Coach Dan Hipsher's Zips have two games left in the regular season, beginning tonight vs. Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Akron Zip women (4-20, 1-15) will play host to Eastern Michigan this evening in a seven o'clock start at JAR Arena.
UA senior guard Michelle Chavanne (Columbus) broke her wrist in the first few minutes of the game on Monday against Kent and is out for the remainder of the season.
The baseball team, returning seven out of eight position starters from last year's MAC Tournament Championship squad, will face Illinois State, Northeastern Illinois and Western Kentucky in the three-day tournament. They will be on the road again next weekend for three games against Virginia Military Institute before heading to Florida for eight games over spring break.
The softball team, under new head coach Deanna Parks, will be looking for its second consecutive trip to the MAC postseason tournament. The Zips match up this weekend against Cal State Long Beach, Iowa State and UC Santa Barbara. They will be on the road again over spring break with games against Furman University in Greenville, S. C., before heading to the 28-team Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S. C.
On the women's side, three additional athletes turned in third-place finishes, as Brande Lamb (New Philadelphia) and Laura Wozniak (Brunswick) both cleared a height of 5-6 to tie for third in the high jump. Christi Smith (Columbus) turned in two third-place finishes on Friday, placing third in the pentathlon and long jump. As a team, the women finished 10th.
This weekend, the Zips have their last opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships as the team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a "last chance" meet. Additionally, senior Paul Donatelli will represent the Zips at the USA Track & Field Championships in Atlanta.
Coach Dan Hipsher's Zips have three games left in the regular season, beginning Monday vs. Kent at JAR Arena. It will mark the 100th Akron-Kent meeting and tip off at 8:30. The Golden Flash women and coach Angel Donley's Zips (4-19, 1-14) tangle in the first game of a MAC Monday Night Madness twin bill at 6 o'clock. Both games will be telecast live on SportsChannel Ohio.
UA freshman guard Jimmal Ball (Canton) poured in 25 points against the Chippewas despite a stress fracture in his lower back.
The team also announced the four captains for the 1997 season. The group of seniors includes second baseman Bryan Moledor, rightfielder Brian Petrucci, catcher Marc Thomas and leftfielder Dave Yoder. Moledor, Petrucci and Yoder all served as captains for the 1996 team that won the MAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The Zips open the season at a tournament at Western Kentucky University on February 28.
Three-time football All-American Mike Clark (1984-86) and football-basketball standout Russell Holmes (1981-86) highlight a class which also includes: grid lineman Ron Ulrich (1958-61), soccer defenseman Neil Kochosky (1960-64), baseball infielder Bill Swertfager (1980-83) and Toreeda Turner (1981-85), a play-making guard for the Zip women's basketball team.
Ray Mitchell, a 1950 UA graduate, will be the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award for his years of service with the Varsity A Association.
Ned Novell, a four-year Zip football letterman from 1946-49, gained renown as Mogadore High School's football coach from 1951-58 and will receive the Achievement Award.
The Dapper Dan Club of Akron will hold its annual banquet at 4 p.m., Sunday, February 23, at Tangier. The club will honor Zip football standout Jason Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and softball home-run hitter Kelli Metzger (Louisville) for their outstanding performances last season. Taylor, who was named first-team All-Mid-American Conference, was the North squad's defensive MVP in the Senior Bowl. Metzger, the MAC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-MAC performer, broke the league single-season home-run record by cracking 16 round-trippers in 1996. The club will also honor head baseball coach Dave Fross, who led the Zips to their first appearance in the NCAA Division I regional tournament last season, as well as letter-of-intent signee Tiffany McCoy, who pitched Ellet High School to the 1996 OHSAA softball championship.
Coach Dan Hipsher's Zips now have dropped seven MAC games by a total of 30 points, not including a triple-overtime loss to then 17th-ranked Xavier and a three-point loss to Rider. The Zips are tied for eighth place in the MAC with Toledo. Next Monday's UA-Kent game will mark the 100th in the series.
UA freshman guard Jimmal Ball (Canton) has been hampered by back spasms the last two games.
