Rocket Docket

Women's soccer wins MAC regular season title

The University of Toledo women's soccer team claimed its third MAC regular season title in the last four years with a 2-0 shutout of Ball State this afternoon at Scott Park.

The Rockets (11-6-2, 9-1-1 MAC) will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and host Ohio in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Sunday. The UT division of external affairs has agreed to pay the admission fee for the first 100 UT students with their university ID to Sunday’s contest.

Scoring for Toledo today against Ball State were senior Danielle Case, who tallied her second goal of the season at 15:42. The marker was setup on a corner kick from junior Natalia Gaitan.

The Rockets added to their lead when sophomore Rachel MacLeod found the back of the net for the seventh time this fall at 54:44. Gaitan started the play once again with a well-struck ball toward the Ball State back post to junior Kristen Mattei who headed it back toward the middle of the BSU goal box. MacLeod was there waiting for Mattei’s header and promptly placed a header into the net to establish a two-goal cushion.

Between the posts, UT senior goalkeeper Vicki Traven made four saves to collect her seventh shutout of the season.

UT volleyball to host Rocket Classic this weekend

The University of Toledo volleyball hosts the Rocket Classic this weekend at Savage Arena, taking on Alabama tonight at 7 p.m. followed by matchups against Penn and No. 25 Ohio State tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

The Rockets (3-3) came away winless in each of its three matches at the Spartan Showcase last weekend, falling to Cleveland State, St. John's and host Michigan State. Sophomore Becca Reidy led Toledo with 2.5 kills per set to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Freshman Brooke Frazer also enjoyed a solid weekend, posting 12-3-23 hitting totals for a team-high .391 attack percentage.

Toledo has seven different players averaging two-plus kills per set with sophomore Lauren Rafdal (3.11) and Reidy (3.05) leading the way.

Junior libero McCall Paynter is leading the Rockets' defensive efforts with 3.15 digs per set with sophomore Dakota Harkins averaging a team-best 1.00 blocks per set.

Other news and notes from UT's Olympic sports programs:

• Senior women's soccer player Kristen Lynn has been named the Mid-American Conference's female scholar-athlete of the week after equalling a school record with four goals against Niagara last Friday. An exercise science major with a 3.825 grade-point average, Lynn tied the UT single-match scoring record held by Amanda Brown (1996-99).

• The women's golf team opens it season at the Redbird Invitational this weekend. The Rockets' lineup for the event at the par-71, 6,074-yard Weibring Golf Club in Normal, Ill., will include one senior, one junior, one sophomore and three freshmen. The tourney will consist of 54 holes, 36 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday.

Goodall to play professionally in Spain

Former UT women's basketball player Melissa Goodall has signed a professional contract with Uni-Tenerife in Spain for the upcoming season. Goodall plans to make her way to Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands by the middle of September.

Uni-Tenerife is a member of the Spanish Second Division Professional Basketball League and will provide the Lexington, Ohio native an opportunity to continue her playing career.

Goodall, a 6-2 forward, averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game last season while helping lead the Rockets to a WNIT championship.

"I'm very excited to have this opportunity," Goodall said. "Playing professionally is something that I really wanted to do after I graduated. This is going to be a great learning experience for me."

Goodall  wrapped up her career tied for first in UT history in games played (131), fourth in blocked shots (83), 10th in minutes played (3,161) and 16th in scoring (1,131), as well as ranked third in minutes played (1,140, 2010-11), fifth in rejections (39, 2010-11) and ninth in field-goals attempted (405, 2010-11) in a single season.

"We are all very excited for Melissa to have the opportunity to continue her playing career professionally in Spain," coach Tricia Cullop said. "She has worked her tail off to improve each year and is very deserving of this wonderful experience. She is a proven leader who will positively impact her new team. Melissa is keeping the tradition alive of UT players playing professionally overseas, just like Kahli Carter, Tia Davis, Dana Drew, Julie Hillis, Karin Hoogendam, Mimi Olson and Savannah Werner did before."

Women's cross country ranked 27th nationally

The University of Toledo women's cross country team is ranked 27th in the country in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll that was released today.

This marks the third time that UT has been ranked in this spot and is the second-highest ranking in program history. The only Rocket team to surpass that mark was the 2002 MAC Championship team that was ranked as high as No. 26.

