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I've been lurking for the past few years, not posting at all and just an occasional visit to the site when I want to learn the real story of what's happening in U of A Sports, since there is no legacy media reporting unless you want to pay for the ridiculous Beacon, although when they do write, Brad Bourneval and Mike Bevin do a nice job. I can always count on @TennZip, @Hilltopper, @clarkwgriswold, @72Roo @Spinand @Blue & Gold to give great insights to the Zips programs. Any-hoo, I wanted to take a moment to recognize both Softball and baseball. I went over to Firestone Stadium this past week and joined the "dozens" of Zip fans and a teeny sliver of administration folk to watch the women play. They made Akron proud, in my opinion. They battled back after a lethargic start and was competitive going forward. Great coaching by Coach Nicholson, and, although not on the level with Miami or Ohio, still a wash with the other three teams. Way to go Zips! And baseball...it may look like it's the same ol' - same ol', but I watched a lot of their games and they too have improved, and Coach Faulds has done a nice job with what he has to work with. The major difference, once again in my opinion, is they need at least another power hitter, and as always, pitching hurt. If they could get two strong starters, and one more closer, they could be in the hunt for a tournament slot in the next two seasons. Anyway, just wanted to post something about the men and women who go pretty much un-noticed on campus and in then news. Go Zips!

Win 6 to become bowl eligible which will create a national “Free Akron” campaign that will shine the light on the ridiculous irony in the NCAA rules.

Tomorrow is senior day, there is an amazing group of players graduating (Max Bowman, Andrew Horvath, Brett Dietrich, Ian Pennington, ETC) Also Zips looking for the sweep!

While not Zips-related, I though this was an interesting college football article. Whoda thunk Randy Moss' kid would have his head screwed on straight? Kudos to him...wish his character wasn't an anomaly nowadays. Turns out any temptation to play elsewhere was no match for an increasingly scarce characteristic in college sports: loyalty.

Damn. This guy lost 2" in height since he committed. His X bio says he's 6'7" 😂.

Joe Moorhead: [Joe stands up] Well, then, I guess there's only one thing left to do. ZipsNation: What's that? Joe:

Been 4 days since we had a post on the basketball section. Just wanted to say... Kent Sucks.

As far as I know, this is the most championships won by Akron athletics in a single year. MBB Regular and Tournament MSOC Regular Men’s Indoor T&F Swimming & Diving WLaX Regular and Tournament Men’s Outdoor T&F Also the best finishes by Softball and Baseball in years Best finish by Football In 6 years

I don't know who was in the marketing department, but I think Samantha Maxwell deserves some credit.

kickaball pod instagram is saying that the zips have added a transfer player from E. Tennessee State https://www.instagram.com/p/DJpe9uDTy8j/ was a 6'1 145 freshman last year for ETSU. From Vaughn soccer club in Canada https://etsubucs.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/abdi-bahur/6518 played in 16 games last year for ETSU.....Started 6 of the games...played 734 minutes had 6 assists last year. https://etsubucs.com/sports/mens-soccer/stats Abdi Bahur's instagram page...has a big picture...if you look at comments, outstanding former Zips Abdi Mohammed comments about the new Abdi's commitment. Then, Marcel Zajac and Abid Mohammed exchange additional comments. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJpaftCv5dD/

FWIW, coach J Rod seems quite excited about Simmons on Twitter. We’ve added quite a bit of OL through the transfer portal. Hope that unit finally breaks out and is solid.

More like Akron against ourselves!

Started almost every game at LT for N. Alabama last year. PFF graded him solidly as a pass protector.

Six wins & hypothetical bowl eligibility. Beat KSUcks & Ohio. Hate to say it but maybe the players are individually motivated to play well enough to go earn NIL somewhere else? This sucks.

I watched Goodrich's presser and was underwhelmed. That does not mean I think he is not up to the task. He just didn't say anything. No one in the room was inspired. That was reflected in the fact that only one question was asked from the crowd and that was from Dave Skozen (sp?) our play by play voice. I did like that he emphasized performance. Still there was no motivational vision, no claiming Akron is a sleeping giant or a dream job for anyone on the way up. Of course it isn't, but the faithful love to hear we can have a glorious future. He did offer lots of praise for RJ Nemer. No mention of our high achieving programs like MBB, MSoccer, WLax. But he also didn't mention the problematic ones either. No mention of football, facilities, budget or debt. That's probably a good thing if he doesn't have a clear plan this early in his tenure. I expected more because, like most Zip fans, I am holding out hope for a better future in all sports, but especially football.