The Zip women (4-18, 1-13), led by Kelley Burrier's (Louisville) 15.5 ppg., are at Central Michigan Wednesday for a 7 o'clock start.
Competition begins Friday at noon and will feature Aron McGuire (Kent) and Christi Smith (Columbus) in the men's and women's pentathlon, respectively, in addition to the men's 35 lb. weight throw, women's 20 lb. weight throw, the women's long jump and men's and women's distance medley relays. The remainder of the championships meet will be completed on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.
A three-year starter and two-way player, Smith rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs and collected 111 tackles and 12 interceptions (two returned for scores) last fall. One survey rated Smith the 16th best high school prospect in Michigan.
Last week, UA coach Lee Owens signed Paul Ondrusek, a 6-3, 295-pound OL from Blackhawk High School in western Pennsylvania. The much-improved Zips posted a 4-7 overall record (3-5 MAC) in Owens' second season.
UA opens its 1997 season Friday, Feb. 28, at the University of California-Santa Barbara Tournament.
Kunkle, a 1994 California (Pa.) graduate, compiled a career 54-12 pitching mark for the Vulcans. She led Cal to the Division II College World Series in '94 and was an all-region selection in '93. Kunkle served as as assistant coach during the '95 season at Morehead (Ky.) State and spent last spring as an assistant at her prep alma mater, Bethel Park High School.
Kurtz, a 1981 Kent State graduate and a sports reporter for the Kent-Ravenna Record Courier, will serve as a volunteer assistant. He was a softball assistant at Hiram for two years.
Midfielder Tracy Dowe and midfielder/defender Greg Prusha, two members of North Olmsted High School's OHSAA state championship team last fall, and first-team All-Ohio goalkeeper Kyle Milligan (Hudson) will join Ken Lolla's program for the 1997 season.
Dowe, who tallied the game-winning goal in the state title match, accumulated five goals and 11 assists in '96 and earned honorable mention all-region. Prusha, a second-team Greater Cleveland pick and a three-year starter, punched in 11 goals last fall. Milligan, listed at 6-4, registered 23 shutouts during his junior and senior seasons and played for the U. S. regional Olympic Development team for two years.
The Zips were 9-9-1 last fall and placed second in the Mid-American Conference regular season standings.
Head football coach Lee Owens has inked 6-3, 295-pound offensive line prospect Paul Ondrusek out of Blackhawk High School in tradition-rich Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Ondrusek brings to 19 the number of incoming scholarship football players signed by Owens and his staff for '97.
A member of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22, Ondrusek was heavily recruited by at least two Atlantic Coast Conference schools and several other Division I-A programs. He was a two-way all-conference lineman and earned second-team All-Pennsylvania (big school classification) notice as an offensive lineman. Blackhawk won the WPIAL championship and finished runnerup in the state playoffs.
The Zip football team demonstrated marked improvement in 1996 and finished 4-7 overall and tied for sixth place in the Mid-American Conference.
Volleyball coach Mike Sweitzer also received some good news this week when Windham High School all-stater Julie McDivitt signed a letter of intent to play for the Zips. McDivitt is the fifth student-athlete to sign on with the UA volleyball program since last Wednesday (Feb. 5).
A Division IV first-team All-Ohio pick and the district player of the year, McDivitt is an outside hitter and regarded as one of the finest basketball players in Portage County. She joins Purdue transfer Jeanette Puthoff (St. Henry), 6-1 outside hitter Lyndsey Spresser (Portage, Mich.) and Mentor High School stars Darlene Pruntry and Ashley Lewis to round out UA's '97 class.
"This might be our best recruiting class in terms of volleyball skills and athleticism," Sweitzer said. The Zips were 24-10 and placed second in the MAC in 1995, and posted a 13-18 mark in '96.
Entering the games this evening with Western Michigan, the men are 6-14 overall and 4-8 in the Mid-American Conference, while the women are 4-16 overall and 1-11 in the MAC.
