zippy-claws

Well now! I may be proven wrong, as usual. My negativity about T & F Zips has been showing, but I just saw on live stats the the men hammer throwers went 1-2-3! That’s worth 24 points. Between that, the 1-2 in PC and 1-2 in LJ the field events may have won the meet themselves.

Too bad no one outside downtown Akron gets to watch it Charles. I'm sure all those families of Akron (and every other school) who couldn't make the trip are super excited to watch the live stats page. However, Charles is correct. The performances, at least when you look at the numbers were good, but kind of expected. Garrison won the PV with just taking 1 jump. Artrip fought hard for a second. Sakai and Novakovic 1-2 in LJ. Josiah Cox scored in the shot. Masai in the 10k. The problem is we're under-represented in the running finals Saturday. That's going to be a problem getting enough points to pull off the win. But they are surprising me, nicely. The women? They put a few athletes in the finals and Brynn won the PV. See where the end up in the 12 after tomorrow.

Too bad no one outside downtown Akron gets to watch it Charles. I'm sure all those families of Akron (and every other school) who couldn't make the trip are super excited to watch the live stats page.

So Kent State and Coach Eric Oakley "mutually agree to part ways".... Had a few good seasons, but 2023 was very lackluster.

I totally agree! In talking to some of the baseball families from MAC schools, the past few seasons were tough because after only half the season, most of the teams were not in the running for anything without a tourney. Now they need to earn it, but as you said, one bad game or two doesn't keep them out.

Yes, the MAC went to the 4-team tourney after CoVid for softball and baseball. Too bad too, because the tourney at Firestone Stadium was always so great in a superb setting. Hubby and his friends used to always go to Avon and spend the weekend to watch the baseball tourney, and they loved it. I thought I had heard rumor that baseball was going to go back to 8 teams next year and a neutral site. If so, why not softball? We'll have to see.

I do remember in 2017 and 2018 the meet was televised, or should I say live-streamed on the host school's webpage. They had the stadium PA guy's (who was horrid) feed as the sound. It wasn't great but it was passable, no commercials. I would think with the new track facility and the gorgeous view of the campus from the stadium (Info, Skeeles, First Energy, student center, etc) that the U would use this opportunity to promote the school and facilities. Misses opportunity, IMHO.

Does anybody know if the Outdoor T & F Championship meet at the new track is going to be televised anywhere? I'm going to be back in FLA and wanted to see some of it.

Went to the home season-ending game today. The women battled to the end. What a different a year has made. These players were so competitive this year, but hat's off to Coach Nicholson, and his staff. They developed these athletes into a nice unit, and the attitudes and winning ways were contagious. The team is probably out of playoff contention now, but they were in it until this weekend, and that says a lot compared to past seasons. Way to go Zips. Close things out on the road next weekend and hold your heads high.

So, the MAC Outdoor Championships are 2 weeks away, and Akron is the host school. Our new track will be put to the test. Should be a fun three days. I've been checking the stats after the debacle of the indoor season, and there's some hope for the Zips, not Championship hopes but some positive movement, it seems. I mean it is the MAC after all, with only 5 men's teams and all 12 women's teams. On the women's side, Amya Clarke is #1 currently in the 100 dash and #4 in the 200. Janay Bass should make the qualifying standard in the 400. The Heimlich sisters are #2 and #10 in the 800 currently. We'll have zero runners in the 1500 or the 5k, but probably Danielle Honaker (8th) in the 10k. Adaeze Nwokike is #6 and #3 in the 100 hurdles/400 hurdles, and Jade Celestine should qualify for both as well. We'll have zero High Jumpers, Long Jumpers or Triple Jumpers (not good!). A couple of Mitchell's PV holdovers, Rylchick and Allen will make it, as Brinn is #1 right now. Gabby Griffiths might make the shot field, probably the hammer and Laurel Bristow, another 5th year performer is #1 in the Javelin. Not a single woman in the Heptathlon, which is interesting because the new head coach was a multi athlete. The women may place in the top 6 IMHO. On the Men's side, Quentin Woodall is currently #7 in the 100 and our best Long Jumper is #14 - sad we'd have to use him here. Charles Sanders and Woodall should both make the 200 field, with Sanders now #5. Sanders is also #2 in the 400 and Jimmy Harkelroad #5 and #1 in the 400 hurdles. Marc Carrera is #6 in the 800 and should make the field. Then there's Brian Masai, who's #12 in the 1500, but #1 in the 5000 and 10k. We have zero high hurdlers! Our 4x100 relay team is ranked 5th of 5, our 4x400 2nd. The new weight coach has done a great job and we've got 3 of the top 8 in shot with Graham Lane #2, 3 of the top 6 in Discus with Owen Wendell #2 and William Gross #2 in the hammer. #1 and #2 vaulters in Hunter Garrison and Oscar Prieto, the #1 high Jumper in Nuh Andu and Avalon Harper at #5 and Haruki Sakai (#2) and Dimiti Novakovic (#3) in the Long jump. Both in the triple jump too. And zero Decathletes, once again from a multi event coach. I'm thinking the guys could get a 3rd out of 5, with Eastern and Kent going 1-2. Our field events could get us enough for 2nd. Anyway, shouldn't be an embarrassment. I'm sure the staff is working hard to put a good event together for the MAC and I'm assuming TV of some sort.

