The University of Akron Athletics
Read the Latest Edition of Zips Line – April 30, 2015
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SECOND ANNUAL ZIPPY AWARDS
It was a great time on Monday night at the Student Union as we hosted the Second Annual Zippy Awards to honor the achievements of our student-athletes, both in competition, in the classroom and in the community. The Zippy Awards are a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and enjoy the company of our coaches, staff, dignitaries, guests and over 400 student-athletes. I always enjoy this event and I know that everyone in attendance did, as well.
I want to congratulate all of our award winners for their hard work and dedication. This has been a great year for Zips Athletics and there are still several opportunities for it to get even better.
I encourage you to check out the complete release from Monday's festivities, which includes all of our award winners, as well as the photo gallery from the event. This week's Z360 will also feature out 2014-15 highlight video that was shown at Monday's celebration.
CAMPING SEASON IS APPROACHING
Summertime at Akron always seems as busy as the academic year, with many of our programs playing host to hundreds, if not thousands, of campers.
Campus will be busy all summer, with Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Softball and Volleyball playing host to various camps this summer.
The summer camp season is a great time for youngsters from Akron and surrounding areas to work with our great coaching staffs and improve their skills. Make sure to register early as these camps always fill up fast.
ZIPS FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETHOLDER PRIZES
Congratulations to Ed A. Russell, Dave Garcia, Kevin Becker, Craig Lonce, Art Morvai, Sandy Neidert, Ruth N. Nine-Duff, David D. Tipton, Steve R. Ash, Robert Kiggans and Tonia Ferrell, all of whom won prizes this week.
We will be holding weekly drawings for the next six weeks, with the cutoff for each drawing being Friday of the previous week. The sooner you buy or renew your Football season tickets, the more chances you have to win one of a number of great prizes, including: an in-game recognition as season ticket holder of the game for a home contest, a free season ticket package upgrade for the year, a bus trip invitation to MAC away game or autographed Akron memorabilia. If you already purchased for this year, you’re automatically rolled over for the chance to win these prizes until you win. You can call us at 888-99-AKRON (25766), visit the ticket office or visit GoZips.com/tickets to find the season ticket package that’s right for you.
CONGRATS TO…
… Women's Swimming and Diving Head Coach Brian Peresie, who received a five-year contract extension on Wednesday after guiding the Zips to back-to-back MAC Championships in his first two seasons at Akron …
… Track and Field's Shawn Barber and Clayton Murphy for earning Mid-American Conference Track and Field Athletes of the Week last week. Barber defeated world record holder and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Renaud Lavillenie while sharing top honors with Sam Kendricks at the Drake Relays. Murphy posted the second-best time in school history in the 800m (1:47.81) en route to winning the event at the Drake Relays …
… Men's Soccer for concluding its spring exhibition schedule with five victories. The Zips will open the 2015 season on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with a home exhibition match against Oakland at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field …
… Track and Field for a successful week of competition. In addition to Barber and Murphy, the Zips posted a number of strong showings at the Hillsdale College Gina Relays, Drake Relays (day one and day two recaps) and Ashland Alumni Open …
... the Men's Track and Field team for checking in at No. 25 in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings ...
… Olga Shkundina (Coaches' Award), Sophia Geier (Most Improved Player) and Ariadna Blinova (Most Valuable Player) for being honored at last week's Women's Tennis awards luncheon …
… the newest members of our Women's Soccer team, Annabelle (Lucas) Hegeman, Sydney Sleek and Samara Yurchak …
… Football's Zach D'Orazio, QB Nick Hirschman, Joe McNamara, Nick Rossi and Travis Switzer for being named to the 2015 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society …
GOOD LUCK TO…
… the Men's Golf team as it plays host to the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championship at The Mayfield Sand Ridge Club – Sand Ridge in Chardon, Ohio. This is a great opportunity for fans to cheer on the Zips as they compete for a MAC Championship and a point in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, which is tied at 5.5-5.5 with four sports remaining (Men's Golf, Baseball and Men's and Women's Track and Field) …
… Track and Field at the Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic in Columbus, Ohio, and the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas …
… Softball, as the squad heads to Athens, Ohio, to face the Ohio Bobcats in a two-game series that has MAC Tournament seeding implications on the line …
…Baseball, as Coach Rembielak and the Zips travel to Bowling Green, Ohio, for a three-game series against BGSU looking to get one step closer to locking up a spot in the MAC Tournament …
TIMEOUT WITH DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS DEVELOPMENT ANTHONY HENDERSON …
Akron's Director of Athletics Development Anthony Henderson has been with the Zips for four years and is responsible for developing key relationships with prospects and donors.
How did you get your start in athletics?
While coming to the end of my externship at Disney Sports Attractions in Orlando, FL after grad school I received a call from our Athletic Director and Executive Director of the program, Dr. Richard Sander, asking me if I would be interested in a job as the Director of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorship for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He said he thought of me because of my affiliation with the conference, having played football at Hampton and also because of the job I had in the VCU Athletics Marketing Department while matriculating through the program. I said of course, got on a plane to fly to Virginia Beach, Va. for an interview the next week and the rest is history.
They say that no two days are the same when working in athletics, but can you describe what a typical day might consist of?
My job responsibilities are to solicit financial support for Zips student-athlete scholarships and facility projects within the department of intercollegiate athletics. A typical day can consist of a trip out of state for a meeting, a meeting over coffee at Starbucks on campus, visiting with our donors at games or a day full of phone calls just to say hello; these are in addition to the administrative duties that must be handled daily and the events we orchestrate to keep our contributors connected to Zips Athletics. Even though no two days are the same, the one thing I try to be consistent with is making sure I meet with or at least talk to our current and potential donors daily. We are in the relationship business. Our job is to cultivate new relationships as well as steward those existing relationships to bring them to the next level.
If you weren't working in athletics, what else do you think you would be doing?
I honestly do not know what I would be doing if I were not working in college athletics. My grandfather told me growing up if you find a career doing something you love and you are passionate about you will never work a day in your life. I am passionate about the business of college athletics because I owe so much of who I am to it. I have not found anything else that I am that passionate about. What we do impacts the lives of young people tremendously and that is important to me. If I had to choose something else though, it would probably be a high school business teacher and football/basketball/baseball coach.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
We’re in the business of making dreams happen. For the young people that would not have an opportunity to otherwise go to college, athletics may be their vehicle. You have first-generation college students all over the country, regardless of race, religion, sex, etc., who get to go to school because of what we do in our office. I was one of those young people who was the first in my family to ever go to college. That is a responsibility I do not take lightly and my job is one of the ways I pay it forward because I don’t know where I would be if someone had not done the same for me.
To read the full feature story on Anthony Henderson, visit the Zips Insider blog.
… the final editions of Zips Weekly and Z360 for the year. I want to thank our New Media Graduate Assistants, Zach Tilley, Autum Conley and David Suntup, for all of their hard work on creating these shows week in and week out. I hope you have enjoyed watching them as much as I have …
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