Freshman point guard Jimmal Ball leads the men in scoring at 17.8 points per game, while senior Kelley Burrier paces the women at 15.3 points per contest. Ball and Burrier are both currently ranked sixth in the MAC in scoring. Ball is the only freshman listed in the top 15.
On the men's side, Chane Cline set a UA record in the 35 lb. weight throw with a mark of 47' 3-1/2". Nate Norris placed third in the 5,000-meter run in a school-record time of 14:50.30, and the 4x400m relay team of Barron Pringle, Marquai Moss, C. J. Lemp and Paul Donatelli posted a school-record time of 3:14.73, anchored by Donatelli's 46.7 split.
Akron's other Canal Park dates are: April 19 at 1 p.m. vs. Central Michigan (DH), April 28 at 7 p.m. vs. Cleveland State and May 1 at 7 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh.
The defending MAC Tournament champion, UA opens its season with a three-game round robin Feb. 28 at Western Kentucky. Coach Dave Fross welcomes back 11 seniors from last spring's 37-23 squad which advanced to the NCAA Division I regional in Lubbock, Texas.
Before leaving for Florida and their spring break trip, the Zips play another three-game tourney at Virginia Military Institute, March 7-9. Akron's first game in the Sunshine State is March 14 against Purdue in Jacksonville. The Zips also play in Daytona Beach, DeLand, and March 19 in Gainesville against the Florida Gators, ranked No. 3 in both 1996 final polls. Akron opens MAC play March 29 at Eastern Michigan. The MAC Tournament, which begins May 15, is hosted by the regular season champion.
The Zips' 56-game schedule includes nonconference dates at Lee Jackson Field against Cleveland State (April 1), Youngstown State (April 2) and Duquesne (April 10 and 24) and MAC twinbills against Toledo (April 5-6), Central Michigan (April 20) and Western Michigan (April 26-27). Akron is on the road for its final two MAC weekends, playing at Miami (May 3-4) and Ohio (May 10-11).
"We're thrilled with the character and caliber of the student-athletes we've recruited to The University of Akron," said Owens, whose teams have demonstrated steady improvement on the field and in the classroom since his appointment on Dec. 11, 1994.
"Retention is the key in building a football program. And retention begins with attracting student-athletes who are committed academically and athletically. Chemistry also is important. We were selective in offering student-athletes who our players thought would 'fit in.' Eight of our signees are from schools we already have players from, including Alliance, DeSales, Fort Cherry, Wheelersburg, Shaler and Massillon.
Sixteen of the 18 signees currently are seniors at their respective high schools. Defensive line candidate William Edwards graduated from Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic in 1996 and is attending Bridgeton (Maine) Academy. Massillon product Victor Redrick will graduate from Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College in May.
Twelve recruits are Ohio natives, with eight from Northeast Ohio. Four Pennsylvanians, one signee from suburban Chicago (Rich Reliford) and one from Detroit (Aaron Brown) round out the Zips' harvest.
"Our most pressing needs were at wide receiver, tight end and on the defensive line. We needed to improve our team speed, and I believe we've done that by landing five players who run under 4.5 (sec.) in the 40 (yard dash)."
UA graduated 12 senior letter winners from Owens' second team, which finished 4-7 last November and doubled its win total from the previous year. Akron begins its sixth season as a member of the Mid-American Conference this fall.
"The coaching staff did a great job of getting our program involved with a high quality group of prospects. We're anxious to have the guys on campus and to get the 1997 season started," Owens concluded.
BIOS ON THE RECRUITS:
Aaron Brown is a 6-8 defensive end prospect from Detroit (Mich.) St. Martin DePorres. Also a four-year basketball letterman, Brown racked up a team-high 14 quarterback sacks and helped DePorres win the Michigan Class B state title.
Louis Banks is expected to give the Zips more speed at wide receiver. An all-district selection, Banks had 850 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns for Alliance (O.) High School in 1996. He was named to the Akron Beacon Journal All-Stark County first team and to the All-Federal League first unit.
Zac Derr was a three-time all-conference placekicker and a brilliant student, who is considering a pre-law major. Derr earned all-area notice and helped Shaler High School (Pittsburgh, Pa.) qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.
