The University of Akron Athletics
athletics emails tom 2013 14 may 14 2014
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WELCOME TO THE SCARBOROUGHS!
As you likely heard, our Board of Trustees named Scott L. Scarborough, PhD, the 16th President of The University of Akron. Please join us in welcoming to the Zips family President Scarborough, his wife, Tammy, and their children. They were introduced at an on-campus reception Monday, and you can watch Dr. Scarborough's remarks from that event as well as his thoughts on UA, his first 100 days and more here.
We look forward to introducing the Scarboroughs to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters as their schedules permit in the weeks and months to come.
THE BEST MEN'S ATHLETICS PROGRAM IN THE MAC
Last night at the Mid-American Conference's annual Honors Dinner, we received one of the greatest recognitions in the history of Zips Athletics when we were presented the Reese Trophy for having the conference's best overall men's athletics program for the 2013-14 academic year. This is the first time since we joined the MAC in 1992 that we have won either the Reese Trophy or the Jacoby Trophy, which is presented to the conference's best overall women's athletics program. Last year we finished third in the Reese standings, our best finish to date.
The winner is determined by a points system based on each school's finish in the MAC sports it sponsors divided by the number of league sports it sponsors. Proof of the dominance of the men's programs this year is the fact that we clinched this award while two sports – Baseball and Outdoor Track and Field – have not finished competing. Great performances by Men's Soccer (MAC regular season and tournament champions), Men's Cross Country (second place in MAC Championship, our best ever), Football (third in MAC East), Indoor Track and Field (won third title in last four years), Men's Basketball (second in MAC East and advanced to semifinals of MAC Tournament) and Men's Golf (second in MAC Championship, tying our best-ever finish) paved the way.
We thank everyone associated with Zips Athletics, and especially our student-athletes and coaches. In IMPACT 2020, we identified winning this award as a major goal of ours and to see it achieved so quickly and so dominantly says a lot about where we are as a department – and where we feel we can go next!
SUPPORT OUR BASEBALL PROGRAM – AND AKRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
The final series of the weekend starts tomorrow at Canal Park when Baseball faces rival Kent State in the annual Diamond Classic for the Kids. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the gate and all proceeds benefit Akron Children's Hospital, so please join us in support of this wonderful cause and to cheer on the Zips as we seek a berth in the MAC Tournament. We currently sit in eighth place (the top eight make the tournament), so it all comes down to this weekend.
We'll also play on Friday and Saturday at Kent, with both games set to begin at 6 p.m.
Of course, the final points of 2013-14 are up for grabs this weekend in the third-annual PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, as Baseball and Track and Field compete. Three total points remain – we trail Kent State 6.5. to 5.5 with one point available each for Baseball, Men's Track and Women's Track.
TRACK READY TO RUN DOWN MAC OUTDOOR TITLES
Best wishes to our Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field programs as they head to Athens for the MAC Outdoor Championship, starting tomorrow and continuing through Saturday.
Our Men's program seeks its fourth-consecutive outdoor crown, while our Women aim for its first team outdoor title since 2009.
Head Coach Dennis Mitchell has our squads ready to go, especially after our dominant performances at the Campbell/Wright Invitational, which we hosted last weekend. Alexis Cooks was especially impressive in breaking her own school records for both the women's shot put and discus.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY EARNS NCAA REGONITION
In addition to helping our athletics department with its athletic performance, our Men's Cross Country program received a Public Recognition Award for academic excellence from the NCAA for earning a perfect multi-year score of 1,000. These awards are given to teams with an APR among the top 10 percent for their sport.
Congratulations to Head Coach Lee LaBadie and our team for their outstanding work in the classroom and on the courses!
ZIPS CONGRATS TO ...
... seniors Reinaldo Brenes of Men's Soccer and Ariane Beaumont-Courteau of Women's Track and Field have been named recipients of the MAC's Medal of Excellence Award, a new honor presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete for the graduating class of each of the 12 conference member institutions ...
... former Men's Soccer student-athlete DeAndre Yedlin, who was selected to the United States' 30-man preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup ...
... former Football student-athletes who signed undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams: offensive lineman Jarrod Pughsley with the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Malachi Freeman and defensive lineman Moses McCray with the New Orleans Saints, and defensive lineman Albert Presley with the Jacksonville Jaguars ...
... pole vaulter Annika Roloff, who was named MAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week for the second-consecutive week. She won last week after besting the reigning NCAA Indoor pole vault champion and national record holder at the Longhorn Invitational, and was the co-winner this week after breaking her own school record in the pole vault, setting a MAC and facility record in the process ...
... sophomore Sierra Everson, who finished in 14th place at the 28th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship last weekend in Port St. Lucie, Florida ...
... Head Coach Jodi Kest, who was recognized as The Columbus Dispatch Women's Ohio College Coach of the Year, which is voted on annually by college head coaches in the state of Ohio ...
... Brent Nanchoff and Danilo Radjen for joining our Men's Soccer roster ...
... our Cheer and Dance teams for posting top-10 finishes at Nationals ...
... Noah Robotham for joining our Men's Basketball team this afternoon ...
... Jim Tressel for being named President of Youngstown State University. Jim was a graduate assistant coach under Jim Dennison at the beginning of his coaching career and most recently served UA as Vice President for Student Success. We thank him and Ellen for their support and wish them well as they embark on their new opportunity ...
ZIPS CLIPS
... Coverage about our winning the Reese Trophy from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Canton Repository ...
... Tom Usher with LimaOhio.com looks at how Jarrod Pughsley went from a Zips walk-on to a Cowboy ...
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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