In addition to this latest honor from the MAC, Ball has been recognized this year as a fifth-team preseason All-American by College Hoops Insider, selected first-team preseason All-MAC by Street & Smith's and Preview Sports and highlighted by The Sporting News as a 'player to watch' during the 1997-98 season.
"I am very happy for Jimmal. He has worked hard and is obviously a special talent," said UA head coach Dan Hipsher. "He understands that preseason awards are not as valuable as postseason accomplishments. His ultimate goal is to help this team win championships."
With only one senior on the 1997-98 squad, the youthful Zips return all but one letterman from last season and have received good reviews from the prognosticators. College Hoops Insider has the Zips headed to the National Invitation Tournament, while Athlon has UA posting second in the MAC East and The Sporting News has the Zips finishing third.
Akron will play exhibition games at James A. Rhodes Arena against Yugoslavia Select (November 15) and the Ohio All-Stars (November 17) before opening the regular season on November 22 in Cincinnati against Xavier.
After blanking Miami 6-0 and Kentucky 1-0 this past weekend, coach Ken Lolla's Zips are already assured of a top-four seed for the MAC postseason tournament. With a win, Akron (12-4-1, 5-1 MAC) will claim not only its third MAC title in the past five seasons, but also the No. 1 seed in the MAC tourney to be held November 6-9 at Miami.
Junior Michael Apple (Copley) and senior Bill Wahl (Chagrin Falls) have been honored by the Mid-American Conference. Apple has been named the MAC Soccer Player of the Week after he scored what proved to be the game-winning goals against Miami and Kentucky. Wahl, the Zip goalkeeper, was named MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week after recording shutouts in both games. The UA defense has not surrendered a goal in the past 313:10 of play.
Last Friday, UA rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat rival Kent, 3-2, at JAR Arena. Akron established a school record for kills with 94 against the Golden Flashes. Sophomore Kim Schaper (Kalamazoo, Mich.) had a UA-record 83 assists.
The Zips will play exhibition games at JAR Arena on November 15 (Yugoslavia Select) and November 17 (Ohio All-Stars). Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free to the public. Akron will start the regular season in Cincinnati when it travels to Xavier on November 22.
Coach Ken Lolla's booters, fresh off a scoreless tie at 14th-ranked Marquette on Sunday, are gunning for their third MAC regular-season title in five years. The Zips have two pivotal league matches on the road this Friday and Sunday, playing Miami and Kentucky, respectively. The Wildcats ended Akron's 1996 season with a 2-0 loss in the MAC tourney. UA closes out its regular season November 2 at home with Marshall.
Coach Mike Sweitzer's spikers gained a split in two home matches last week, beating nonconference opponent Pittsburgh, 3-1, but falling to MAC opponent Eastern Michigan, 3-2. The Zips have one match this week, entertaining divisional rival Kent on Friday at JAR Arena. The Golden Flashes topped UA, 3-1, the first time around.
In the meantime, sophomore guard Jimmal Ball (Canton/Timken) continues to reap preseason awards. The 5-10 dynamo has been named to the Street & Smith's and Preview Sports All-MAC first teams.
The Varsity "A" Basketball Steak Fry is planned for November 19 at the Tadmor Temple. Social begins at 6 o'clock. Dinner is served at 7. For ticket information, call Bill Ellis at (330) 376-5012.
The Hilton Inn is located at Rockside Road at I-77 in Independence. Tickets for the luncheon are $12 for SMACO members and $15 for guests. For more information or reservations, call UA Sports Information at (330) 972-7468.
The Zips outlasted 22 Division I schools and were the only team to shoot a score below 600. Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan tied for second place at 601, seven strokes behind Akron (594). UA led the field after the first day, two strokes ahead of Indiana, 296-298.
Senior Greg Boyette (Hudson) carded an even-par 144 for the tournament and tied for second place individually. The key to the Zips' success: balance. All 10 scores posted by UA's five-man team were in the 70s.
Coach Rick Jones' squad has had a super fall season to date. Akron tied Rhode Island for the 37-team Yale Intercollegiate title on September 14 and finished tied for third at the 18-team North Carolina-Wilmington Invitational on September 30.
The Zips have one final fall meet this Sunday through Tuesday -- the Old Dominion SeaScape Collegiate -- before taking aim on a MAC title in the spring.
Gromek's injury eventually will require surgery; the question is when. The Zip signal-caller will sit out this Saturday's game at Eastern Michigan, but is considering wearing a brace and being available as a reserve for Akron's final four games. Head coach Lee Owens favors Gromek having the surgery within the next two weeks rather than at the end of the season.
The injury is a blow to Gromek and the Zips. One week earlier (Oct. 4), the Chesterland native had earned Mid-American Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week notice when he directed the Zips to a 53-14 win over Central Michigan. Gromek completed 16 of 24 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns (in 2 1/2 quarters) and enjoyed his finest outing in eight college starts. That night, Akron accumulated 573 yards of total offense, a UA record in MAC play. Gromek's 220 first-half passing yards also established a school record, topping Eric Schoch, who passed for 214 second-half yards against Temple in 1973. Through six games, Gromek has completed 50 of 101 passes for 715 yards and five scores.
