Johnson, Plybon named to preseason All-MAC Teams

By Jake Allen, Sports Editor

November 2, 2016

Center Isaiah Johnson of The University of Akron men’s basketball team and Hannah Plybon of the Zips’ women’s basketball team have each been named to the Mid-American Conference’s Preseason All-MAC Squad. The men’s team has also been selected to win the MAC-East Division for the fourth str...

Sports Recap

By Terry Rabbitts, Writer

April 11, 2016

Men’s Golf The University of Akron men’s golf team used a strong effort on Sunday to gain four places in the overall standings at The Cabarrus County Irish Creek Collegiate. The Zips finished the 54-hole tournament in eighth place with a final team score of 885 (+33).   Wake Forest...

Sports Recap

By Terry Rabbitts, Writer

April 6, 2016

Men’s Golf The University of Akron men’s golf team finished with a team score of 294 (+6) on the final day at the Bulls Bay Golf Club to finish the tournament in 14th place this week in Awendaw, South Carolina. The Zips had earlier rounds of 296 (+8) and 300 (+12) to complete the 54-hole to...

Sports Recap

By Terry Rabbitts, Writer

March 30, 2016

Women’s Basketball The University of Akron women’s basketball team had four of its student-athletes named to the Mid-American Conference All-Academic team. The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 30. Hannah Plybon, Hannah Scipio, Alli Ball, and Megan Sefcik all qualified for the 2015...

Zippy buzzes in mascot challenge

By Forrest Dukes, Sports Editor

November 10, 2014

In the final week of the Capital One Mascot Challenge Zippy lost to Buzz, the mascot from Georgia Tech and fell to her lowest seating in the tournament, 6th place. The tournament has now moved on to the postseason and will be single elimination style. Zippy is facing Buzz again and will look to defeat...

Akron welcomes back James with celebration

By Tyler Jordan, Writer

August 15, 2014

Seven words struck the hearts of Cleveland Cavaliers fans in 2010 during LeBron James’ televised The Decision on ESPN: “I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” James said. James has returned. James has signed a 2-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James’ second coming...

Don’t give up on Akron

April 2, 2013

Matthew Balsinger The 2012-2013 Akron Zips basketball season was marked with adversity, which the team was forced to overcome throughout the season. The Zips, however, fell to a final dose of adversity in the first week of the NCAA tournament, losing to Virginia Commonwealth University 88-42. Before t...

Akron vs. VCU preview

March 21, 2013

Matthew Balsinger As the first round of the NCAA national championship tournament begins, there is a lot of bracket and team analysis going around the media. If you’ve had the misfortune to read any analysis on Akron and VCU, you’ll surely hear that the Zips are going to be blown out. Now, I’m ...

Madness? This is AKRON!

March 19, 2013

D.J. Johnson Keith Dambrot will be making his third appearance in the NCAA tournament this week, yet never has a postseason felt this good to the Akron head coach. A convincing 65-46 MAC championship victory over the Ohio Bobcats Saturday night gave Dambrot his most gratifying win in his nine year...

Though NCAA may be out, light still shines on possibility of WNIT bid

March 19, 2013

Parker Perry The Akron women’s basketball team set records as well as new standards in 2013. When women’s basketball head coach Jodi Kest arrived in Akron for the 2006-2007 season, the program was not in a good place. Now, the Lady Zips are one of the up-and-coming premier programs in the Mid-Ameri...

Chance of the ages

March 14, 2013

Matthew Balsinger Though there are no longer regular-season games to use to rank the teams, there is the actual performance of each team in the tournament. Women’s Basketball The Lady Zips have been an exciting surprise this year, receiving the third seed in the tournament. Most basketball fans o...

Tecca aims high on and off the court

March 14, 2013

Bridget Linton Whether she’s hitting the hardwood or hitting the books, Rachel Tecca has had incredible success on and off the court this basketball season. Tecca is no stranger to victory. As a graduate from Archbishop Hoban high school, Tecca was the all-time leading scorer, led her team to four...

#ThinkBigger

March 12, 2013

Matthew Balsinger On Saturday, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal published a rather forceful article to describe the possible impact of Alex Abreu’s actions on the Zips’ remarkable season. Ridenour is a respected voice on the Zips; however, I do not believe it is beneficial for this publica...

