2015-16 Zips Athletics Annual Report

Z I P S

A T H L E T I C S

ANNUALCADREPORT EMIC YEAR 2015-16 A

2015-16 ZIPS ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT

AT H L E T I C D I R E C T O R ’ S W E L C O M E What an outstanding year for Zips’ Athletics!

Individually and collectively, the 2015-16 academic year was among the best-ever for our student-athletes at The University of Akron.

From winning our second Reese Trophy as the top men’s athletics program in the MidAmerican Conference and a Top 25 ranking in the Capital One Cup, to another College Cup appearance (and a breadth away from a National Championship) by our men’s soccer team together with a first bowl victory by our football team, to Clayton Murphy capturing two NCAA national championships in track, we experienced competitive success at the highest level.

Academically, our student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom with an overall gradepoint average (GPA) of 3.07. More than 200 of our student-athletes made the Dean’s List with a 3.5 (or above) GPA with 39 student-athletes earning Presidential recognition with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Zips captured 136 Academic All-MAC honors with 60 of those earning Distinguished Scholar-Athlete accolades.

Throughout these pages, you will read about all of the Zips’ achievements, as well as the conference titles in Men’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Indoor Track & Field, and Men’s Outdoor Track & Field.

Additionally, this summer three Zips will compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. We would like to thank our loyal fans for your continued support, especially in the stands. We look forward to seeing you at our events again next year; be proud and bring your friends!

Welcome Letter........................................... 2

Rifle............................................................ 20

Zips’ Athletics.............................................. 4

Men’s Soccer............................................. 22

Men’s Basketball.......................................... 6

Women’s Soccer........................................ 24

Women’s Basketball..................................... 8

Softball...................................................... 26

Men’s Cross Country.................................. 10

Women’s Swimming & Diving................... 28

Women’s Cross Country............................ 12

Women’s Tennis......................................... 30

Football..................................................... 14

Men’s Track & Field.................................... 32

Men’s Golf................................................. 16

Women’s Track & Field.............................. 34

Women’s Golf............................................ 18

Women’s Volleyball.................................... 36

Larry Williams Director of Athletics

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2015-16 ZIPS ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT

WON THE 2015-16 REESE TROPHY AS THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE’S TOP MEN’S ATHLETICS PROGRAM uu MAC Champions

MEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S SOCCER WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD 27 INDIVIDUALS: Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Swimming (7), Men’s Indoor Track (5), Men’s Outdoor Track (6), Women’s Indoor Track (7)

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2 NCAA Champions CLAYTON MURPHY

(800 meters indoor, 1500 meters outdoor) uu

18 All-Americans

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79 All-MAC

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135 Academic All-Conference (124 MAC, 11 Rifle)

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60 Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu Finished 21ST in the Capital One Cup men’s standings uu Finished 71ST in the Learfield Cup standings overall

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5 MAC Coaches of the Year

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3 Olympians SHAWN BARBER (pole vault) CLAYTON MURPHY (800 meters) ANNIKA ROLOFF (pole vault) FO LLO W Z I P S AT H L E T I C S ON S OCI AL ME DIA:

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26-9 OVERALL • 13-5 MAC

uu Participated in the NIT (sixth appearance in NIT; 12TH postseason appearance overall, including 8 OF LAST 9 years) uu MAC regular-season CHAMPION uu MAC East CHAMPION uu

NO. 1 SEED | Advanced to MAC Tournament

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26 wins tied the most in school history

championship game

uu Received highest (28) NCAA RPI ranking uu Set school records in 3-pointers made in a season (409) and 3-pointers made in a game (20) uu

4 All-MAC honorees

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2 Academic All-MAC honorees

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2 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu MAC Coach of the Year

KEITH DAMBROT

uu MAC Sixth Man of the Year

ISAIAH JOHNSON

uu MAC Freshman of the Year

JOSH WILLIAMS

uu NABC First-team All-District Team

ISAIAH JOHNSON

uu NABC District 14 Coach of the Year

KEITH DAMBROT

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19-14 OVERALL • 11-7 MAC

uu Participated in the WNIT (sixth postseason appearance overall; fourth consecutive) uu Won 19 games for a fourth consecutive season (a first in program history)

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2 All-MAC honorees

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4 Academic All-MAC honorees

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1 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

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uu Participated in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional uu Finished SECOND at the MAC Championships uu

WON the Virginia Tech Alumni Invite

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2 All-MAC honorees

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6 Academic All-MAC honorees

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3 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu USTFCCCA All-Academic Team uu USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans

KYLE COCHRUN CLAYTON MURPHY

uu MAC Freshman of the Year

JOE ROSETTI

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uu Participated in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional uu Finished 11TH at the MAC Championships uu

4 Academic All-MAC honorees

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3 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu USTFCCCA All-Academic Team

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8-5 OVERALL • 5-3 MAC 2015 FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL CHAMPIONS uu Finished SECOND in MAC East uu First winning season since 2005 uu

FIRST BOWL WIN in FBS history (since 1987)

uu Second bowl appearance in school history uu Bowl exposure was worth more than $13 MILLION to the University [Joyce Julius Bowl Valuations] uu Bowl MVP

PK ROBERT STEIN

uu MAC Defensive Player of the Year

LB JATAVIS BROWN

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5 All-MAC honorees

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10 Academic All-MAC honorees

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5 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

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uu Finished FIFTH at the MAC Championship uu Finished 2nd at the Firestone Invitational uu