Gromek made his college debut in Week 7 last year at Central Michigan. His first college completion was a 59-yarder. His play helped rally the Zips to a 4-7 overall mark last fall (3-5 MAC) and earned him Akron's "Freshman Player of the Year" award.
Already nominated for the GTE Academic All-District Team and a prime candidate for the All-MAC scholar team, Gromek is a business administration major and carries a 3.21 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
Owens has indicated that redshirt freshman James Washington will start at quarterback this Saturday when the Zips (1-5, 1-3 MAC) take on Eastern Michigan (2-4, 2-3) at 6 p.m. in Ypsilanti.
CollegeHoops Insider has selected sophomore guard Jimmal Ball (Canton) as fifth-team preseason All-America, and has the Zips headed for the National Invitational Tournament. The Sporting News has named junior George Phillips (Franklin Park, Ill.) second-team preseason All-MAC at forward and has set Akron for a third-place finish in the MAC East Division. The magazine touts Ball as one of the more underrated players nationally. Athlon has the Zips posting second in the East. The Zips open their season on Nov. 22 when they travel to Cincinnati to meet Xavier. Akron fell to the Musketeers 113-111 in a triple-overtime affair last year despite a JAR Arena-record 44 points for Ball.
The Zips play their next four on the road beginning this weekend when they travel to Western Michigan (Oct. 17) and Marquette (Oct. 19). The only remaining home match of the regular season will be on Nov. 2 when the Thundering Herd of Marshall visits Jackson Field at 2 p.m.
Freshman Laura Jones (Mentor) was the Zips' top finisher in the women's 5K race, crossing the line at number 106 out of 263 runners.
The Hilton Inn is located at Rockside Road at I-77 in Independence. Tickets for the luncheon are $12 for SMACO members and $15 for guests. For more information or reservations, call UA Sports Information at (330) 972-7468.
Gromek directed the Zips to a 53-14 football win over Central Michigan last Saturday at the Rubber Bowl. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns (in 2 1/2 quarters) as UA accumulated 573 yards of total offense, an Akron record in MAC play. Gromek's 220 first-half passing yards also established a school record, topping Eric Schoch, who passed for 214 second-half yards against Temple in 1973.
Currently ranked third among MAC passers with an efficiency rating of 133.85, the "Chesterland Rifle" connected on scoring passes of 28 yards to Carl Whitt, 23 yards to Lavel Bailey and 3 yards to Willie Spencer, before giving way to backup James Washington. His yardage total is the second-best passing day an Akron quarterback has had in MAC play, and the 11th-best day all-time.
Gromek made his college debut in Week 7 last year at Central Michigan. His first college completion was a 59-yarder to Whitt. Gromek's play helped rally the Zips to a 4-7 overall mark last fall (3-5 MAC). Dating back to last season, he is now 4-4 as Akron's starting signal-caller.
A prime candidate for All-MAC academic notice, Gromek carries a 3.21 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and is planning a business administration major.
The Zips (1-4, 1-2 MAC) take on Marshall (4-1, 2-0) this Saturday at 7 p.m. in Huntington, W. Va.
The Zips (8-4,1-1 MAC) dropped a close match on Friday to the Falcons, snapping a six-match winning streak for the Blue and Gold. Bowling Green scored the only goal of the contest in the first half, while the Zips were unable to convert on several good chances, sending two shots off the crossbar.
Akron came back strong against Eastern Michigan on Sunday, defeating the Eagles 4-0. The Zips received goals from juniors Michael Apple (Copley), Allen Eller (Mentor), Justin Millard (Strongsville) and sophomore Neil Matthews (Johannesburg, South Africa).
Apple leads the Zips through 12 matches with 17 points (six goals, five assists) while Eller is second with 12 points (four goals, four assists). Akron will host Northern Illinois next Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Jackson Field before hitting the road for the next four in a row. After Sunday, the Zips' only remaining home match will be the final contest of the regular season when Marshall comes to town on Nov. 2.
For those who surf the net, University of Akron athletics is on line at: www.uakron.edu/athletics.
The Zips (12-9, 2-3 MAC) took the measure of West Virginia last Tuesday, sweeping the Mountaineers in three games (15-7, 15-12, 15-7) in a non-league contest. After dropping Friday's MAC decision to Marshall in five games, the Blue and Gold bounced back to defeat Ohio in four on Saturday.
Only a junior, outside hitter Brooke Santek (Portage, Mich.) is beginning to reach rare air in the Zip career record books. She became one of only ten players in UA volleyball history who have reached the 1,000-dig plateau, which she did in the match against West Virginia. Santek also ranks eighth on the all-time list with 853 kills. Should she reach 1,000 in that category as well, she will become only the fifth player in UA history to have 1,000 digs and kills.
Freshman Laura Jones (Mentor) was UA's top finisher in the women's race, while junior Mary Matuk (Ravenna) was second for the Zips.