A Program on the Rise

• Championships - In 1999 the women's track & field/cross country teams captured the outdoor MAC track & field and MAC cross country championship titles. The women are two-time All-Ohio indoor champions.

• Honors - Akron's first NCAA champion--Christi Smith in the heptathlon; Akron's first Division I cross country All-American--Michelle Rizzo; Akron's first MAC MVP for the men--LeShaunte Edwards. In 1999-2000, Akron sent 6 athletes to the NCAA Championships, including Chad Bullett, Edwards, Jasmine Reynolds, Rizzo, Smith, and LaTrese Taylor, and returned with 3 All-Americans. Akron also had 8 MAC Champions and 5 MAC record holders. Gigi Dostal earned 2nd team Academic All-District and the women's cross country team was given the title WICCA All-Academic Team with Distinction.
  
• Records - School records were broken 69 times in 1999-2000. There have been 196 record revisions in the past four years.
  
• Points - In four years, the number of points scored at MAC Track & Field Championships has more than quadrupled. Akron has risen from the cellar to perennial MAC title contender.
  
• Youth - Despite graduation losses, the women's team is still youthful in 2001. For the men, all but two scoring individual return from last year's record-setting team.

 Reaching Your Goals

• Team orientation - The coaching staff has expertise and success in coaching every track & field event as well as cross country. We seek a balanced team concept with equal emphasis on all of the event areas (Middle Distance/Distance, Sprints and Hurdles, Throws, and Jumps).
  
• Individual attention - Personal attention and individual needs are the focal points of the program.
  
• Family atmosphere - Interaction with team members and coaches doesn't stop after practice.
  
• Progressive training - Rational training that involves all of the body's major systems (energy systems, skeletal muscle systems, and the central nervous system). Training that is graduated to allow long-term development.
  
• High Tech - Implementing the use of technologically advanced equipment for competition and training, including proven training aids, implements, poles, computer technology, video editing and analysis.
  
• Facilities - Including a recently renovated eight-lane Rekortan track (9 lane straightaway, 2 throwing cages, 2 shot rings, 2 long jump pits, 3 javelin runways, and multidirectional pole vault runways); Olympic-size pool, state-of-the-art weight room, as well as miles of trails at local parks. First-class training rooms with a complete rehabilitation facility minimize risk of injuries and shorten recovery times. Currently, construction of an indoor track facility is scheduled to begin in October 2001.
  
• Schedule - A competitive schedule featuring MAC Championships and highlighted by trips to the Penn Relays, Texas Relays, Sea Ray Relays, the Jesse Owens Invitational and the Pole Vault Summit.
  
• Community Support - The 1998 MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the 1999 USTCA Series meet were among the best attended in recent memory. Financial support comes from area businesses, individuals and alumni. Media coverage in the Akron Beacon-Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Resources of a Large University - More than 200 majors and areas of study, including recognized programs in engineering, business, education, nursing, and arts and sciences.
  
• Intimacy of a Small University - A compact campus with accessibility to professors, support staff, and coaches.
  
• Academic Support - Includes an office devoted to academic and career counseling for student-athletes. This office directs tutoring and life skills programs. Resources include a study hall and computer room. Academic interaction with the coaching staff is strongly encouraged.