Swimming and diving

Freshman Katelyn Lofland just keeps winning events.

Four of her teammates also took first, allowing the Zips to win a quad meet at Ocasek Natatorium. The victims included Oakland, Duquesne and Clarion.

Cross country

The Zips had a mediocre outing at the Great Lakes Regional meet this weekend.

The men finished 16th of 31 teams. The women came in 18th.

It does not appear an individual or the team qualified for the NCAA Tournament, which would end the season.

The Zips ran well at the Falcon Invitational, where both men and women took first. Without Beata Rudzinska, a senior last season, the women were unable to repeat as MAC Champions.

Volleyball

With a 3-0 defeat at Western Michigan Saturday, Akron's regular season is over.

The Zips (7-23, 1-15 MAC) will enter the MAC Tournament as the No. 12 seed, where, ironically, they will meet the No. 5 Broncos (18-12, 8-8) Tuesday night.

This season has had some high points, such as two wins over West Virginia and a home victory against Kent State. The trio of freshmen also played well.

I like how the MAC volleyball tournament gives a berth to each team. It means the season really is never over. We'll see if coach Mike Sweitzer can pull off an upset on Tuesday.

Swimming and diving

Mack Rhoades announced Nattaya Klim as the university's new swimming and diving coach.

She comes from Penn State, where she was an assistant and recruiting coordinator.

A few swimmers have told me that former coach Brian Vereb left the program after his wife took a job in a different area.

Baseball

Akron lost its 10th straight game today at Pittsburgh, 10-6.

The Zips have now lost 25 of 27 games after starting the season 5-1.

Buchtelite baseball reporter Adam Ferrise writes that pitching and defense have left the team wanting.

Softball

Akron lost 9-0 to Penn State on Wednesday.

The Zips' bats have gone cold the past few games, knocking only six hits over a 20-inning drought.

Volleyball

Here is a Plain Dealer blurb about a recruit from Walsh Jesuit, Megan Rodriguez.

This also marks my first-ever entry on volleyball.

Track

Here is another PD blurb about a future Akron athlete.

Carrie Kayes won the state championship for Division I pole vault last year. I'm sure coach Dennis Mitchell's expertise in the pole vault played a part in bringing her to Akron.

Men's basketball

The time has come. Last year, Akron lost to Western Michigan in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.

This year should be different. I have 26 reasons why. However, you will have to pick up a copy of the Buchtelite to see that list. I forgot to e-mail myself the PDF, and it's not on the Buchtelite's Web site.

• Mike Hixenbaugh's MAC preview is. He gives outlooks for each team.
• He also spoke with coach Keith Dambrot, who said Akron is further along offensively and defensively this year.
• Do you remember how I said the Zips have a cakewalk to the finals, at least when compared to Kent State's path? Coach Dambrot wishes to differ. After reading that on my blog, he told Hixenbaugh that I should never write that. I guess I should be glad Dambrot isn't overlooking any team in the tournament.
• Those crazy Outsiders also debated whether next year's team will be better than this year's.
• My favorite sports journalist, Terry Pluto, wrote an interesting feature about Dambrot. It talks about the coach's past and future.
• Here is Tom Gaffney's overview of the four quarterfinals games for today.
• Here is Gaffney's Akron-Western Michigan preview.
• The MAC announced its player and coach of the year. I am disappointed to report that Kent State's Jim Christian won the coach award. Kent State guard DeAndre Haynes won the player award. Just blame the liberal media; MAC team writers voted on the winners.
• As expected, Romeo Travis earned All-MAC First Team honors. Dru Joyce won honorable mention (he deserved at least second team).
• The Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander wrote that the MAC semifinal games likely will be on TV, but probably on satellite or cable.
• ESPN.com's Kyle Whelliston previewed the tournament. He says it will come down to Kent State and Akron. Surprise! However, he does drop a "Fear the Roo" on Kent State.
• Dan Whitmyer of VanDelaySports.com previewed the game. He says Akron needs to stay out of foul trouble and have good ball movement. I couldn't agree more.
• Here is the preview from the Detroit Free Press.
• Here is the preview from GoZips.com.
• Danny Sheridan of USA Today says Akron is an 11-point favorite.
• Other oddsmakers say the spread is either 10 or 11.