William Edwards graduated from Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic High School in 1996 and has attended Bridgeton (Maine) Academy this year. A defensive line candidate, Edwards was the MVP of the Lehigh Valley All-Star Classic and helped Central Catholic win a state football championship in 1993. He has served as a resident assistant at Bridgeton and was a three-year member of the student council in high school.
Jimmie Gray should bolster the Zips' wide receiver corps. Team MVP, a first-team All-Lake Erie League pick, and an honorable mention All-Cuyahoga County pick by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gray anchored the Cleveland Heights 4x100 relay team at the OHSAA state track & field meet. He also is an academic award recipient.
Jeff Grzeskowiak is a fine offensive line prospect who starred at Holy Name High School (Cleveland, O.) and earned first-team all-league honors. Grzeskowiak also was an honorable mention All-Cuyahoga County pick by the Cleveland Plain Dealer and an honorable mention all-district choice.
George Harris is expected to fortify the Zips' defensive line. Harris gained plenty of attention as a two-way lineman (DE/OG) for Amherst (O.) Steele High School. A two-time all-district choice and a first-team All-Lorain County defensive end by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he piled up 63 tackles (43 solo) and 10 tackles behind the line last fall and helped Steele reach the Division III regional final in 1995.
Ryan Huffman accumulated 3,500 career all-purpose yards and was a standout two-way performer and captain for Revere High School (Akron, O.). Expected to be a defensive back with the Zips, Huffman earned Akron Beacon Journal first-team All-Suburban League three times and Cleveland Plain Dealer honorable mention All-Medina/Summit County notice.
Mike Lukanski was team MVP and captain as a senior and a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference pick at Fort Cherry High School (McDonald, Pa.). A member of the National Honor Society and a leadership award winner, Lukanski is projected as a defensive lineman for the Zips.
Mike Naleppa, a member of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22, teamed with co-captain Mike Lukanski to give Fort Cherry High School (McDonald, Pa.) a great 1-2 punch. An honor roll student, Naleppa led the team in tackles and had 8 1/2 sacks as a middle linebacker. Fort Cherry advanced to the second round of the 1996 WPIAL playoffs.
Victor Redrick is a former standout for coach Jack Rose at Massillon (O.) Washington High School and now returns to northeast Ohio after two seasons at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College. An all-area pick by the Canton Repository during his prep years, Redrick is a wide receiver candidate for the Zips and was a state and national qualifier in the 200 meters for the Massillon Washington track team.
Rich Reliford is a multi-talented player who was recruited by several Division I-A programs. An honorable mention all-state selection, Reliford returned a punt, a kcikoff and an interception for touchdowns during the 1996 season for Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School. He is a defensive back candidate for the Zips and was a first-team all-conference and second-team all-area pick, in addition to being named to the academic all-state team. Reliford, also a track letterman, is interested in Akron's engineering program.
Tim Ritley could make an immediate impact for the Zips at tight end. Ritley earned Associated Press Division IV All-Ohio first-team notice as a defensive end and Cleveland Plain Dealer first-team All-Lake County as a tight end. The Chagrin Valley Conference Defensive MVP, Ritley is a scholar-athlete who played football for his father, Bob, and has been Perry High School's team MVP in basketball and baseball as well.
Paul Salvino was an All-Stark County and all-district lineman for Jack Rose and Massillon (O.) Washington High School. He has been chosen to play in the county East-West game and was nominated for the Ohio North-South all-star game. Salvino was recruited by several MAC schools and may have been a bit overshadowed by teammate Ben Mast, who signed with the University of Michigan.
Scott Smith is a prized offensive line prospect who gained Associated Press Division III first-team All-Ohio honors at St. Francis DeSales High School (Columbus, O.). Smith hails from Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
Jerod Tilley follows Wheelersburg (O.) natives Jon Eaton and Rex Pyles to The University of Akron. Tilley could play either running back or linebacker for the Zips after earning Associated Press Division V first-team All-Ohio notice as a running back. He was the district offensive player of the year and rushed for a county record 1,850 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also had more than 100 tackles the last two seasons.
