WOUB Sports

Rain Dampens Day Two Of MAC Tournament

Bradley Parks — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:26:31 +0000

Avon, OH

Bradley Parks

Mother Nature cut short day two at the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Miami RedHawks and the Central Michigan Chippewas made it to the bottom of the sixth inning before driving rain drove them off the field. Both the Kent State-Ball State and Bowling Green-Toledo games were postponed until Friday.

Game No. 5: No. 2 Buffalo 13 – No. 3 Northern Illinois 0

The Huskies saw their season go down in shambles Thursday, falling at the hands of Buffalo without pushing across a single run. Mike Burke started and finished the game on the mound for the Bulls, going the distance for a complete game shutout. Burke surrendered just four hits, struck out six and only walked four.

Game No. 6: No. 5 Miami (OH) 6 – No. 8 Central Michigan 5

After the original game was postponed due to rain, the RedHawks and Chippewas picked up at 9 a.m. Friday morning in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied at five. The rain from Thursday night washed away the offensive production with it as both teams failed to score for the remainder of regulation. But Miami’s Nate Bowles pinch hit in the bottom of the 10^th and brought in the winning run on a walk-off single.

Gellerman Named Academic All-American

Kaleb Carter — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:52:03 +0000

Athens, OH

Kaleb Carter

Photo Credit:

Kate Hiller

Ohio's Lauren Gellerman steps into the batter's box in game one against Ohio State. The senior had three home runs in the doubleheader against the Buckeyes on Tuesday.

Ohio University softball standout Lauren Gellerman has managed to pick up yet another honor even after she has finished her time with the program. It was announced Thursday that Gellerman was named to the second team Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-America, one of 33 softball players in NCAA Division I to be so honored.

Gellerman was one of two players in the Mid-American Conference to receive this recognition, with Kent State’s Jessacca Gironda being the other. On top of that, Gellerman was awarded the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week award twice during the course of the 2013 season.

The integrated mathematics major yielded a 3.889 GPA.

Her classroom dedication did nothing to limit her on-field productivity, with this her senior season being a record-breaking one in numerous categories.

Gellerman maintained a .405 batting average and broke single-season Ohio records for home runs (26) and RBIs (60). She crushed Ohio career records in RBIs (137) and home runs (48). Her home run total currently stands at third in Division I, and her slugging percentage of .948 is good enough for fourth in the country. All the while calling a smart game behind the plate and yielding a 98.4 fielding percentage as the team’s primary catcher.

Offense Owns Day One Of MAC Baseball Tournament

Bryan Vance — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:24:53 +0000

Avon, OH

Bryan Vance

The 2013 Mid-American Conference baseball tournament started Wednesday in Avon, Ohio. No. 4 seed Ball State, No. 6 seed Bowling Green, No. 7 seed Toledo and No. 1 seed Kent State all won their first games of the double-elimination tournament.

Game No. 1: No. 4 Ball State 13 – No. 5 Miami (OH) 7

Ball State outslugged the RedHawks, scoring 13 runs on 17 hits Wednesday. Ball State first baseman Cody Campbell and catcher Sam Tidback each had three RBIs on the game. The Cardinals got a strong performance on the mound out of starting pitcher Scott Baker (12-1) as well. Baker pitched eight innings while giving up four earned runs and striking out four. The Cardinals moved on to game No. 7 and will take on Kent State Thursday evening. Miami will face off against Central Michigan in game No. 6 Thursday afternoon, the loser will be eliminated.

Game No. 2: No. 6 Bowling Green 6 – No. 3 Northern Illinois 4

The Falcons were able to pull off the upset of sorts, scoring two runs in the top of the 11^th to take the game. Northern Illinois had the lead early Wednesday up 4-0 through four innings. But the Falcons managed to tie it up in the eighth. Eli Anderson pitched well for the Huskies earning a no decision, going eight innings while giving up four earned runs and striking out six. Five Falcons batters drove in a run in the game and reliever Nick Bruns got the win, pitching two and one third innings of scoreless relief. The Falcons moved on to game No. 8 and will face Toledo Thursday evening. The Huskies and the Buffalo Bulls will face off in game No. 5 Thursday and the loser will be eliminated.

