Rifle

One-sixteenth of an inch was the difference in Akron’s win at the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference championship in Columbus last weekend.

The Zips held off Morehead State and Grand Valley State for the 33-point victory.

Akron represented seven of the 10 all-conference spots.

Newt Engle is an excellent coach and seems to attract players from across the country. He and his team should be commended.

(Whether rifle is a sport is another question altogether.)

Rifle

Despite my infatuation with the Second Amendment, the rifle team has always scared me a bit.

The one member I knew seemed to be a total nutjob. But I played a game of bowling with another today, and he was normal.

Michael Tokarz is the only male shooter on scholarship. Coach Newt Engle recruited him from Greenbrier East High School in West Virginia. Tokarz said the team should be really good this season after only losing two seniors. The Zips are ranked in the nation’s top-20.

Tokarz said the team would like a new home. Currently, the Zips shoot in Schrank Hall. Their first competition is the Boilermaker Invitational in October.

(For what it’s worth, I beat Tokarz in our only game of bowling.)

Men’s basketball

Akron fell to 15th, while Kent State jumped to seventh in the Mid-Major Top 25. Miami, the only other MAC team to get votes, was 27th.

Rifle

The Zips won the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Championship for the second-straight year. Five of the 10 all-conference first-team shooters were Zips. They are Megan Reinking, Julie DeBrita, Melissa Lussier (x2) and Michael Tokarz. The season will conclude Saturday in Connecticut for the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference championships.

Miscellaneous

Today, the Buchtelite will celebrate one of the best mid-card wrestlers of all time. His name is Terry Taylor. You may know him as the Red Rooster, Terrible Terry Taylor, Terrific Terry Taylor, The Taylor Made Man or Terrance Taylor.

Regardless, Taylor is a wrestling icon of mediocrity.

If you have any memories of Taylor, please post them below. This so-so ring veteran will not be forgotten.

As promised, here (Download Terry_Taylor.pdf) is the flier from Terry Taylor Day in PDF format. He has a special message for Zips fans.

Men’s basketball

When I go to games, I’ve always tried to stay away from the Akron student section. This is mostly because I sometimes write my column about the team for the school paper. It’s more professional that way.

This Saturday will be different. I am moving to the AK-Rowdies for one day only. I’m doing this for two reasons…

1. I’m writing about the AK-Rowdies for my Tuesday column.
2. I want to watch up close as the crowd intimidates OU’s overrated players and player-stealing coaches.

As I’ve said before, I dislike Ohio more than any MAC team. They have all the annoying cockiness of Ohio State with none of the talent or tradition.

Swimming and diving

The Zips started slowly in the MAC Championship at Ocasek Natatorium today. They are in seventh out of eight teams.

Rifle

Akron will compete in the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Championship this weekend. The Zips will need almost a miraculous showing to boost their average into the nation’s top eight. Only eight teams go to the NCAA Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Women’s soccer

Coach Catherine Byrne looks to have really improved her team by signing eight players. I’ll just link you to the press release. The recruits’ credentials show the program is heading in the right direction.

Baseball

Akron (1-1) will play at Morehead State (0-2) for three games this weekend. Honestly, it’s hard for me to care that much this early in the season. Check back once MAC season starts.

Softball

Senior Megan MacKenzie is a good pitcher. She can bring the cheese.

Still, I hope those of you in the front sections realized that my bat was rigged to fail during the halftime show last night.

It had four huge slits along the side that made it about as effective as swinging a rope at the ball.

Still, I’ll send out this challenge to Mike Waddell: I’d be more than willing to take on another female athlete in her sport. It was really fun. Just think, Jessie Crooks vs. Mike Rasor, one on one.

Above is a picture taken by the Buchtelite’s Paul Ferrer. You can click on the thumbnail to enlarge it.

Men’s basketball

Oh yeah, and the Zips beat Bowling Green, 77-62.

• Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce, Nick Dials and Cedrick Middleton each scored in double figures.
• Terry Pluto wrote about why he loves the Zips.
• Akron will play Nevada on Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
• If you want to watch the game, go to Panini’s, across the street from Canal Park.
• I’ll be there, but I don’t want to hear a thing about the softball strikeout.
• In Elton Alexander’s PD story, coach Keith Dambrot says the Zips (19-5, 12-2) should be guaranteed a postseason game if they win 20.

Miscellaneous

Since I looked so ridiculous in that photo, here is one of me speaking with Mack Rhoades. This photo is courtesy of the Buchtelite’s Gary Krueger. Once again, click the thumbnail to enlarge.

Rifle

The Zips shot the best they had all year in Saturday’s NCAA Qualifier. They even won the event, beating Ohio State, Xavier and others. But it probably won’t be enough.

Akron entered the weekend with the 14th highest scores in the nation. Only the top eight teams go to the NCAA Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., on March 10.

Top shooters from the Qualifier include Melissa Lussier, Julie DeBrita and Michael Tokarz, who were each part of coach Newt Engle’s outstanding freshmen class. Those three, along with sophomore April Engle, set a school record in the air rifle event.

Baseball

GoZips.com wrote an extensive team preview. It looks like the Zips had a solid recruiting class, but still are expected to be fourth in the MAC East.

In the coming weeks, the Buchtelite also will have a team preview.

