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Wagon Wheel Challenge


Aaron

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Akron has won the Wagon Wheel Challenge again this year, as they have every year since dropping baseball.  After eight years of the 'all sports' challenge, Kent won the first four, and Akron has won the most recent four.  Has this promotion now run its course?  In every year except 2013-2014, the team that  won the football game won the all sports challenge.  Most of the sports are not competitive at all, with one school winning 7 or 8 of the last eight years.  

 

Kent domination : Baseball (before 2015-16), Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Softball

Akron domination : Men's Cross-Country, Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field

 

It was a nice idea to get other sports involved in the wagon wheel rivalry, but ultimately it comes down to the football game anyways.  If Akron had not dropped baseball (and you assume a Kent win in every season), the two schools would have been tied the past four years, with Kent retaining possession of the challenge trophy.  

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6 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

I don't see the harm in keeping it.

Neither do I.  Honestly, shhh, don't tell any of the non-football athletes, but I don't think anyone pays attention to it anyway.  Frankly, I don't think most people even really understand what it is.

 

Everyone, rightly, associates the "real" Wagon Wheel with the football game.

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1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

Neither do I.  Honestly, shhh, don't tell any of the non-football athletes, but I don't think anyone pays attention to it anyway.  Frankly, I don't think most people even really understand what it is.

 

Everyone, rightly, associates the "real" Wagon Wheel with the football game.

 

I feel it was done in an effort to draw more interest to the non-revenue sports. It was a good idea, but really hasn't achieved what it was set out to do. Most fans still really only get excited about the football and men's basketball match-ups (particularly when they meet in Cleveland), which is no different than before.

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I've always wondered how they promote this for other sports other than football and build spirit on campus and in the department. Just having a website to look at the standings doesn't do it. Are there prominent standings boards in the athletic department and student center? Do the teams get to change the tally at an event or shortly after? I always thought the biggest accomplishment was getting PNC to sponsor it when there was like one PNC branch anywhere near KSU in Stow.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 9:49 AM, Aaron said:

Akron has won the Wagon Wheel Challenge again this year, as they have every year since dropping baseball.  After eight years of the 'all sports' challenge, Kent won the first four, and Akron has won the most recent four.  Has this promotion now run its course?  In every year except 2013-2014, the team that  won the football game won the all sports challenge.  Most of the sports are not competitive at all, with one school winning 7 or 8 of the last eight years.  

 

Kent domination : Baseball (before 2015-16), Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Softball

Akron domination : Men's Cross-Country, Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field

 

It was a nice idea to get other sports involved in the wagon wheel rivalry, but ultimately it comes down to the football game anyways.  If Akron had not dropped baseball (and you assume a Kent win in every season), the two schools would have been tied the past four years, with Kent retaining possession of the challenge trophy.  

 

... and if the school in Portage County would just add men's soccer we would be right back where we are now

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On 5/17/2019 at 5:12 PM, ewbrooman1 said:

I've always wondered how they promote this for other sports other than football and build spirit on campus and in the department. Just having a website to look at the standings doesn't do it. Are there prominent standings boards in the athletic department and student center? Do the teams get to change the tally at an event or shortly after? I always thought the biggest accomplishment was getting PNC to sponsor it when there was like one PNC branch anywhere near KSU in Stow.

Now it’s the Crystal Clinic WWC.  Weird to see the big banner on Infocision when inside is Summa Field ?

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  • 8 months later...

With both the men and Women indoor track teams finishing higher than Kent, the Zips have retaken the lead in the Wagon Wheel Challenge, however with two sports that are new (or new again) this year in sports that Kent tends to be very good at in women's lacrosse and baseball, we should demand Kent add men's soccer and women's swimming and diving to even the odds again. ?

 

It's currently 4.5 - 4 with the following sports to go:

 

March 6 Men's Basketball

March 25 Women’s Lacrosse

March 28 Softball 

April 1 Baseball

April 24-26 Women's Golf MAC Championship 

April 28 Baseball

May 1-3 Men's Golf MAC Championship

May 14-16 Men's Outdoor Track and Field MAC Championship 

May 14-16 Women's Outdoor Track and Field MAC Championship 

 

With Kent likely taking golf, baseball and women's lacrosse, and the Zips taking T&F, Zips need to win the next basketball game, and softball just for a tie. If its a tie it stays with the current school which is Akron.

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Akron's least successful sports programs are in Men's and Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Softball, Baseball and Women's Volleyball.  Any of those on the chopping block?  I don't know that we can cut any women's programs due to title IX, Baseball isn't really funded by the University anymore, so maybe you would cut Golf?

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, MDZip said:

Yep, the men's basketball win clinched it. There's a hollow victory.

Not really. We can only play the games scheduled. 

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  • 2 years later...

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