Game No. 3: No. 7 Toledo 12 – No. 2 Buffalo 10

The Rockets managed to score seven runs in the final three innings Wednesday to upset the second-seeded Bulls. The teams combined for 17 and 16 hits respectively. Nine different Rockets players tallied a hit in the win. Toledo third baseman John Martillotta drove in three RBIs as well. Buffalo’s relievers Ben Hartz and River McWilliams struggled to stop the Toledo offense, giving up a combined seven earned runs between the two of them. McWilliams (3-5) picked up the loss. Toledo reliever Adam Tyson (3-2) got the win, pitching one and two thirds innings of scoreless baseball. Toledo advanced to game No. 8 and will face off against Bowling Green Thursday night. Buffalo will take on the Huskies in game No. 5 Thursday, with the loser being eliminated from the tournament.

Game No. 4: No. 1 Kent State 15 – No. 8 Central Michigan 8

Central Michigan starter Jordan Foley (6-6) lasted just one and one third innings as Kent State jumped out to an early 9-2 lead through the first two innings, creating a hole that the Chippewas couldn’t climb out of. Kent State third baseman Justin Wagler drove in five RBIs on three hits including a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh. Taylor Williams (10-1) got the start for the Golden Flashes Wednesday evening and benefited from their offensive output while picking up the win. Through six innings Williams allowed three earned runs on seven hits while striking out 10 Chippewas batters. Kent State advanced to game No. 7 where it will face Ball State Thursday evening. Central Michigan will face Miami Thursday afternoon in game No. 6. The loser of that game will be eliminated.

Miami Football: Harwell Transfers To Kansas

Eric Singer — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:11:21 +0000

Oxford, OH

Eric Singer

Miami RedHawks All-MAC wide receiver Nick Harwell will have a new place to call home in 2013. ESPN’s Bret McMurphy announced Wednesday night that the senior is transferring to Kansas for the upcoming season.

Harwell was suspended indefinitely from the football program after he was arrested in early April on charges of criminal damaging, theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle at an off-campus location. The school confirmed earlier this week that Harwell was no longer enrolled at Miami after going through the school’s standard appeals process.

McMurphy tweeted out Wednesday night that it is unknown whether Harwell will be eligible to play immediately at Kansas, as his status was deemed, “TBD” by Kansas’s compliance and academic staff.

In 2011, Harwell was the second leading receiver in all of the NCAA, averaging 129.6 receiving yards per game. He also amassed 97 receptions for 1,425 yards and nine touchdowns, earning him first-team All-MAC honors and an All-American Honorable Mention by Sports Illustrated. In 2012 Harwell followed his sophomore season by hauling in 68 passes for 870 yards and nine touchdowns.

Harwell leaves Miami as one of the greatest receivers in program history, ranking second in career receptions with 229, second in receiving yards with 3,166, and third in receiving touchdowns with 23.

The departure of Harwell is another big loss for the RedHawks for the 2013 season. The team is now without its top wideouts from 2012 in Harwell and Andy Cruse (now with the NFL’s Houston Texans), as well as All-MAC quarterback Zac Dysert.

His departure also comes as a boost for the Ohio Bobcats defense. Harwell pulled in 33 catches for 520 yards and two touchdowns in three career games against Ohio, including a Miami single-game record of 219 receiving yards against Ohio in 2010.

The RedHawks and Bobcats are scheduled to play on Oct. 26 at Peden Stadium for the 90^th edition of the Battle of the Bricks rivalry. Miami ended Ohio’s undefeated season in 2012, beating the Bobcats 23-20 in Oxford, snapping Ohio's six-year winning streak over the RedHawks.

Colorado Transfer Manso Joins Ohio Soccer

Carter Eckl — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:32:46 +0000

Athens, OH

Carter Eckl

The Ohio Bobcats soccer team is adding depth to its midfield this coming fall with the addition of Carly Manso. Manso, a redshirt freshman, transferred from Colorado University. Manso played forward at Colorado but is listed as a midfielder according to the Bobcats' roster.

Manso only played one year of high school soccer at Vernon Hills High School where she was awarded all-conference, all-sectional, and rookie of the year honors. Though she only played one year of high school soccer, Manso played for Chicago’s Eclipse Select club team for seven years. The Eclipse were ranked as the No. 2 soccer club in the nation from 2009-2011 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Manso is joining some familiar faces on the Bobcats roster. She went to the same high school as Ohio’s junior goalkeeper Nicole Amari. While with the Eclipse, Manso played alongside Amari and Ohio redshirt senior midfielder and forward Maggie Murnane.

“It was literally like a family. We are mentally strong and prepared for anything,” Manso said, when asked about her time with the Eclipse by the Vernon Hills Review.

Out of high school Manso was highly recruited for her ability to “attack defenses and create space for open shots,” according to her club coach Rory Dames in an article by the Vernon Hills Review.

According to OhioBobcats.com, Bobcats head coach Aaron Rodgers said that Manso will be able to “push for a starting spot and add some athleticism to our program.”

