The University of Akron Athletics
Read the Latest Edition of Zips Line – April 2, 2015
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FINAL FOUR MEETINGS IN INDIANAPOLIS…
With the Final Four in Indianapolis this weekend, I will be heading to Indiana for the Division I Athletics Director's meetings with NCAA President Mark Emmert. We have several topics on the agenda, including the Indiana Religious Freedom Act and its impact on the NCAA. President Emmert made a statement, as well as Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, on this act earlier this week. I will update you on our discussions next week.
SOCCER SEASON TICKETS NOW ON SALE…
It's hard to believe that it is already April and it is time to start looking towards the 2015 season for both our men's and women's soccer programs. While both teams are wrapping up their spring schedules, it is time for Zips fans to place their orders for season tickets for next season. Coach Embick and Coach Herlihy are working on finalizing their fall schedules.
Coach Embick and the men's program will look to defend its Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles this fall while Coach Herlihy and the women's program will open a new era.
Make sure to order your season tickets early. Fans can renew or purchase new men's soccer season tickets and click here to order women's soccer season tickets.
ANOTHER HONOR FOR SENIOR SINA KING…
Although the season may be over with, the honors continue to roll in for senior Sina King. On Monday, Sina was named one of three finalists for the 2015 National STUDENT-Athlete Day Giant Steps Award. The award is presented annually to the Courageous Female Student-Athlete by the National Consortium for Academic and Sports.
The other finalists include; Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph's University and Kayla Montgomery of Mount Tabor (N.C.) High School. All three student-athletes are worthy of the award. The winner will be announced at the Giant Steps Award Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony later this year.
SCHEDULE CHANGE …
In case you missed it, our Track and Field team had to make a schedule change to the Northeast Ohio Quad meet due to this weekend's weather forecast. The squad opened the meet earlier today, but fans can come out and see a majority of the field events at the Lee R. Jackson Track and Field Complex tomorrow beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday.
CONGRATS TO …
… junior pole vaulter Shawn Barber and senior high jumper Claudia Garcia Jou for earning MAC Men's and Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week this week. Barber broke the school, meet and Canada National record by clearing 19-4.25 (5.90m) at the Texas Relays while Garcia Jou broke the school record in the high jump by clearing 6-0.75 (1.85m), also at the Texas Relays …
… Baseball's JT Brubaker for earning MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week. Brubaker threw 8.0 scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the season in Akron's 10-1 win over Toledo on Sunday. He allowed just two hits and struck out a career-best seven batters …
… in addition to winning MAC Pitcher of the Week, JT Brubaker, John Vallek III and Jon Pusateri were named Zips' Student-Athletes of the Week after helping the Baseball team to a series win over Toledo. The trio combined to pitch 23 innings, holding the Rockets to just 11 hits and no earned runs …
… the Baseball team for winning its second-consecutive series in MAC play this past weekend over Toledo …
… the Track and Field teams for their strong performances at the Texas Relays, Raleigh Relays and Bobcat Invitational last week …
... Coach Herlihy and women's soccer for posting a 1-0 win over Youngstown State on Wednesday, the squad's first exhibition win of the spring ...
… former Football defensive lineman Albert Presley on his stellar debut with the Saginaw Sting of the American Indoor Football League …
GOOD LUCK TO …
… the Men's Soccer team as it travels to Louisville, Ky., in an exhibition contest with Louisville on Saturday at 5 p.m. The meeting will be a rematch of the 2010 NCAA National Title Game …
… the Baseball team as it travels to Ball State to take on the Cardinals this weekend. Due to rain in the forecast, the Zips and Cardinals will now play two games on Saturday and one on Sunday. The Zips also play host to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 7, at Lee R. Jackson Field (3 p.m.) …
… the Softball team as it plays host to Eastern Michigan on Friday (1 and 3 p.m.) and Central Michigan on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) at Lee R. Jackson Field …
… Women's Tennis as the squad travels to Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday to face Western Michigan before facing off with Ball State in Muncie, Ind., on Sunday …
… the Men's Golf team, which opens play at the Gary Koch Invitational in North Carolina on Monday …
WHAT TO WATCH …
… Zips Weekly highlights the recent week, including a season wrap-up with Head Coach Jodi Kest …
TIMEOUT WITH AKRON FOOTBALL COORDINATOR OF VIDEO SERVICES JASON SANDERS …
Akron football's coordinator of video services Jason Sanders is beginning his fourth year with the program after getting his start at Jacksonville State and spending time at Oklahoma and Connecticut.
How did you get started in athletics?
I started off right out of high school covering high school sports for a newspaper. After my first year, I was promoted to covering Alabama and Auburn college football games in my spare time while pursuing a journalism degree. After a year of that, I met some guys from ESPN at the games and decided that it would be much cooler to work a camera than it would be to write stories. I decided to switch to TV production, and my goal was to be a camera operator for ESPN. One day in one of my TV production classes, the professor said the football team at Jacksonville State was offering a scholarship to anyone who knew how to work a camera. So I went over that day and met with the head coach, and they hired me on the spot to be their head video coordinator. So, this upcoming season will be my 13th season in football video.
What do you think you would be doing if you weren't working in athletics?
I would either be a photographer, or I wanted to do something with professional wrestling. I wanted to be the guy that made intro videos for the wrestlers, or a manager. When I was a kid, instead of being grounded from video games or whatever, I would get grounded for watching wrestling. At around eight years old, I had probably 50 GI Joes, and I had a little toy wrestling ring. I named all of them after wrestlers, and I had little toy belts and had my own little wrestling shows in my head. Also, back then on TV you had like eight pay-per-view channels, and you would just flip to that channel, and you could hear it but you couldn't see it; it was scrambled. So when all the wrestling pay-per-views would air, it was like my big event, so I would listen to the pay-per-view and I would put on my own shows. It's dorky, but it's what I did.
What, then, led you to football?
It was a natural progression. I played football in high school, and my mom worked at the same newspaper that I worked for, so I got to know the sports writer while I was playing football, which is how I got the job at the paper. So, basically, I have been a part of every football season since my junior year of high school either playing or covering it for a newspaper or working.
To read the full feature story on Jason Sanders, visit the Zips Insider blog.
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