Most recently, Toledo was ranked No. 27 was the final Coaches Association poll of the 2010 season, prior to the NCAA championships. The Rockets placed 28th at the meet, marking the first time in school history that the Rockets qualified as an entire team.

UT will compete in several regular-season races this fall that will pit them up against top competition from around the country. The Inter-Regional Bubble Buster, a marquee early-season invitational hosted by Toledo at Ottawa Park on Sept. 23, consists of several teams that are either ranked nationally or receiving votes.

UT will also host an NCAA regional meet at Ottawa Park on Nov. 12.

"We're very excited about being competitive at this level and are honored by the recognition that our preseason national ranking gives our program," coach Kevin Hadsell said in a statement. "We just want to stay focused on improving week to week, and we'll see how the season plays out."

The next national rankings will be released Sept. 13.

Women's soccer picked to win MAC

The University of Toledo women's soccer team is the preseason favorite to capture the Mid-American Conference West Division and tournament title, according to a coaches’ poll released by the league office this afternoon.

The Rockets received 65 points and seven first-place votes in the balloting to edge out two-time defending tournament champion Central Michigan (62 pts.) in the West Division. Following UT and CMU were Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Ball State.

Miami is tabbed to repeat as East Division champs after garnering 68 total points and nine first-place votes. Behind the RedHawks in the East were Akron, Kent State, Ohio, Bowling Green and Buffalo.

“Even though it’s flattering to be recognized prior to the start of the season, we have a lot of work to do before the end of our season,” UT coach Brad Evans said in a statement. “The conference season is a grind, and each school’s game-in and game-out performances will determine the actual MAC champion.” 

UT returns eight of its top 10 scorers from last year’s squad that posted a 15-4-2 overall mark, including a league-record 10-1-0 Mid-American Conference record, en route to capturing a share of its second league regular-season crown in the last three seasons.

Toledo opens its regular season against Purdue on Friday at Scott Park.

 MAC Coaches Poll

West Division

1. Toledo (65 votes)

2. Central Michigan (62)

3. Western Michigan (43)

4. Eastern Michigan (41)

5. Northern Illinois (21)

6. Ball State (20)

East Division

1. Miami (68 votes)

2. Akron (56)

3. Kent State (43)

4. Ohio (40)

5. Bowling Green (31)

6. Buffalo (14)

Predicted Tournament Champion: Toledo (6 votes), Central Michigan (2), Miami (1), Western Michigan (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Ball State (1)

Volleyball releases 2011 schedule

The University of Toledo volleyball team released its 2011 schedule today with two home tournaments highlighting the slate. The Rockets will host the Blue-Gold Invitational Aug. 26-27 followed by the Rocket Classic Sept. 9-10.

UT will entertain Niagara, Oakand and Wright State in its first tournament, then host Alabama, Ohio State and Penn in the Rocket Classic two weeks later. Toledo will conclude its non-conference slate with a trip to Ann Arbor, MI to face Texas A&M, Xavier and the host Wolverines at the Michigan/adidas Invitational on Sept. 16-17.

"It's great for our program to be able to host two tournaments in Savage Arena," UT coach Greg Smith said. "Our fan support was tremendous last season, and we're hoping to see our level of support increase even more this fall.

"We want to compete against as many quality programs as possible and being able to bring a pair of BCS schools in Alabama and Ohio State into our facility is great for our fans and program," he added. "Our nonconference schedule will be difficult, but I think it's definitely going to provide us the preparation we need for the competition we face in the Mid-American Conference."

Toledo will see a heavy slate of road matches early in its conference campaign with six of its first eight contests away from Savage Arena.

UT opens its MAC schedule at defending MAC regular-season champion Ball State (Sept. 22) and Buffalo (Sept. 24) before opening its home league slate against Western Michigan (Sept. 30) and Northern Illinois (Oct. 1). The Rockets will then hit the road for two straight weeks for matches at Eastern Michigan (Oct. 7), Central Michigan (Oct. 8), Kent State (Oct. 14) and Ohio (Oct. 15) before commencing a four-match homestand against arch-rival Bowling Green (Oct. 21).

Following its matchup against the Falcons, UT will host Miami (Oct. 22), Ball State (Oct. 27) and Akron (Oct. 29). The Rockets' final two weekends of the regular season will consist of a trip to Northern Illinois (Nov. 4) and Western Michigan (Nov. 5) and home matches vs. Central Michigan (Nov. 11) and Eastern Michigan (Nov. 12).