Track

Hixenbaugh also wrote about Natalie Sako, John Russell and Tomasz Smialek, who are going to the NCAA Championships this weekend.

It's too bad that the basketball tournament is the same weekend as this event.

Swimming and diving

Lastly, the Buchtelite's Andrew Adam wrote about two divers, Melissa Holbach and Katie Carter, who will compete in the NCAA Zone Diving Meet this weekend.

Track

Akron has three athletes going to the NCAA Championships in Arkansas this weekend. They are each experienced in the national competition, so they won't be peeing down their legs, like I certainly would be if I had a chance to be a national champion. They are…

• Tomasz Smialek - senior high jumper. He is ranked ninth in the nation.
• John Russell - senior pole vaulter. He has the nation's fourth-highest jump this year.
• Natalie Sako - junior high jumper. She is also ninth in the nation.

Unfortunately, Jennie Castle and Beata Rudzinska will not qualify. They are elite athletes who were expected to make it to nationals.

As far as the team aspect goes, Akron's women have a chance to do something that has never been done in the MAC — win the triple crown. To do that, a team must win the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track championships in one school year. Akron is two-thirds of the way there. The women will begin outdoor competition at the end of March in North Carolina.

Swimming and diving

After speaking with one of the players, I have heard that coach Brian Vereb resigned because his wife got a good job in another area. From what I hear, a replacement probably is not already on the staff. Good luck hunting, Mack.

Baseball

Akron has split so far against Eastern Kentucky this weekend. The Zips are now 5-2, having played series against Arkansas State and Morehead State. The Zips play again this afternoon against Eastern Kentucky before heading to Knoxville, Tenn. to play a two-game series against the nation's ninth-best team, Tennessee.

First baseman Kurt Davidson continues to mash. He has five homeruns this season. Meanwhile, Ross Liersemann leads the team with a 1.88 ERA.

Softball

Akron moved to 5-4 after splitting two nonconference games at the Red and Black Classic this weekend. Today, the Zips will play Louisville, which is ranked No. 21 nationally.

Megan MacKenzie threw a shut out to beat Wright State, further proving she can strike out more than a college student with a flimsy bat. In the next game, Akron lost to Western Kentucky.

Tennis

Akron won its home opener Friday against California (Pa.), 6-1. The Zips are a young team and will hit the road for five-straight matches away from LaTuchie Tennis Center in Stow.

Friday's singles winners include Kerry Langworthy, Amy Sherlock, Jenna Larson, Alyssa Carlson and Jennifer Ales.

Men's basketball

Keith Dambrot received the first of several honors he is sure to get in the next few months. MACReportOnline.com named Dambrot its MAC Coach of the Year. For these awards, it will come down to Dambrot or Kent State's Jim Christian.

Other MACReportOnline.com awards include…

• Player of the Year - Joe Reitz, center from Western Michigan
• Freshman of the Year - Carlos Medlock, guard from Eastern Michigan
• Sixth Man of the Year - Kevin Warzynski, forward from Kent State
• Defensive Player of the Year - Nathan Peavy, forward from Miami

Men's basketball

Here is the Rasor's Edge where I talk about a new offensive look from Keith Dambrot's Zips…

Three weeks ago, I was worried. The men's basketball team was in serious trouble.

Forget that the team was 15-5. The Zips offense looked like five guys who had never played together. The team lacked an offensive leader, so the Zips would make a few passes around the perimeter, then brick a 3-point shot.

And once the Zips gained a lead through its stingy defense, a lousy offense would disintegrate the margin quickly. Leads of 21, 20, 19 and nine disappeared in just minutes. The Zips still won two of those games after blowing the big leads. So the media attention continued to be positive.

The team was getting hype that it hadn't since the late '80s. It was the formula that I believed would disappoint the Akron community when the Zips performed poorly in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

That was before the Zips' 76-61 win against Ohio on Saturday. If you tuned in to ESPN2 or went to the game Saturday, you would have noticed a totally different team during Akron's win.