Miscellaneous

Here is the year’s first Rasor’s Edge column. I basically tell students that things are different at Akron now. This is a sports school…

When the 2005-2006 school year began, Akron was just another commuter school with mediocre sports teams.

That era is over.

Since classes ended in December, Akron has gone from a ho-hum mid-major school to the elite team in the Mid-American Conference that is beating larger schools in many sports.

I’m sure you heard about how Akron lost a close game in the Motor City Bowl to Memphis 38-31. Coach J.D. Brookhart and his staff followed that loss with several wins - about 20 of them.

Brookhart is orchestrating another outstanding recruiting class that already includes the best quarterback to enter the MAC in five years, the nation’s No. 5 kicker, the No. 7 center and a stud running back.

Last year’s class was tops in the MAC and superior to some Big 10 teams. This year’s might be even better.

What about basketball? The men are gaining momentum and attention across the country. Many analysts expect Akron to make its first NCAA Tournament since 1986. While you were gone, sophomore guard Nick Dials and freshman small forward Nate Linhart have emerged as major contributors.

The Zips are 8-1 in the MAC and 15-4 overall. That includes a win over Mississippi State and a near win over Clemson in the San Juan Shootout championship game. Akron is tied with Kent State for the conference lead.

Maybe you heard the Zips lost men’s soccer coach Ken Lolla to Louisville. He was a great coach, for sure. However, the athletic department replaced him with the most qualified candidate: Caleb Porter, Indiana’s top assistant and recruiter.

And of course you’ve seen the Field House, at least from the outside. Inside it, Zips pole vaulter John Russell set a mark of 18-01, a conference and school record. It is the highest jump in the nation this season, collegiate or professional. Russell is a favorite to win the national championship this spring.

The women’s track team, ranked No. 19 in the country is good, too.

Face it, you missed a lot. But a lot is still to come.

Earlier, I mentioned last year’s football recruiting class. Most of the stars from that class were redshirted. You’ll see plenty of them during the Blue-Gold Scrimmage this spring. You will also see Nate Robinson, a transfer from Rutgers via Miami. When Robinson came out of high school two years ago, experts unanimously considered him the No. 1 defensive tackle recruit in the nation. His two years of action at Rutgers only confirmed the scouting reports. Robinson could be a phenom. You will see him in blue and gold this spring.

And it was announced Monday, that the men’s basketball team will play at Nevada in its Bracket Buster game on Feb. 18. The game probably will be televised across the nation on one of the ESPN networks. If the Zips win, they will have a good chance of playing in the postseason, even if they don’t win the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.

The Buchtelite will also keep tabs on how new baseball coach Pat Bangtson is faring. In a couple weeks, we’ll talk to new athletic director Mack Rhoades, who is more than worthy to follow Mike Thomas.

Maybe we will see some surprises from the rifle, softball or swimming teams as well. Long story short, the Zips are on fire. Two months ago, ESPN’s Chris Berman said Akron was the hottest program in the country.

It’s only going to get hotter.

Track

Here is a feature on pole vaulter John Russell from the Buchtelite. It also talks about the No. 19 ranked women’s team.

Women’s basketball

Here is a feature on star freshman Niki McCoy from the Buchtelite.

Swimming and diving

Here is a story about how the season is going from the Buchtelite.

Men’s basketball

Students have an opportunity to travel to Athens for free Tuesday afternoon to watch the Zips play the Bobcats. Unfortunately, I have class all afternoon. If someone who attends would like to post comments below, I welcome that.

The athletic department keeps doing these little things that it takes to grow a fan base. I’ve said this before, but it feels more and more like I go to a real university every day. A note to new AD Mack Rhoades, who starts his administration this week: You have some creative, dedicated employees.

• Akron’s new RPI is 66th in the nation, according to CBS Sportsline.com. The Zips will need to be top 50 to have a good shot at an at-large NCAA Tournament berth. Beating Ohio and/or Miami this week should really help.

Football

Rivals.com updated its site to include Zips recruit Derron Smith, a linebacker from Pittsburgh. He is 6-foot-1, 210 and runs a 4.5 40. Pretty impressive. Rivals.com does not rank him. Scout.com gives him two stars.

• If you’re standing up, sit down. These videos will horrify you. A ZipsNation.org poster found these two highlight videos of quarterback Sean Hakes from Texas, who committed to the Zips earlier this winter. The first video shows what he can do on his feet. He looks like a freaking running back. It also shows some of his plays on defense. The second video shows his Michael Vick-like scrambling and passing. How the University of Texas didn’t scoop Hakes is beyond me.

Rifle

In what appeared to be sort of like a split doubleheader, the Zips competed a tournament and match on the same day. They had a strong showing in the first of three weekends of the Palmyra Tournament in Pennsylvania. Then they lost a dual match to the Naval Academy.

Yes, rifle. Akron has a pretty good team. In fact, they nearly qualified for the eight-team national championship last year. Like you saw in the Buchtelite last spring, expect more coverage in the months following up to this year’s tournament on March 11.

Miscellaneous

Only three days until the day you have all been waiting for. No, not the Bubba Walther story being published. Jan. 25 is my 21st birthday. It should be a riot. If you see someone starting arguments with Kent State students in downtown Akron on Wednesday, it’s probably me.

Song of the moment

Journey - Faith in the Heartland (a newer, yet underrated Journey track)