The 2011 MAC tournament will feature a new location for the first time in seven years. The SPIRE Sports Complex in Geneva, Ohio, will host the event for the next two seasons following a six-year stint at the SeaGate Centre in downtown Toledo.

In addition to the site change, only the MAC's top eight teams will qualify for the tournament instead of all 12 schools for the first time since 2003.

LINK TO ROCKETS' FULL 2011 SCHEDULE

UT swimmer Laura Lindsay named All-American

University of Toledo junior Laura Lindsay was named an All-American as the NCAA swimming and diving championships came to a close Saturday evening.

Lindsay became the first swimmer in school history Friday to make it to the final heat of any event. After finishing 12th in the preliminary heat (1:00.33), she placed 15th (1:00.95) in the B Final in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Lindsay is the first swimmer and just the third Rocket in the program's history to earn All-American honors, joining divers Megan McKinley (2008) and Reyna Smith (1995). 

"I knew going into the meet that if I really concentrated on my races I had a chance of making it," Lindsay told UTRockets.com. "Actually doing it though proved to be something I'd never forget."

Lindsay also competed in the 200 Breaststroke on Saturday. She swam 2:11.17 in the preliminary heats to barely miss the cut for her second finals appearance, finishing 18th. 

"Being here has been such an eye-opener for how small the MAC world is," Lindsay said. "Having this experience under my belt will prepare me for greater swims to come." 

Senior captain Jacy Dyer was also in action on Saturday, competing in the 1650 Free for her final event of the weekend. Swimming the event that originally qualified her for the national meet, Dyer touched in 16:27.02 to finish 31st in her final swim for the Rockets. 

"Even though the meet didn't turn out the way I would have liked it to, I still had a great experience," Dyer said. "It's hard to believe this was my last mile as a Rocket. This was a really fun and fast meet and I'm glad I could be a part of it."

The Rockets and first-year head coach Liz Hinkleman conclude their 2010-11 season with much to look forward to.

"Both Jacy and Laura did a great job in their first appearance at the NCAA meet," Hinkleman said. "We are proud of Jacy's season and everything that she has given to this program, and for Laura to be named All-American in her first NCAA appearance makes us incredibly excited for the future."

Women's cross country looks to snag NCAA bid

The women's cross country team will be competing in the NCAA regional meet in Rochester, Mich., on Saturday and looking to earn its first team bid to the NCAA championships in the program's history.

The top two teams at the meet will earn automatic bids to NCAAs on Nov. 22 in Terra Haute, Ind. There are also 13 at-large spots, which are awarded based on regional placing and head-to-head competition throughout the season. The top four individuals in each region whose team did not earn a bid also qualify for the national championships.

Last season, junior Ari Fisher finished ninth overall, earning all-region honors and qualifying as the lone representative for Toledo at the national meet. At the MAC championships on Oct. 30, Fisher became just the fourth woman in conference history to repeat as the individual champion as the Rockets won their first team title since 2002.

All nine UT runners finished in the top 30, led by Fisher (All-MAC first team), Megan Wright (All-MAC first team), Central Catholic's Emma Kertesz (All-MAC second team) and Devyn Ramsay (All-MAC second team).

The Rockets, currently ranked No. 3 in the region, have been progressively improving all season and are in a great position to become the first MAC team to win the region.

“Winning the MAC meet was one of our immediate goals, and it was a great experience, but that was then and this is now,” coach Kevin Hadsell said in a school release. “Emotionally, in order to keep the momentum going you just have to get into your normal routine, and we did that. With both the men’s and the women’s team, we’re heading into this weekend extremely confident and on an incredibly high note emotionally. Physically we’re really ready to make another jump.” 

Women's cross country climbs rankings

One of the best kept secrets at UT is the women's cross country team, which continues to move up the national rankings this season. The Rockets are up to No. 32 nationally, ahead of schools like Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and MAC rival Miami.

I got the chance to speak with coach Kevin Hadsell last night, and it's easy to see why the Rockets have become such a well-regarded program. He doesn't lack confidence in his team and has a clear vision for what they can hopefully accomplish this season -- being one of the 31 teams to advance to the NCAA championship meet in Terra Haute, Ind., at the end of November.