Zips clinch season

March 7, 2013

Matthew Balsinger The University of Akron men’s basketball team defeated The University of Miami 72-58 Tuesday night, to clinch the MAC regular-season title. This is the second consecutive year the Zips have won the regular-season title, going into the MAC tournament next week. With the victory ...

Akron falls to Buffalo

March 5, 2013

D.J. Johnson Perhaps it was back-to-back road games that wore down the Akron Zips. It could have been the poor shooting performance that was too much to overcome. Or maybe Buffalo forward Javon McCrea was just that good. One thing for certain is that the nation’s longest win streak was snapped on Saturday night. McCrea and the Bulls (12-17, ...

Victory in Athens

February 28, 2013

Matthew Balsinger The Zips continued their sweep through the Mid-American Conference Wednesday night in Athens, as they defeated The Ohio University Bobcats 88-81, advancing their winning streak to 19 games. This is the first time that the Zips have swept Ohio in the regular season in six years, an...

Akron stays on top

February 26, 2013

Matthew Balsinger Sports Editor #12 Central Michigan The Chippewas are 2-10 in conference play and have lost every single game they’ve played against Akron and Ohio. For the rest of the season there is nothing to play for, other than respect. Do not expect CMU to be in the tournament. #11 Northern...

Women’s basketball power rankings

February 21, 2013

Matthew Balsinger Sports Editor #12 Kent State (#12 in last ranking) It’s really a tossup between Ohio and Kent State for the bottom spot. Kent has the lowest overall record, so they get the honor of last place. Three overall wins in the season is absolutely atrocious. The Flashes should use the...

Women's basketball power rankings

February 21, 2013

Matthew Balsinger Sports Editor #12 Kent State (#12 in last ranking) It’s really a tossup between Ohio and Kent State for the bottom spot. Kent has the lowest overall record, so they get the honor of last place. Three overall wins in the season is absolutely atrocious. The Flashes should use the...

Akron rolls on

February 19, 2013

D.J. Johnson On Dec. 15, 2012, an 80-73 upset loss to the Detroit Titans left the Akron Zips with a 4-4 record to start the season. More than two months later, that loss remains the most current, as a 67-50 win over Bowling Green Saturday night extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 17 games...

March Madness tournament

February 14, 2013

Matthew Balsinger Sports Editor As March quickly approaches, the possibility of an NCAA tournament bid for Akron is reaching exciting levels. There are some fans out there, however, who don’t know how the NCAA tournament works, or how teams are selected. Since the Zips have a good chance of getting ...

Winning streak continues

February 12, 2013

D.J. Johnson After a gritty 54-50 win over the Miami RedHawks on Saturday afternoon, the Zips 15 consecutive wins is not only their longest in over 50 years but the longest active streak in the nation. The victory over Miami was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, at least by head coach Ke...

Akron wins big

February 5, 2013

D.J. Johnson Twitter handles featured on the Zips’ new uniforms were the center of discussion leading up to the matchup between the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference. Once the game started, it was the Zips that did the handling in the sold-out James A. Rhodes Arena, as five players in ...

Bowling Green preview

January 31, 2013

Parker Perry One foe has always been able to top the Akron women’s basketball—the Bowling Green Falcons. Bowling Green (13-6, 4-2 MAC) is a perennial powerhouse in the Mid-American Conference, and owns a 47-2 record against the Akron Zips. Their dominance dates back to 1978, when Akron was in the...

The comeback kids

January 29, 2013

DJ Johnson On Saturday night, 5,403 fans filled the James A. Rhodes Arena. Most of them sat silently as they watched the Akron Zips trailing 32-12 with 8:30 remaining in the first half. However, by the end of the game, that same crowd was standing in an uproar of cheers. The celebration was the result of two different comebacks pieced together by the Zips (15-4, 6...

Lady Zips top the MAC

January 25, 2013

Paker Perry There is no denying it: The Akron women’s basketball team is one of the better teams in the Mid-American Conference. It has been a long, tedious road for Akron head coach Jodie Kest. She inherited a Zip’s program that was never able to lift off the ground, while playing in a conference ...

Zips lose two straight, suffer first home loss of season

March 1, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson After 40 minutes of back-and-forth action, the chance fell by the wayside, as Buffalo (18-9, 11-4) squeaked out a 74-70 victory over the Zips (20-10, 12-3). The win would have locked up the No. 1 seed for UA in the MAC Tournament. Instead, the Zips will have to travel to Kent on...