Abby - great kid, but if she couldn't crack the rotating eight in this year's team, she wasn't going to in next year's. Sorry to see her go, but it's best for her and us too.

I know I'm an old-timer, but if you want to increase home attendance, stop televising every home game on ESPN+. For just $5 month, you create an easy way NOT to attend for the casual fan. Don't want to go out in the cold? Don't want to take out a loan for the concession stand purchases? Don't want to pay for parking? Don't want to buy a ticket? ESPN+ is your ticket. Don't get me wrong, I love to be able to watch my Zips' sports from my family room, and I know that we'd be hurting Athletics by not having TV contracts, but I've fallen prey to the above reasons NOT to go and watch at home....

I always respect the regular posters opinions on coaches, and just want your opinion as to this - is there a point, whether it’s service, program wins, where an assistant is a good choice for HC? This isn’t coming out right, but after x years at a big school program who had a winning culture coach Y is ready, in your opinions?

I believe I heard earlier in the season that there were some close ties between the CSU staff and Akron’s? If that is the case, maybe a little sour taste there as to Lisa’s non-renewal?

Why wait until the Canal Park games? Come out to Skeeles now for free. Lots of good opportunities…

Great job by Atkins in a complete game win. 3-2 in the MAC going into Sunday game 3!

All of a sudden my browser window for ZNO is huge! It fills the screen and I can read everything, but it's like looking at a pre-K reading book, the letters and words are so big. Did I do something wrong? Can someone tell me how to go back to the view I had before, nice and compact on the screen?

Faith may have been strong on the inside in HS playing for a OHSAA D2 school, and at 6' 2" who wouldn't? But this season, she was called on to spell Bass when she was in need of a break or, as far too often, she was in foul trouble, and didn't fair as well against the large bodies under the basket in the MAC. She did shoot the 3, but not that much more than Bass or Ferrell did. Not knocking Faith, as a freshman she worked hard, but I didn't see a competitive post player, not that she couldn't have developed into one.

I was thinking that was what @2Ball was alluding to... May not be a bad choice, who knows? Alum back as a head coach, successful programs....

This is a great point kreed, that is true.

The one thing that is "heartwarming" in all this thread is that there is a passion for women's basketball here, and our fan base will support a promising and winning program. Plus the posts rhetoric has been civil and thoughtful, and not degraded to the "troll" level several threads on other topics on this board tend to do. I can't remember a time in the past few years where there even WAS a women's basketball thread! It's wonderful to see the interest, especially from some of the board's more prolific and knowledgeable posters. Looking forward to what the future holds for the Zips WBB team and also for the coaches that are leaving.

Not to go all conspiracy theorist on this, but, could something from the Athletic Department been "leaked" to George to deflect from all the bad PR it got by "not renewing" MJ?

So, we're looking at going to the game vs. Eastern Michigan this Saturday, as we know parents of an EMU player. Is Saturday double-headers like last season? GoZips.com doesn't say. And does it cost to sit in the bleachers vs. bring your own chairs?

I haven't seen a thing regarding the Women's team having any signings on NIL signing day. Did I miss something? I'd expect to see the coach's first class publicized, based on the shape of the program she inherited.

Okay, I'm a little sensitive to this, but in the last week GoZips.com has posted two pictures of our women athletes that to me are a little off color. A softball player and a track athlete, both with their hands positioned on either side of their, well, breasts, like their showing them off. I think the intent was to highlight the Zip logo on their jerseys but I haven't seen a male athlete posed that way yet. It's just a little weird!