Rodgers is in his first season as the Bobcats women’s soccer head coach. Last year Ohio finished with an 8-10-1 record after losing five of its final six games. With only four seniors graduating this past spring, Rodgers has most of the team returning back to Athens this fall.

Rodgers and the Bobcats open their season with an exhibition game at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in Greensboro, N.C., on August 15.

Herman Reaches Deal With NFL's Giants

Bryan Vance — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:50:17 +0000

East Rutherford, NJ

Bryan Vance

Former Ohio offensive lineman Eric Herman signed a four-year rookie contract with the New York Giants Wednesday according to ESPN. The deal comes nine days after the Giants concluded their 2013 rookie mini-camp.

Herman was selected in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft in April after starting 51 consectuive games for the Bobcats from 2009-2012. While specifics of Herman’s contract were not released, according to Joel Corry of NationalFootballPost.com, the median rookie deal for a 2013 seventh round pick is a four-year, $2,209,628 contract with a $49,628 signing bonus.

Herman joins fellow former Bobcat Neal Huynh as the only members of Ohio’s roster last season currently under contract with an NFL team. Huynh signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in April.

Skyler Allen, who started at center alongside Herman for two seasons signed with the Detrioit Lions in April as an undrafted free agent, but was cut following the team’s mini-camp two weeks ago.

The Giants began voluntary organized team activities Wednesday at their training facility in East Rutherford, N.J. According to ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Wilkening, if Herman makes the active roster for the season opener he will likely serve as a backup behind veteran guards Kevin Boothe and Chris Snee.

Blasius Brings New Strategy To Pitch

Brad Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:10:24 +0000

Marietta, OH

Brad Friedman

Photo Credit:

Mitch Casey

Stacey Smith is a senior midfielder for the Pioneers and has endured a variety of different schemes at Marietta.

Coming off of a 3-13-1 season, the Marietta women’s soccer program has not experienced a plethora of success recently. The Pioneers have not posted a record above .500 since their 8-8-1 campaign in 2007.

After the resignation of then head coach Elke Reisdorph last fall, Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Schaly said that it was important to find a new coach that would be “the right fit” for the program and Marietta community.

Enter: Tracy Blasius.

Returning to the pitch after a year away from coaching, Blasius brings an impressive resume and a considerable amount of experience to her new team. During her 15 seasons at Ohio Athletic Conference foe John Carroll, Blasius led the Blue Streaks to a record of 143-122-27, two regular season OAC titles and one conference tournament championship. Blasius was also named conference coach of the year three times.

Having coached against OAC teams, including Marietta, for over a decade, Schaly felt like Blasius’ knowledge of NCAA Division III soccer and the OAC made her the best choice for the job.

“She knows what it will take to make Marietta a conference champion,” Schaly said.

As for Blasius herself, the move to Marietta was a challenge she is eager to face.

“There hasn’t been a great program here for a while … I wanted to start over and build something here,” Blasius said, “The administration is behind this program and they’re ready for a change.”

Establishing consistency within the program is something both Schaly and Blasius stressed. When the Pioneers take the field against Rio Grande on August 21, this senior class will have started the season under the guidance of their third head coach.

Senior midfielder Stacey Smith had been frustrated with the constant changes at the head coaching position, but she approved of the way Blasius has taken control of the program.

“You can tell that it’s all about soccer and the team with her, ” Smith said.

Fellow senior and Marietta goalkeeper Kaitlyn Pearse also applauded Blasius’ knowledge of the game and her commitment to the program.

“She has shown that she will be here for the long haul which will be very beneficial to the program,” Pearse said.

As Blasius establishes herself as the leader of this program, Smith knew that it would take the efforts of the entire squad to get the program headed in the right direction.

“We have been stressing the importance, to the underclassmen, of being there for one another,” Smith said. “Everybody needs to step up and be there for one another.”

Through cookouts at Blasius’ home and other team bonding activities, both Pearse and Smith acknowledged the importance of building team camaraderie as the new coach establishes herself in a new job.

While Pearse and Smith expressed their optimism with their new head coach, Blasius knows that success won’t come over night. Blasius takes over a team that only scored 15 goals in 17 matches while allowing opponents to score an average of three goals per match, placing them in second to last place in the OAC.

In the Pioneers’ brief spring season, Blasius placed a few players in new positions and has implemented new offensive and defensive formation, according to Pearse.

“It’s going to be a process, little by little,” Blasius said, “There is talent on this team and we could see improvement by having a better organized system.”