Hey there @ZipsBBjunkie, thanks for your response. I appreciate your teasing, really. I agree the "jousting" part is all in play. And I agree, all of these athletes deserve their due and recognition. They did accomplish something major, and a win is a win no matter when or where. They are truly champions. Thanks for reminding me of that. Please remember when Coach Mitchell won many, and also lost a few MAC titles there were 8 teams competing, which made it a little harder. And your point on XC is well taken as well. Coach Lab and Scotty were the XC coaches in reality but none the less, it was under Mitchell's watch. I don't "have anything against" the head coach as a person, and I admit I am biased because of the stature and respect that the Akron program had for so long in the 21st century. I've had some "up close and personal" time with her, and I scratch my head in wonder afterwards. When Coach Mitchell left, there were plenty of his coaches that were more than qualified to take over the program on a seamless basis. But then-Ad Guthrie decided to gut the staff and went this route. She was touted on her experience producing 'multis" champions, combined-event athletes, decathlon, pentathlon, heptathlon. During her tenure so far, Akron has not had a single combined-event athlete. Not one has competed in the Outdoor or Indoor MACS, and to my knowledge not one at the Akron Invitational. Her biggest accomplishment, IMHO, was to hire Randy Overby as her sprint coach. His success was followed by Tom Bojalad being hired for throws. These two are the driving force behind the recent successes. A good manager knows how to hire good assistant managers, I get it. You are right, my negativity should not gravitate to the fact that these athletes have won titles, both individually and as a team, in an NCAA DI program in a good solid Conference. They should be applauded and should get the recognition they deserve. I stand corrected, if it came across I was anti-Zips Athletes. It is, as you said, always a good thing when the Zips Win! Go Zips!

First, overall I'm just teasing a bit. Jousting on the board with insights and opinions is what it's all about right? Second, I'm not delusional, I'm simply making sure these student-athletes and the coaches get their due - the joy they are obviously experiencing in those glitzy photos and videos is REAL and winning a title matters. Absolutely, a MAC title is not as 'prestigious' in T&F as other accomplishments, rankings, and Nationals appearances. Maybe the squad is lacking those with Mitchell gone, but the reality is if MAC Titles were easy Mitchell would have won them every year, he didn't. Mitchell had 16 men's titles (8 indoor/8 outdoor) over his 27 campaigns per his bio. If it were easy, he would have won the Cross Country Championship with Clayton Murphy, etc. He didn't. In 2023 the school won it's first ever Men's CC championship. MAC Championships mattered under Coach Mitchell. He won 33 of them! I would argue, Conference titles are perhaps considered the most important accomplishment for a NCAA TEAMS year in and year out no matter what NCAA level and the quality of competition in the conference itself. A conference title is a title for the team. Last I checked only those 'nationally' ranked athletes and the coaches get to truly bask in the joy of qualifying to go onto Nationals, it is not as team-oriented as a conference title is. I get T&F could be considered more of an individual sport vs. a team sport in terms of what matters more. I know to some extent this is comparing apples and oranges and T&F enthusiasts like yourself and 72 Roo will argue you can't compare at all... but think about some of the other Akron's sports that win consistently in the MAC and move onto higher levels of competition and rankings. Swimming & diving for example - would Akron and Peresie have 11 out of 12 titles if they weren't competing in the MAC? Once Peresie's team celebrates the MAC title, jumps in the pool etc. you don't hear much after that about the athletes that move on and qualify for Nationals unless you're a specific fan of that sport. In MBB, the MAC is not even in the Top 20 of Conferences - this year MAC MBB could have been dead last at times Nationally based on the horrendous level of competition. For Akron fans does the weak level of conference competition take away at all from the MBB team result winning the regular season MBB title? Did it matter to the coaches or athletes? Do they add an asterisk by the title based on how bad the competition is? The past 3 of 4 yrs they've made the NCAA Tourny - the MBB equivalent of the 'Nationals' so to speak and lost in the first round, yet Akron fans celebrate Akron and John Groce for what they do in the conference, despite how horrible it is. Seriously, help those of us less informed about T&F understand, what do you have against Coach RG? Is it just the lack of success outside of the MAC, at the Regional and National level? Back in 2022/23 you were ranting about all the wins fueled by mostly leftovers from Coach Mitchell and here we are again with you pointing out that Garretson is a Mitchell holdover. I guess next year we'll see where things stand as you can stop crediting Mitchell holdovers for the team's success. If Akron is at the bottom of the MAC once Mitchell's lone holdover is gone, I promise I will be right there when you ask where I'm at in your post and I'll take the heat. Finally, I am also realistic, Coach Mitchell had a 27-year career as Akron's T&F HC -- phenomenal! This isn't a comparison and shouldn't be of Mitchell vs. Gonzales head to head, but you seem to want Coach RG to boil the ocean in her brief tenure at Akron based on what Mitchell achieved across 27 years at the school. Coach Mitchell is a HOF coach no doubt but it took John Groce time to come behind the footsteps of Coach Dambrot. The reality is many times it's impossible to ever replace a HOFer. I'm just happy to see our Zips student athletes celebrating conference championships as a team! Go Zips!