Here are some snippets of our conversation:

"When I first got here 13 years ago, [Toledo] was traditionally the worst program in the MAC. Within the first three years, we made a pretty dramatic improvement to the point where we were nationally ranked, and we had a nice run from like 2000 to 2005. Then in 2005, I graduated a whole bunch of kids and literally kind of had to start over. But when I say rebuild, the worst that we were was like fifth in the MAC, so I guess it was more of a reload. But in any event, I brought in a couple of huge classes and those kids kept improving and improving. But during their sophomore year, we went through a bit of a slump, and that was when I instituted the minimum standard [to remain a member of the team] and get back to training and competing like we did when we were one of the best teams in the country.

"The last two years, we've seen a dramatic improvement. Last year we went from sixth in the MAC and 19th in the region to MAC runner-up by a couple of points to Miami and we were nationally ranked and sixth in the region. And returned almost all of those kids to this year and added yet another great recruiting class.

"We started off this year at a high level and it just continues to improve. Right now we're doing really well. We're ranked 32nd, but in the computer program that decides who goes to the NCAAs, we're 38th. So we're right on the cusp, which is a good place to be right now with where we are in our training. In two weeks we race at the pre-nationals, and that'll give us a better idea as a team where we stand nationally. MAC-wise, it's between us and Miami. There's nobody else that's even close."

At the forefront of the team's success is senior Ari Fisher, who was named MAC runner of the week today for the second straight week following her record-setting win at the Richard Clark Invitational last weekend. Fisher's story is pretty incredible, going from a "B" runner to UT's top performer in just one year, and she's taken another huge jump this fall, according to Hadsell.

"She's gone from being a possible All-American to someone who has a real shot at winning an NCAA championship this season, which hasn't ever happened in the MAC," Hadsell said. "It's unreal how much progress she's made."

Now for a quick roundup on what's going on with some of UT's other non-revenue sports:

• The women's tennis team is hosting the annual two-day Rocket Invitational this weekend. Play gets underway Friday at the varsity tennis courts between UT, Bowling Green, Duquesne, Cleveland State and Detroit Mercy. 

• The women's soccer team, which currently boasts a five-game winning streak and sits tied atop the MAC West Division, has two home matches this weekend at Scott Park. The Rockets take on rival Bowling Green at 4 p.m. Friday, and then face Miami at 1 p.m. Sunday.  

• The volleyball team looks to snap an eight-match losing streak when it hosts MAC West co-leader Ball State tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Savage Arena. The Rockets then travel to Akron to take on the Zips at 7 p.m. Saturday.

UT roundup 9-16

• The resounding success of the "Ultimate Fan Plan" season ticket package for football has led UT to formulate a similar "Ultimate Fan Plan" for men's and women's basketball as well. For $55, you get a season ticket, $30 in concession vouchers, a $25 gift card to the Rocket Shop, and a general admission parking pass. For men's basketball, seat location is in the upper east side of Savage Arena and for women's basketball you can sit in any general admission location.

• The women's cross country team is back in the national rankings for the seventh season in the last 11 years. The first poll of the 2010 season was released Monday, with the Rockets receiving six votes that placed them in a tie for 35th nationally with Ohio State.

• The volleyball team has dropped off a bit since defeating Michigan in the Rocket Classic. The Rockets are 5-5 overall and host Michigan State tomorrow at 7 at Savage Arena. The match has been designated as UT Employee Appreciation Night with all university employees receiving free admission by presenting their University of Toledo ID.

• Former UT softball player Mica Sanchez has been added to the staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Sanchez was one of the Rockets' most productive offensive players last season, leading Toledo in nearly every offensive category. 

• The women's tennis team begins its fall season this weekend at the Bowling Green Invitational, while the men will play at the Indiana University Invitational.

• Nominations for the 2011 class of the Varsity 'T' Hall of Fame are now being accepted and are due by Nov. 5. The Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Friday, Feb. 11 at the Pinnacle in Maumee, with the 2011 class being presented at both games of a basketball doubleheader the following day. Nominations may come from any source and automatically carry over to the next year. Send nomination form along with all other supporting data to: Paul Helgren, University of Toledo, Athletic Media Relations Office- MS #302, 2801 W. Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606. Or you can email Paul at paul.helgren@utoledo.edu.