All of a sudden, the Zips played like the San Antonio Spurs. Sometimes they increased the tempo to catch the Bobcats off guard. When they went to a half-court offense, coach Keith Dambrot designed sharp plays that put players in position for a short jump shot or a layup. Through their offensive creativity, the Zips confidently built on their lead in the second half against Ohio.

Earlier in the season, that lead might have disappeared.

On Saturday, Romeo Travis and Rob Preston played as solid as any big-man combination in the MAC. Nick Dials, Dru Joyce, Nate Linhart and Cedrick Middleton played with poise and selflessness. Thanks to smart passes and good ball distribution, five Zips scored in double figures.

And they continued to play the same strong defense that won games the first half of the season.

The Ohio game proved that the Zips have learned to keep a lead the right way - with crisp screens, cuts and passes.

Actually, Akron started playing smarter in its loss at Miami Wednesday, despite a three-point loss. In that game, the Zips couldn't keep up with the RedHawks' red-hot shooting. Miami made 53.3 percent of its 3-point attempts. When a team shoots that well in its own building, the result is usually a blowout.

Dambrot seems to strive to minimize a game's variables, which will lead to consistency. For example, Dambrot wants the Zips to excel mainly on defense because he knows the offense will be stagnant on some nights. A defensive-minded team will stay competitive even if the shots are errant.

Also, by getting players to play in a more fluid offense, Dambrot is minimizing the effect of a poor shooting night. This planning should make Dambrot a lock to win the MAC Coach of the Year Award.

Thanks to him, the Zips are ready for the MAC Tournament. Akron still has two difficult games before playing at Quicken Loans Arena - at Buffalo tomorrow and at home against Kent State Saturday.

In all likelihood, the Zips will be the MAC's No. 3 seed. The probable seeding would give the Zips minimal competition until the tournament championship against Kent State.

If Akron can continue to run a fluid offense and confidently control leads against Buffalo and Kent State this week, the Zips should be everyone's favorite to be the MAC's representative in the NCAA Tournament.

They are already mine.

• Here is Elton Alexander's MAC Insider. He talks about how cocky Ohio is. They keep saying it's OK to lose as long as we're still in the MAC Tournament. Nice winning attitude. I expected better from Tim O'Shea.
• In that article, Alexander also presents the possible MAC Player of the Year candidates. They are Akron's Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce, Kent State's Jay Youngblood and DeAndre Haynes and William Hatcher from Miami. At this point, my gut tells me Haynes is leading that race.
• Also, here is a feature by Michael Beaven about Middleton.
• And here is Beaven's story about the Zips' 20th win. As you can see, Kiel Fleming did a cool collage with photos by Paul Ferrer inside the number 20 for the design.

Swimming and diving

Danielle Beland is the Buchtelite's Zips Athlete of the Week for winning the MAC Championship in the 100 and 200 butterfly. These Athlete of the Week interviews are usually pretty interesting. Mike Hixenbaugh does them well. If only he would update his blog…

Miscellaneous

Tom Gaffney wrote a great feature on Mack Rhoades. It really gives you a grip on how big of a rising superstar Rhoades is said to be.

Baseball

Sophomore slugger Kurt Davidson won MAC Player of the Week for the second-straight week. Last week, he was 5-for-12 with three homeruns and eight RBIs. Pat Bangston's Zips are 4-1.

Football

As reported a couple days ago, the Zips defensive line coach Terrell Williams is leaving Akron to do the same job at Purdue. Coach J.D. Brookhart credits Williams for helping to resurrect the defense the past two seasons.

Swimming and diving

Katie Carter joined Danielle Beland as a MAC Champion this weekend. Carter won the 3-meter dive. Megan Walters, along with Beland and Carter, was named to the All-MAC First Team. Sixteen athletes were given that honor. Melissa Young was Akron's only Second Teamer.

Miscellaneous

I was a little surprised not to see the Zips or Flashes games on the front page of the Beacon's sports page today. Both were important games, important enough that one was nationally televised and the other went out to the whole region. In my humble opinion, that is a bad choice.

Still, I think fans have little to complain about. Tom Gaffney has been the best Zips beat reporter I can remember. Also, the games have been featured more prominently than ever before this season.