Where you at @zippy-claws?

FYI, Sept '24 article from Toledo Blade about the Perrysburg HS team and their two senior stars. Too bad we couldn't have gotten them both, but Camille Francis committed to Ohio per TDS. I really hope coach Simonetti is able to overcome her trials and remain in charge for this upcoming season to show what she can accomplish with a clearly upgraded roster. Stability is the most important thing for a growing program. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/high-school/2024/09/04/francis-and-ogdahl-form-power-pair-for-perrysburg-girls-soccer/stories/20240904086

I'd hate to see Markus go, but since he was either not considered for the AD job, or interviewed and didn't land it, I wouldn't blame him. Candace had already left for a better gig at the end of basketball season. I certainly hope we see a move as far as Women's Administrator goes. Someone who takes a full-time job then dedicates herself to getting a law degree on the U's dime is not needed. An administrator who actually shows up at women's events would be refreshing! And I agree with @72 Roo, Camden was the driving force towards some marketing efforts at the end of the basketball season. Meanwhile the marketing department of 2 was "out to lunch".

Uh 'whoda thunk'? I would. How much do you know about Randy Moss - post NFL playing days? Hall of Famer Randy Moss is almost 50 now and has been a well liked ESPN analyst for almost a decade now ... why wouldn't his children have their heads screwed on straight? Not to mention his children also have something called a mother. He had five children with his high school sweetheart. His oldest daughter who he had while still playing at Marshall is going into her third season as the head women's basketball coach at Wilmington College, a small private school right here in Ohio. A friend of mine who lives near Dayton has seen them play and has talked about Randy attending games to see his daughter coach. Great article from the Dayton Daily News which also details his recent battle with cancer: https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/archdeacon-sydney-and-randy-moss-share-daughter-father-bond-like-no-other/EN2HXLZOJFCMFGGIWTWZNYIHA4/ Appears more than one of his 'kids' have their head screwed on straight.

They can use the tables abandoned from the training tables.

https://irontontribune.com/2025/05/07/book-still-kicking-as-he-heads-for-browns-mini-camp/

as far as I know, Jen Simonetti is still being investigated??? Top Drawer soccer is reporting this morning that Akron's women's soccer has signed a 3 star rated forward for the class of 2026 https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-player-profile/emma-ogdahl/pid-172642

Can't think of a worse PR strategy - call more attention to the program's academic ineptitude. Great for the program image and U image.

Craig is an interesting guy. He is from Canada and was a hockey player. He is a lot of fun and the players really like him.

Great context on the current state of the conference vs prior with the 8 teams. Sounds similar to the decline of MAC soccer and the decision to disband all together. Seems like there should be more pressure from MAC schools on the MAC commissioner and leadership as it appears to be in major decline across so many sports. The other thing I think about as we’ve seen this run of success (in the conference) by Akron non-revenue sports (lacrosse, SB, T&F, S&D) is how the state of affairs in the NCAA and the UA enrollment / budget crisis will continue to impact positive momentum and progress. I think the good news is the coaches in place don’t seem like a bunch of whiners and will do what they can with what they have. But I have to imagine Coach Mitchell had a different (not saying easier) opportunity when Akron was at its height of enrollment. I heard or read somewhere there’s been close to a 50% decline since 2014 - staggering. Then you also factor in the cuts made during Covid that have never been reinstated. Different times - sad state of higher ed and college athletics for purists like me.

I'm right here. You can post all the glitzy photos on Instagram you want, but winning the men's MAC T & F title, which is a good thing, isn't as prestigious as you might think. Beating 3 other full-roster teams and a team featuring only distance runners is like winning the NEO Quad meet. I respect the athletes ad their accomplishments, but let's face it, Bismark, Garretson, a few throwers. That's it, and Garretson was a Mitchell holdover. Go on out to the TFFRS page and check out how the UA men's times and marks correspond to national ranking. Bismark is at #7, Garretson is up there. But there is only 4 marks/times in the top 150. Not saying the title isn't an accomplishment, but if you really believe this coach is the way to make T & F the Gold Standard it used to be, with 14 to 20 athletes qualifying for Nationals every season, then you are delusional.

Good for you.

Maybe AD will make a run at keeping him which could be a good thing to keep momentum.

I just texted Camden yesterday. He was on vacation and did not mention leaving his position. If he does I would regret it. He was good at what he did. He also did a lot with the little he was given. As the basketball season wound down we started to see some marketing. Camden directed a lot of it.

Heartily agree with @ZipsVoice These are two coaches I really hope we can hang on to! They operate the Akron way and if given time and some resources I believe they can create some momentum for the Zips in each of these sports.