OU rolls past Zips, MAC title put on hold

February 28, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson What could have been was quickly erased by the Ohio Bobcats (23-6, 10-4 MAC), who put the Zips’ (20-9, 12-2 MAC) conference title on hold with a 85-61 blowout win. The Bobcats never let the Zips get into the game, holding a double-digit lead for the last 27 minutes, as they sho...

Akron’s late comeback not good enough to overcome Kent

February 27, 2012

By: Parker Perry Akron trailed by seven points with just a minute to play, but was able to cut the lead down to one with 20 seconds remaining in the game. The Zips attempted three shots from beyond the arc, but were unable to land one in the effort. The game started with the two teams exchanging...

Zips defeat Falcons Wednesday improve MAC record to 12-1

February 23, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson Thirty-nine minutes and 59 seconds. That is how long it took Akron to take the lead on Bowling Green on Jan. 11, as the Zips escaped with a 56-55 victory. On Wednesday night, it took 40 seconds. This time around the lead stuck for exactly 39 minutes, pushing the Zips (20-8, 12-1 M...

Bracketbusted!: Zips fall to Oral Roberts

February 20, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson The Zips kept pace with the Golden Eagles for almost all of the game, trimming the lead to just one midway through the second half, but never took the lead for any of the 40 minutes. The Zips fought back from an 11-point halftime deficit, but missed 9-of-10 from three-point range d...

Coach Dambrot leads basketball team into March with high hopes

February 15, 2012

By: DJ Johnson Keith Dambrot was hired as the head basketball coach of The University of Akron in 2004. In his inaugural season leading the Zips, Dambrot finished with a 19-10 record, the most wins at UA since 1988-89. What he and his program have done after those 19 wins is nothing short of remarka...

Women’s basketball wins two in a row

February 13, 2012

By: Parker Perry The University of Akron women’s basketball team (11-14, 5-6 MAC) continued their winning ways Saturday evening, defeating Western Michigan (6-18, 3-8 MAC) 81-67 in front of a crowd of 1,517. Akron opened up the game on an 8-0 run. Eventually, their lead improved to 14. The early ru...

UA men pick up seventh straight win

February 13, 2012

By: DJ Johnson An often undervalued part of college basketball is the ability for a given team to go on a scoring run, or as Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot calls it, a scoring spurt. The Zips (18-7, 10-1 MAC) found their spurt midway through the second half Saturday night, leading 45-34 after a 16-2 ru...

Four for the core: Zips making big impact in first year

February 9, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson Coming into the season, the Akron men’s basketball team had lost four key contributors from their 2010-2011 team that went to the NCAA Tournament. Luckily, four players that were not able to play last season were in waiting to bring new life to the program. It is now 24 games into the 2011-12 season, and ...

Akron takes down Central Michigan

February 7, 2012

By: Parker Perry The University of Akron women’s basketball team (10-14, 4-6 MAC) moved up two positions in the Mid-American Conference standings over the weekend. Akron started Saturday in eighth place, but was able to overtake Central Michigan (12-12, 4-6 MAC) after beating them 97-87 on Saturda...

Men's baskeball blows out Eastern Michigan with 77 to 47 victory Saturday

February 6, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson Eastern Michigan came into James A. Rhodes Arena Saturday night leading the MAC West division. The Eagles (10-13, 5-4 MAC) left The University of Akron campus maintaining that lead, but not with a victory, as they were blown out by the Zips (16-7, 8-1 MAC) in a 77-47 loss. “We’r...

Akron to play in 10th annual Sears Bracketbuster Saturday, Feb 18

February 1, 2012

By: Chris Coon The 10th annual Sears BracketBusters match up was announced Monday and the University of Akron men’s basketball team will take on Oral Roberts Saturday, Feb. 18 at Tulsa. Okla. Akron who has a record of 15-7, 7-1 in the Mid American Conference, are 1-2 the last three years in the Bra...

Women’s basketball drops two straight

January 30, 2012

By: Parker Perry Without their two leading scorers, The University of Akron women’s basketball team (9-13, 3-5 MAC) had a rough week. UA finished the week 0-2, losing to a less-than-impressive Northern Illinois (9-11, 3-5 MAC) squad 72-66, and being blown out by a good Eastern Michigan team (14-7, 6-2 ...