Men's basketball

Akron beat Ohio today, 76-61. With the win, the Zips grabbed their 20th game and clinched a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. The contest was a little closer than the final score, but the game never really was in doubt.

Romeo Travis, Nick Dials, Dru Joyce, Rob Preston and Cedrick Middleton each scored more than 10. However, Nate Linhart's dunk in transition late in the second half was the play of the game.

Travis' 12 rebounds make him my player of the game. For the first time this year, it appeared Akron had a go-to player in the post. Middleton also played at a level I haven't seen from him this season.

Leon Williams (14 points, seven rebounds) and Mychal Green (18 points, three steals) played solid for the Bobcats.

Tom Gaffney's game story includes quotes about what the first-round bye means to the team.

I sat in the AK-Rowdies. I must say I was impressed. It definitely is the best place to watch a game if you are a student.

As anyone at the game will tell you, OU's fans are awful. At halftime, a bunch of female students leaned over the student section to let us know Akron sucks. Mind you, the Zips led by nine at this point. It doesn't matter to OU fans. They act like Ohio State fans, but they are missing the victories.

Swimming and diving

Danielle Beland won the 100 butterfly event yesterday. As a team, Akron finished seventh out of eight teams. The finals are tonight.

Track

As announced during the basketball game, the women's team won another MAC Championship today. Beata Rudzinska was the Zips only individual champion, winning the 800 meter event.

The men placed fourth out of six teams. A.J. Oyer, Tomasz Smialek and John Russell each won their individual events.

Coach Dennis Mitchell won Coach of the Year honors for the second-straight year. Mitchell is one of the university's best coaches, and I'm not just saying that because he reads this blog.

In fact, here are my coaching power rankings…

1. J.D. Brookhart - Football
2. Keith Dambrot - Men's basketball
3. Dennis Mitchell - Track
4. Newt Engle - Rifle
5. Scott Jones - Cross country

In case that dirty 50-year-old Ohio fan is paying attention, Ohio's women and men each placed last at the MAC Tournament. Nice work, Bobcats.

Miscellaneous

I'd appreciate it if you guys could keep your comments clean. I love seeing your input. But please use "f—" if you absolutely must drop an f-bomb.

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.

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

Not that coach Keith Dambrot cares or reads this blog, but here are my suggestions for playing time the rest of the season.

I really liked the three-guard rotation of Nick Dials, Cedrick MIddleton and Dru Joyce last night. Middleton is great for a sparkplug, offensively and defensively. Joyce is terrific at setting up the offense. Dials can provide instant offense as well. I'd like to see those three rotate at the 1 and 2 positions the rest of the year. Until he's healthy, which isn't likely in 2006, Darryl Peterson should get limited minutes.

As for forwards, I would like to see more of Quade Milum. He is an athletic freak who has shown some basketball sense the past two games. He can take a few minutes off Romeo Travis' back. Freshmen John Rybak and Nate Linhart should dominate the small forward position, with Linhart getting a bulk of the minutes.

At center, I'm fine with Rob Preston and Matt Futch sharing the minutes.

So here's my depth chart:

• Point guard: Joyce, Middleton
• Shooting guard: Dials, Middleton, Peterson
• Small forward: Linhart, Rybak
• Power forward: Travis, Milum
• Center: Preston, Futch

Swimming and diving

After a 41-day break between competitions, Akron hosted its Senior Night against Youngstown State on Saturday. The Zips celebrated by beating the Penguins in 12 of 16 events. A great way to send out my buddy senior Szandra Gonzales, who is good friends with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao. Another friend of this blog, Jen Harris, took third in the 1-meter dive.

Miscellaneous

David Giffels, my favorite non-sports columnist, proposed a 2011 Super Bowl in Akron. Funny story.

I was a bit surprised by the lack of prominence for the Zips game in the ABJ today. They had photographer Mike Cardew at the game and he got some good shots. Yet the game story was on the inside while Terry Pluto's column was at the bottom of C1. I suppose someone thought an NFL playoff game in Seattle is more important than a Zips conference game in Akron. I disagree.