Marietta has seen athletic success in several other sports, such as baseball and rowing, and the athletic department hired Blasius, along with new coaches for football and men’s soccer, in the hopes of elevating fall sports to the level of baseball, rowing and other prosperous programs.

“Everybody comes in during the fall hyped up for a new school year,” Schaly said, “The more momentum you build in the fall; the better off all athletics will be during the whole school year.”

Blasius wants her squad to “keep it simple” this fall. She has her eyes on a spot in the conference tournament this year.

“[I want us] to stay positive, work hard and to be proud of Marietta soccer.”

Accurso, Geiger To Compete At NCAA East Regional

Cody Linn — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:55:35 +0000

Athens, OH

Cody Linn

Senior Alexis Geiger and junior Juli Accurso will represent Ohio University and compete at the NCAA East Regional in women’s outdoor track and field to be held in Greensboro, N.C.

Accurso qualified for the 5,000m run which is set for Saturday at 8:05 p.m., and the 10,000m run which is set for Thursday at 9 p.m. Accurso’s time of 33:52.33 at the Stanford Invitational earned Accurso the 16^th seed in the 10,000m run and a time of 16:21.56 at the Wake Forest Open earned her the 23^rd seed in the 5,000m run.

Alexis Geiger earned her spot in the competition in high jump with a jump of 6.05m, a personal best, at the Ohio Open. The long jump is set to begin Thursday at 5 p.m.

Rodgers Adds Three To Initial Class

Allie Dosmann — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:46:58 +0000

Athens, OH

Allie Dosmann

Aaron Rodgers recently collected his first verbal commitments as head coach of the Ohio University women’s soccer team, adding three players for the class of 2014.

Defender Lauren Heger, goalkeeper Brooke Mauro and defender Megan Niebuhr play for the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy, one of the top club programs in the Midwest.

“All three girls will have played for five years in the Elite Club Nationals League by the time they begin their career at Ohio University,” wrote Ohio Elite team manager Tim Lesiak in an email. “This valuable experience will help ease them into the collegiate game and will allow all three players to make an immediate impact.”

This Ohio Elite team finished sixth in the ECNL last year, a league composed of 66 teams from across the nation. They also won the Ohio South Youth Soccer Association state cup in 2010 and 2011.

Niebuhr specifically is a promising recruit for the university. TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked her the 121^st best recruit in the country and the 12^th best recruit in the Great Lakes region. She was selected to be a part of the ECNL all event team in 2012, a very exclusive opportunity. For St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, her high school team, she made first-team all-conference and was selected for the All-Southwest Ohio team.

“We have been together for a long time and understand how each of us play our positions,” wrote Niebuhr in an email. “Since I have played next to Lauren Heger for so long, most of the time we don’t even have to communicate, we just know what each of us will be doing in certain situations. We know how to cover for each other and move off the ball.”

TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked Heger 25^th in the Great Lakes region. She verbally committed to Cincinnati in August of 2012 before committing to Ohio.

Heger and Niebuhr work to support Mauro in the net. During the 2011-2012 season, Mauro gave up only six goals in 20 games.

Ohio currently has three goalkeepers on the roster for 2013-2014, redshirt junior Rachel Fryan, junior Nicola Amari and senior Mattie Liston. The addition of a young skilled keeper like Mauro is essential for Ohio’s future success.

The addition of two top-notch defenders to the program is also a positive, but Ohio needs to look to the offensive side of the ball as well. Ohio was shut out in nearly all of their losses last season, so a scorer should be high on Rodgers’ list.

“I want to bring a MAC title home to Athens,” wrote Niebuhr. “I am a very competitive player and I love the game. I hope to bring enthusiasm and strong leadership.”

Akron Basketball: Quincy Diggs Reinstated

Matthew Doyle — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:44:35 +0000

Athens, OH

Matthew Doyle

George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reported Monday that Akron forward Quincy Diggs has been reinstated to the University of Akron and should return to the Zips’ men’s basketball team for his one remaining year of eligibility.

Diggs was suspended from the university for the 2012-13 academic school year for a violation of the University of Akron’s Code of Student Conduct. The suspension concluded on May 12, 2013.

After reevaluation of Diggs by the university and the team, the 2011-12 MAC Sixth Man of the Year will come back to a team that returns Second Team All-MAC honoree Demetrius Treadwell and loses 7-foot center Zeke Marshall.

During his junior season, Diggs averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25.5 minutes per game. The senior has the capability of playing as a point forward, which will be huge for the Zips, whose current point guard situation is uncertain with Alex Abreu getting arrested on marijuana trafficking charges and Carmelo Betancourt coming off little minutes in his freshman year.