Taking stock

[zipboy]

With softball biting the dust, here's where I see the non revenue sports right now.

Mens Soccer - The marquee program of the MAC. Lolla continues to win big year in and year out. A strength in our program.

Baseball - Zips were not very good Fross's last few years. Does Berenyi get them back at the top? Right now they are where most Zips sports are, 8/9 out of 13, mediocre record, and can't win at the end when it counts. He got them back to this level the last 2 years. He needs to go one notch higher.

Track - I love Dennis Mitchell. Both and men and women's track were horrible when he took over. The women's program is top notch. The men are atleast even with the middle of the pack now and qualify people year in and year out for the NCAA championships. The Glenville connection can only help.

CC - Again, great with the women, men are near the bottom but at least not way at the bottom. Jones has built a solid women's program.

Golf - Is Parker the next guy on the hotseat? Bigzip has brought this up in the past. Underachieving program with top notch facilities now. Time to get respectable!

Tennis - Another bottom feeder. Atleast with Fox we lose 7-2 instead of 9-0. Why do we blow so much in tennis?

Volleyball - Very solid program, one of the cornerstones of the athletic dept. Sweitzer does a nice job. Usually can count on the Zips for a top 4 finish.

Rifle - They seem to win championships, are ranked in the top 20, and beat columbus state's a$$ every year.

Womens bball - The women's marquee program. If anyone had a harder job than Lee did when he took over, it would be would be Coach K was given. The jury is still out, but if she can just get us to mediocrity in 3 more years, that would be a win in itself.

Womens soccer - Too early to tell

Swimming/Diving - Vereb seems to be building something. Improvement every year, already at the middle of the pack, I think they are ready to break through in the next 2 years.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Seems like, with the exceptions of Mens' Soccer and Women's Volleyball...we're mid-to bottom in all MAC standings. If you invest the $$ we've invested in all the new athletic facilities, mid-to-bottom isn't acceptable. Good to see the bar has finally been raised.

[Guest Zips4ever]

I think you have to include the women's track and cross country programs as a credible program. They have put athletes at the NCAA level for the several years and have been near the top of the conference every year. The new facility should put them straight to the top. The women's swimming and diving program continues to rise within the conference as well. Softball played in the championship game two years ago. The only sports that seem to be stuck near the bottom right now-are golf-last, tennis-near bottom, wsoccer(give them time) and wbasketball(turning the corner).

[zipper]

Don[t forget Rifle. While not as well known as some of the other sports, Rifle continues to excel year in and year out.

[Guest zipalong]

WTen has NO practice facility. Their matches in good weather are on Akron City public facilities, and indoor matches at a Stow facility. Where is their locker room, what kind of budget do they have were Fox drives everywhere and has his own photo business to augment his UofA salary.

[Captain Kangaroo]

WTen has NO practice facility. Their matches in good weather are on Akron City public facilities, and indoor matches at a Stow facility. Where is their locker room, what kind of budget do they have were Fox drives everywhere and has his own photo business to augment his UofA salary.

The University had demanded success from it's coaches and teams...as long as it was obtained "on-the cheap"...for years. We've been fighting with bows and arrows while the opponents have had machine guns forever. Tennis...football...track...hell, even at the intramural-level, you name it, facilities were the pits.

The new rec center changes all of that.

We will never really know what the "old" coaches would have been able to acheive given the appropriate training facilities.

Personally, I saw Owens' "suspect" game day decisions and inability to nab a decent DC and I can honestly say 7 wins is the best you would ever get out of him regardless of facilities.

Hipsher's all-too-frequent collapses were also not facility-related.

Would Parks have fared better if she were hired now rather than 1997? Beats me.

Seems to me WTennis is around strictly to fulfill Title 9 requirements?

[Guest zipalong]

I don't think Parks would have faired better with the new facilities. She was lucky for a few years because a number of players she had wanted to stay near home and elected Akron. There was some kind of a problem this year (parents meeting with Asst. AD, etc.) and I think she was allowed to resign rather than be fired. I thought a move had to be made in softball and was disappointed when the MAC tournament was over and there was no announcement from the AD office. There was a loss of player during the season and would have been more if this change was not accomplished.

I am extremely happy MT took a stand with Fball and Bball, and can hardly wait for the Fall season to begin. I sat through and travelled to too many games with the coaching was sub-par and we walked out of the facility wondering how that could have happened!

Regarding Wten, I think it is because of Title 9, but if you field a team, then give them something to play on/with; they're the most underfunded Akron sports team.

But then ALL Zips teams are near the bottom of the MAC in funding, and I hate to point out the Can't is above the Zips in waht they receive for athletics. It's remarkable what the coaches are able to do with the funds they are provided.

Oh, it's been 5 years for Parker, and he has been fully funded by the U and private contributions, time to step up with the new facility and Firestone as a draw.