1 All-MAC honoree

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3 Academic All-MAC honorees

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2 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu MAC Individual champion

GEORGE BAYLIS

uu NCAA participant

GEORGE BAYLIS (finished 43rd at NCAA Regional)

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uu Finished SIXTH at the MAC Championship uu

WON the Roseann Schwartz Invitational

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1 All-MAC honorees

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3 Academic All-MAC honorees

uu MAC Individual champion

DANIELLE NICHOLSON

uu MAC Freshman of the Year

DANIELLE NICHOLSON

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HOSTED THE 2016 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS, A FIRST FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON (ANY SPORT)

uu Finished SEVENTH at the Great America Rifle Conference championships uu

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11 Scholastic All-Americans

(by Collegiate Rifle Golf Coaches Association)

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18-3-3 OVERALL • 4-0-1 MAC uu 2015 NCAA COLLEGE CUP appearance (fourth appearance in school history)

uu

30TH NCAA Tournament appearance (15th consecutive)

uu MAC regular-season CHAMPION (18th overall, 11th consecutive) uu MAC tournament CHAMPION (12th in school history; fourth consecutive) uu Scholar All-American

MF ADAM NAJEM

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2 All-Americans MF ADAM NAJEM MF RICHIE LARYEA

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8 All-MAC honorees

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13 Academic All-MAC honorees

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8 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

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6-13-2 OVERALL • 3-8 MAC uu ADVANCED to the MAC Tournament

BEGAN IN 2001

(fourth overall, first since 2011)

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TIED and ADVANCED

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ADVANCED to MAC semifinals (first appearance)

in a MAC tournament game (first time in program history)

uu Best start to a season (3-0-1 since 2011) uu

2 All-MAC honorees

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8 Academic All-MAC honorees

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2 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

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2 MAC All-Tournament Team

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30-25-1 OVERALL • 11-10-1 MAC uu Advanced to the MAC Tournament (11th appearance, third consecutive) uu

MOST WINS since 2009

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3 All-MAC honorees

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4 Academic All-MAC honorees

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2 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu MAC Nan Harvey Award

P ERIN SEILER

uu MAC All-Tournament Team

SAVANNAH FRUIN GABRIELLE FREDERICKS

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BEGAN IN 1999 uu

WON the 2016 MAC Championship

(third overall, third consecutive, a program first)

uu Individual participants in the NCAA Championship (first in program history)

7 All-MAC honorees uu 15 Academic All-MAC honorees uu 5 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes uu

uu MAC Coach of the Year

BRIAN PERESIE

uu MAC Diving Coach of the Year

CHRIS MEDVEDEFF

uu MAC Most Outstanding Senior Swimmer

HANNAH RASPOPOVICH

uu MAC Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Year

MADISON MYERS

uu MAC Freshman of the Year

MADISON MYERS

uu MAC Freshman Diver of the Year

KARLY CRAIL uu 7 individual MAC champions (individual and relay)

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15-9 OVERALL • 5-3 MAC

uu Participated in the MAC Championship (sixth appearance, first since 2013)

2 All-MAC honorees uu 4 Academic All-MAC honorees uu uu

3 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu MAC Player of the Year

ARIADNA BLINOVA

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INDOOR uu WON THE 2016 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP

OUTDOOR uu WON THE 2016 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP

uu NCAA champion

uu NCAA champion

CLAYTON MURPHY (800 meters,

first national champ in a running event in school history)

2 All-Americans CLAYTON MURPHY ALEX MCCUNE uu 10 All-MAC honorees (MURPHY 4X, SLONE 2X) uu 8 Academic All-MAC honorees uu 4 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes uu

uu MAC Coach of the Year

DENNIS MITCHELL uu 5 individual MAC champions uu MAC Most Outstanding Track Performer

CLAYTON MURPHY

CLAYTON MURPHY (1500 meters) uu 8 All-Americans CLAYTON MURPHY ALEX MCCUNE PHIL JAGERS TERRELL MCCLAIN, JOE ODUHO CURTIS RICHARDSON MATT ROWLAND CODY STINE uu 16 All-MAC honorees (MURPHY 3X) uu 9 Academic All-MAC honorees 4 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes uu 6 MAC champions (5 INDIVIDUAL (MURPHY 2X), 1 RELAY) uu

uu MAC Coach of the Year

DENNIS MITCHELL

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INDOOR uu Finished SECOND at the 2016 MAC

OUTDOOR uu Finished SECOND at the 2016 MAC

uu All-Americans

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Championship

CLAUDIA GARCIA JOU ALEXIS COOKS JACKIE SIEFRING uu 8 All-MAC honorees (COOKS 2X) uu 12 Academic All-MAC honorees uu 7 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes uu 7 individual MAC champions uu MAC Most Outstanding Track Performer

JACKIE SIEFRING

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Championship

3 All-Americans CLAUDIA GARCIA JOU CAROLINE HASSE JACKIE SIEFRING uu 1 Academic All-American CLAUDIA GARCIA JOU uu 8 All-MAC honorees uu 11 Academic All-MAC honorees uu

5 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes

uu MAC Most Valuable Performer

JACKIE SIEFRING

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8-21 OVERALL • 2-14 MAC

uu Set school record for aces in a match (18 vs. Morehead State, 9/18/15)

8 Academic All-MAC honorees uu 4 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes uu

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by calling 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting: The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 (at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) Business hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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