Men’s basketball falls to Central Michigan

January 30, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson Saturday night nearly turned out disastrous for the University of Akron men’s basketball team as they traveled to Mount Pleasant for their showdown with Central Michigan. Leading the seven-win Chippewas 63-60 with 1:37 remaining, the Zips played a spirited last 97 seconds to lead ...

King, Ruper, Hanna step up for Lady Zips

January 26, 2012

By: Parker Perry When a team sees its star rolling on the floor grasping her knee, it usually does not bode well. Despite the loss of star forward Rachel Tecca due to injury, The University of Akron women’s basketball team has figured out a way to compete so far in the Mid-American Conference. After...

Men's basketball improves to 13-7 with win over Ball State

January 25, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson Just as Keith Dambrot’s squad saw three days earlier, an overwhelming second half brought the Zips an impressive conference win Tuesday night. Akron (13-7, 5-1 MAC) trailed once going into the locker room, but outscored Ball State (12-6, 4-2 MAC) by 15 in the second half to lead to ...

Women's basketball splits week series: Lady Zips place third in the MAC

January 24, 2012

By: Parker Perry The University of Akron women’s basketball team split their two games this week, placing them third in the Mid-American Conference East division. UA fell to Ohio University Thursday night in Athens, Ohio, 71-72 in overtime, but rebounded by beating Ball State in Muncie, Ind., 76...

Zips men's basketball defeats Kent State 84-75

January 24, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson A sold out James A. Rhodes Arena was silenced after the first half of Saturday night’s men’s basketball matchup with Kent State, as the hometown Zips fell back 42-34 after the first 20 minutes of action. The next 20 minutes of game time proved to be everything but silent, with...

Zips men's basketball defeats Kent State 84-75

January 23, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson “At halftime...it was like we got punched in the gut,” said Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot. “I didn’t know if we were going to recover or not. I think our guys did good hanging in there and staying composed.” The calm Zips created a storm in the second half, as a 28-6 run midway...

Zips men's basketball beat Ohio University Saturday

January 19, 2012

By: D.J. Johnson The University of Akron men’s basketball team defeated Ohio University Saturday evening, continuing their winning streak. In a 57-56 game with only 3:58 remaining, Zips’ starting point guard Alex Abreu was scoreless. That would all change after a kick-out from center Zeke Marshall...

UA downs Detroit 81-63 on Saturday

November 30, 2011

By: DJ Johnson The Akron men’s basketball team picked up their first win in three games Saturday night, as a high-powered offensive attack led to a 81-63 victory over Detroit. Leading the offensive outburst, the Zips (3-2) had four players reach double figures, which would prove to be too much f...

Women's basketball splits preseason WNIT at home

November 22, 2011

The University of Akron Zips women’s basketball team competed in the WNIT consolation bracket over the weekend at James A. Rhodes arena, beating the Howard Bison (0-3) 63-64 in their first home game Friday night but falling to Drexel in the championship game 60-67. Akron, who entered the early season...

Men's basketball off to hot start

November 17, 2011

By: DJ Johnson For the first time in three seasons, the Akron men’s basketball team has started the year with two consecutive wins. The pair of victories came in the 2K Sports Classic, and the Zips will look to match their 2-0 start with two more Classic wins this weekend. “We are going to be a...

Women's basketball to host WNIT games

November 16, 2011

By: Parker Perry The University of Akron will be the site of four preseason WNIT games over the coming weekend. The Zips women’s basketball team will welcome Detroit, Drexel and Howard to James A. Rhodes arena. Akron (0-1) will play Howard in their first consolation game, then play again Saturday. ...

New look, similar expectations: Akron men's basketball preview

November 14, 2011

By: DJ Johnson In March, for the second time in three years, The University of Akron men’s basketball team raised the MAC Championship trophy in celebration of their tournament win. Fast forward nearly eight months, after four seniors have graduated, and the new-look Zips begin their season with even...

Zip turned Globetrotter

October 12, 2011

By: DJ Johnson Quade Milum was a four-year letterwinner at The University of Akron when he suited up in blue and gold for his collegiate basketball career. Now Milum will be decked in blue and red, as he has been named one of the ten members of the Harlem Globetrotters’ 2012 rookie class. The newl...

MAC Basketball Tournament reformatted for 2011-2012 season

September 12, 2011

By: DJ Johnson The Mid-American Conference has announced a new format for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments this upcoming season. The reworked bracket is intended to give the top regular season teams an advantage going into tournament play.The No. 1 and 2 seeds will receive a triple...