Go Pacers

Freeman was first off the bench to high five the Pacers as they closed out the Cavs to advance to the ECF. The Cavs and Zips were very similar in the regular season; very fun teams to watch. Then the Cavs decided to mimick the Zips 3P shooting in the Arizona game the entire 2nd round.

He certainly emptied the board room quote bucket. He did mention increasing attendance and community engagement which could certainly help in several ways.

It's similar to Dambrot's, "All that matters is winning the MAC attitude." It's precisely why he never won an NCAAT game here. The standards were too low. If you are consistently competing for the MACC and half the time winning it, the standards have to be higher, and that entails winning a game or two in the NCAAT.

What about the idea that if a player enters the portal in december or april, the team that picks him up will take on the academic stats of that player from the fall semester. that way if a kid knows they are leaving, they still have to maintain academic quality to get picked up by another team.

I was about to renew my long held season tix. After reading all this I have to ponder. First, I am not in any way defending the so called 'rating system' the NCAA uses. It has never really worked before and as many here have pointed out it is probably even more antiquated now. How do you keep track of the movement from program to program. Schools have different academic standards. On and on. I also see here that some are again mentioning dropping down in level of competition. I assume there are rating systems that apply at all levels of scholarship sports? I have no idea what the new administration's attitude is about the football situation other than it doesn't want this situation hanging around its neck for long. Do they fire Moorehead now. Not likely given the calendar. Do they wait to see how the season goes into October/November? Do they seriously consider overhauling a football program that can't seem to gain traction at the end of this year? Can Moorehead et. al remediate the academics enough this year to buy some time. Or, does Moorehead bow out and move on. OR, does the adminsitration seriously consider a drop down to a lower level of competition in football? Now about those season tix?!

Shammah also received his degree Saturday.

Not trying to 'hype' any team. Just saying take a look at what other programs are bringing in, and how these new rosters look. Yes, most of these teams lost a lot through defection, ejection or graduation. Just saying players these teams are bringing in seem to be interesting pieces. Doubtful any of these teams turn out like the Zips of last season - putting it all together to run through the conference - but, based on in-coming talent (?), the bottom of the league should be higher, the middle of the league thicker, and the top of the league about the same.

I think next year is BG's year

That makes you a dummy in my book

One way or the other, the axe of reality is going to fall on most of the G5. The money just isn't there, and even some of the rich programs are sacrificing the Olympic sports to prop up football, which, let's be honest, even at Toledo few really care about it. Front-loading entire athletic departments toward football and basketball while cutting other sports is eventually going to invoke some interpretation of Title IX or spur the advent of new legislation to protect scholarships and opportunities for students who actually go to classes, pass classes, and graduate instead of smoking dope in the elevators of the Exchange Street Residence Hall (Sorry to vent but I had enough of that when I was moving my kid into his dorm room). At this point, as a loyal UA alumnus, I just don't give a damn about football anymore if it's going to be a money-draining, losing embarrassment. Joe must go.

I used to believe Akron could consistently be competitive in football and that was true pre-NIL era. Now our enrollment has shrunk considerably and even programs like EMU are getting 7 figure donations for their collectives. We aren't going to be able to win in a system where our competition is able to pay $100k for a starting OL, but we can only afford to pay $30k (numbers are made up, but inputed to emphasize a point). Unless some massive donors come out of the woodwork, I just don't see how Akron can win, at least to the consistency of someone like a Toledo.

Because there are actual students at Akron who are attending classes and doing assignments in worthwhile majors like; accounting, engineering, finance, computer science, etc. Are you just going to allow anyone playing on a 0-4 win football team get a guaranteed 3.0 in one of those majors when they didn't put forth any effort? Not to mention they will be competing for jobs in those fields with other Akron graduates who put in the time and effort. In fact, even against the TAs who were the ones completing their assignments. Not all majors are a joke and not all players are enrolled in worthless majors. Akron isn't OSU or Alabama. Attending here isn't getting a degree to become an NFL player.

If we were sending 10 players to the NFL annually, like OSU, I might see this argument. Why would we want to devalue our Akron degrees by just handing them to random athletes on a 2-4 win MAC teams who have little to no chance of going pro?

If this was 2014, I get it. But nowadays...how do you even calculate who is credited for a player's graduation after they've been at 4 different schools? We get 40 new kids every season and the NCAA is complaining about them not graduating? Who knew? When Joe signed on, at his press conference he stated "I don't just want kids to get degrees...I want my kids to get meaningful degrees (not just major in eligibility)". That noble goal lasted about 47 minutes, then the portal concept blew up and put the kibosh on any football-academic fantasies. The bulk of today's players are no longer in college for an education. It's a job. Their goal at UA isn't to get a degree, it's to perform good enough to get noticed by a bigger program. Along with the training tables being cut last year, was the academic support staff reduced too?

Malik Henry working!!! 🤩 👏👏👏