The University of Akron Athletics
Read the Latest Edition of Zips Line – January 22, 2015
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NCAA CONVENTION …
… I was honored to represent Akron and the Mid-American Conference at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C., last week. The NCAA passed historic legislation of adopting the Cost of Attendance model. It will have a great impact on every Division I campus as we move forward to include the cost of attendance in our grant-in-aid. The MAC presidents unanimously endorsed this legislation at a MAC meeting last fall.
“The Mid-American Conference is dedicated to supporting our student-athletes in the classroom, the community and on the playing field with the ultimate goal of graduating and having a great collegiate experience. We will support the legislation that redefines an athletics grant-in-aid to include the cost of attendance,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher.
On campus, Dr. Scarborough and I have been in discussion on how we will fund this initiative which creates a "redefinition of a full grant-in-aid." This provision will allow for us to provide more dollars for our student-athletes to offset living expenses.
During the inaugural meeting of the NCAA Council, we spent our time setting up a structure to decide which topics we should tackle first. There are many topics we need to address. (Here's a starter list...name, image and likeness issues; division-wide sport committee administration and coordination; financial aid issues; the overall NCAA budget; championships; communication strategy; and the student-athlete experience.) Yes, we will be busy!
COACH HERLIHY COMPLETES HER STAFF …
… I would like to welcome the three new women's soccer coaches to Akron as Women's Soccer Head Coach Noreen Herlihy completed her staff last week with the hiring of Robert Battisson, Kerri Butler, and Emer Flatley. Battisson, who was Herlihy's top assistant at Slippery Rock in 2014, returns to Akron where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator during the 2007-11 seasons.
Butler worked as a graduate assistant and goalkeeper coach at Slippery Rock during the 2013-14 seasons. Butler brings an extensive background as an NCAA Division I and professional goalkeeper and as a coach. Flatley, who will serve as the Director of Operations, played four seasons at Slippery Rock under Herlihy and was a three-time All-Region and three-time All-PSAC defender. She became the first player in program history to repeat as a first-team All-Region pick.
If you get a chance, please welcome these three coaches to the Akron family!
ADDITIONS TO THE FOOTBALL STAFF …
… The women's soccer isn't the only program with new faces on staff. Football Head Coach Terry Bowden announced last week the hiring of Eric Hickson as an offensive assistant coach. Hickson joins the Zips after serving as the interim head coach, running backs coach, and outgoing recruiting coordinator at Garden City Community College in Kansas during the 2014 season.
In addition to Hickson's hiring, Coach Bowden announced that cornerbacks coach Otis Mounds was given added duties as the defensive passing game coordinator.
Additionally, Coach Bowden announced the addition of Darrell Funk as the offensive line coach and offense run game coordinator. Funk joins the Zips after four seasons at Michigan where he coached the offensive line, producing Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year three times.
The coaches have hit the ground running, off on the recruiting trail already. National Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 4. Details to come next week.
FOOTBALL HOLDS ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET …
… The football team officially wrapped up the 2014 season with its annual awards banquet on Sunday. This event is always an enjoyable one as we got to reflect back on the season and celebrate all of the student-athletes that put in the time and effort to make Akron Football successful.
For the second consecutive season, senior running back Jawon Chisholm and junior linebacker Jatavis Brown were named the outstanding offensive and defensive performers, respectively. These two young men have been great leaders on and off the field for the Zips. While Jatavis will be back next season, we will miss Chisholm next season. He has had a great career at Akron, finishing second on the all-time rushing charts with 3,402 yards.
If you see any of our young men on or off campus, please let them know how much you appreciate their hard work and effort.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS …
… As I mentioned last week, we will be holding our Second-Annual Purple Out game on Tuesday, Jan. 27, vs. Ball State. This is a great event to honor a great man and coach, Dan Peters. I hope to see all of you there and make sure to wear purple.
ZIPS CONGRATS TO …
… Alexis Cooks and Natalie Zidd on earning Mid-American Conference Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week. Cooks won the hammer throw in last weekend's dual meet with Kent State and owns the top mark so far this season in the nation. Zidd posted wins in the 800m and the mile …
… Men's Basketball junior wing Reggie McAdams for his 31-point performance against Central Michigan on Saturday. He was the first Zip to score 30 points in a game since Romeo Travis in 2007. For his performance, he was named the Zips' Student-Athlete of the Week …
… Women's Basketball junior guard Anita Brown for earning Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. Brown registered 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per contest last week en route to leading the Zips to road wins at Toledo and Miami …
… the Men's and Women's Track and Field teams for earning top-10 rankings in the initial men's and women's collegiate dual meet rankings of 2015, as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News. The men check in at No. 4 while the women are ranked No. 7 …
WHAT TO WATCH …
… The latest edition of Z360, which features new Head Women’s Soccer Coach Noreen Herlihy, takes an inside look at Men's Basketball assistant coach Charles Thomas miked up, and a GoPro special with our pole vaulters …
… This week's Zips Weekly, which recaps Akron hoops, as well as recapping the Men's and Women's Track and Field Dual Meet with Kent State …
TIMEOUT WITH JOHN TWEEDY …
We want this weekly e-mail to provide you with an inside look into our Athletics Department, and as part of that effort we will begin profiling a coach or member of our staff. This week, you’ll learn more John Tweedy, our Director of Operations and Events.
John D. Tweedy moved over 1,000 miles to join the Zips Athletics staff roughly six months ago as the director of operations and events. The Augusta, Ga., native served as the assistant director of event operations for two years at the University of Central Florida after graduating from Georgia State in 2011 with a master’s degree in sport administration. Now, you can find him overseeing all athletic operations at Akron’s facilities.
Aside from adjusting to a new work place and a new staff, how is it adjusting to life, and the weather, in Akron, after coming from UCF?
I’ve quickly gotten used to it. I’m taking classes right now and working on an MBA. When I got out of class last Tuesday night, it was six degrees outside, and I thought my face was going to fall off. But, when you turn around to this week, and it’s 32 outside, that’s cold, but you run into that six degree often enough; 32 starts to feel a lot less intrusive. I have a Mustang convertible, too, so everybody gives me a hard time about that.
How did you get started working in athletics?
I played football and ran track in high school. I received a track scholarship out of high school to the University of Memphis, so I went there for two years and transferred to Georgia Southern. I knew I wanted to work in sports, because I was an athlete growing up, but the business aspect of sports, the behind-the-scenes, appealed to me. When I really got involved was when the director of operations at Georgia Southern came in to talk to one of my classes, and she needed students to be a part of the event staff. So I did that and got started with gameday operations.
If not athletics, what other career could you see yourself pursuing?
I could possibly be in the military. A lot of my family is in the military, including my dad. One of my personality traits is operations and coordinating, things to that nature. So I think I could have found a way to utilize that skill set in the military as well.
What might somebody be surprised to learn about you?
I like old movies, so once you watch all the current stuff, you start to want to watch older ones, and I love old westerns. Somebody would probably be surprised if they walked in and saw me watching an old western movie from 1952.
Read the full feature story on John Tweedy in 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