Ryan Uhlenhake had a storybook high school athletic career at St. Henry (O.) High School. The Ohio Division VI Player of the Year in 1995 and '96, Uhlenhake led St. Henry to the state championship game three times, captured two titles and threw for 479 yards and six touchdowns (also rushed for 104 yards and one TD) in a 61-58 overtime loss to Mogadore in the 1996 championship game. As a senior, he tossed 24 scoring passes and just five interceptions. His career passing numbers: 56 touchdowns, 16 interceptions. Also St. Henry's all-time leading scorer in basketball, Uhlenhake had a 3.8 grade-point average (4.0 scale) on his report card.
Mike Young led Central Ohio with eight interceptions as a senior and was named to the Associated Press Division III first-team All-Ohio squad for the second straight year. Young was named to the Columbus Dispatch Super 25 (all divisions) first team in 1996 and second team in '97.
1997 UNIVERSITY OF AKRON FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Aaron Brown DE 6-8 210 Detroit, Mich. (St. Martin DePorres) Louis Banks WR 6-2 1/2 190 Alliance Zac Derr PK 5-8 145 Pittsburgh, Pa. (Shaler) William Edwards* DL 6-0 290 Allentown, Pa. (Central Catholic) Jimmie Gray WR 5-7 160 Cleveland Heights Jeff Grzeskowiak OL 6-5 284 North Olmsted (Holy Name) George Harris DL 6-2 250 Lorain (Steele) Ryan Huffman DB 5-10 180 Copley (Revere) Mike Lukanski DL 6-3 240 McDonald, Pa. (Fort Cherry) Mike Naleppa DL 6-3 230 McDonald, Pa. (Fort Cherry) Victor Redrick** WR 5-11 175 Massillon (Washington) Rich Reliford DB 5-11 190 Bolingbrook, Ill. Tim Ritley TE 6-4 218 Perry (Lake Perry) Paul Salvino OL 6-3 275 Massillon (Washington) Scott Smith OL 6-4 245 Westerville (St. Francis DeSales) Jerod Tilley RB/LB 6-2 207 Wheelersburg Ryan Uhlenhake QB 6-0 190 St. Henry Mike Young WR/DB 5-11 180 Columbus (Mifflin) * -- Bridgeton (Maine) Academy ** -- Grand Rapids (Mich.) Junior College
After Wednesday, coach Dan Hipsher's ballclub plays three road games before returning home for a Feb. 19 date with Central Michigan. The Zips leave Friday on a four-day trip to play at Bowling Green Saturday (1:30 tip) and at Western Michigan Monday (8:30 tip).
The Western game is part of the MAC Monday Night TV doubleheader, with the Akron women's team facing WMU at 6 o'clock and the men going at 8:30. Both games can be seen on SportsChannel Ohio.
Interim coach Angel Donley's squad (4-14, 1-9 MAC) is trying to slip into eighth place and qualify for the MAC Tournament for a third consecutive year.
The Zip men have dropped three straight games since winning three in a row. Akron fell on Saturday at Toledo, 69-65, after trailing 22-9 and batting back to take a 60-59 lead. Jimmal Ball popped in 17 points.
UA has lost four MAC games by a combined margin of 12 points. Last Wednesday, Akron lost to league leader Eastern Michigan, 79-76, at JAR Arena.
UA won the Western Pennsylvania Rifle Conference over the weekend, defeating Duquesne, IUP and Canisius at Schrank Hall. The NCAA Championships are slated for March 7-9 at Murray State.
In the team competition, Akron finished third in the men's meet, scoring 32 points and finishing behind Central Michigan (69) and Bowling Green (45). The host Falcons won the women's meet with 62.5 points, followed by Central Michigan (36.5), Ohio (34.5) and Akron (19.5).
Thiss weekend, coach Dennis Mitchell's Zips travel to Kent for the All-Ohio meet. It will be the team's final tune-up prior to the Mid-American Conference Championships, held Feb. 21-22, also at Kent.