if you would like to provide your contact information
as well. We look forward to hearing from you!
FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
A reminder that Football season tickets and renewals went on sale during
the first week of February. We are not increasing ticket prices
this season while offering a variety of all-inclusive packages that
include free parking, concessions vouchers, seat cushions, tailgate
flags and more.
Renewal invoices for current ticket holders are available at ZipsTickets.com, with a deadline of June 2 to
be eligible for additional prizes and to secure your same seat
locations. Hardcopy renewal invoices will be mailed at a later
date, and only to those who have not yet renewed
electronically.
We kick off the season at home on Thursday, Aug. 28 against Howard
and also play host to Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 20 in
non-conference play. Our
full MAC schedule was announced last month, which includes a
home game against defending league champion Bowling Green on
Tuesday, Nov. 2 on national TV.
We look forward to seeing you at games on campus in the Fall.
Please contact our ticket office at 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) if you
have questions.
ZIPS CONGRATS ...
... Shawn Barber from Track and Field, named to the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches
Association (USTFCCCA) Bowerman Men's Watch List. The award is
presented annually to the most outstanding male and female
collegiate track and field athlete in the nation ...
... Rachel Tecca from Women's Basketball, chosen as an All-Region nominee for the Women's Basketball
Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America Team ...
... Myles McVeigh from Baseball, named
MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week ...
... Mackenzie Conrad from Softball, selected MAC East Division Co-Pitcher of the Week
...
ZIPS CLIPS ...
... Curtis Duffield of the Canton Repository profiled Swimming and
Diving Head Coach Brian Peresie and senior swimmer Kendra Colby in
a story about the team's first MAC championship that
it won earlier this month ...
... Doug Livingston of the Akron Beacon Journal covered a unique event in our Stile Athletics
Field House last weekend, featuring remote-controlled model
airplanes ...
... Women's Basketball senior Rachel Tecca wrote a blog for SwishAppeal.com about what it
means to be a MAC champion ...
... Women's Basketball's high level of achievement both on the
court and in the classroom was highlighted in an Akron Beacon Journal editorial
...
... Matthew Florjanic of WKYC.com profiled Women's Basketball senior Hanna
Luburgh ...
... Andrew Vogel of the Wooster Daily Record wrote a feature about Women's Basketball freshman
Hannah Plybon ...
... Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer profiled Women's Basketball senior Kacie
Cassell ...
... Football offensive lineman Jarrod Pughsley was referenced in
an NFL.com blog following our Pro Day on campus last
Friday ...
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
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