Miami Ohio University Athletics
MIAMI MONDAY
12/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Dec. 6, 2010
Even with classes winding down and temperatures plummeting outside, Miami Athletics are heating up as one team captured Miami's second Mid-American Conference title of the year and learned its postseason plans while two other sports kicked off their seasons over the weekend. Both basketball teams will play at home twice this coming week!
 Head Coach Michael Haywood, the 2010 MAC Coach of the Year, holds the MAC Championship trophy.  | |
The football team (9-4, 7-1 MAC) won its first MAC Championship since 2003 with a thrilling 26-21 upset of No. 25 Northern Illinois Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit in the Marathon MAC Championship Game to complete a worst-to-first season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Boucher converted a fourth-and-20 on the game-winning drive and then found senior wideout Armand Robinson on the next play for the game-winning 33-yard touchdown. (RECAP)
Football vs. NIU Photo Gallery
Video Highlights of the MAC Championship Game
The RedHawks then learned of their bowl fate on Sunday and found out they are headed to Mobile, Ala. to play Middle Tennessee State out of the Sun Belt Conference in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The game is set for Thursday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. (RELEASE) Tickets are on sale for the bowl game for just $20 and fans will receive $20 off season tickets for next year with the purchase of bowl game ticket. Student tickets are free and are first-come, first-served with a Miami ID while all tickets can be purchases through the Miami Athletic Ticket Office at 513-529-HAWK (4295) or 1-866-MUHAWKS.
The football team also earned several awards last week as Head Coach Michael Haywood was named MAC Coach of the Year, the first Miami head football coach to earn the honor since 2003, while senior placekicker Trevor Cook was named First-Team All-MAC. (RELEASE) Miami also placed five players on the All-MAC Second Team and two on the Third Team while senior running back Thomas Merriweather was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week last Monday after his strong showing in the win over Temple Nov. 23. Congrats to Coach Haywood, Trevor, Thomas and all those who earned All-MAC honors!
 Junior Julian Mavunga sparked Miami to an upset of Xavier with a career-high 24 points. | |
The men's basketball team (3-5) picked up a big win of its own Wednesday night as a career-high 24 points from junior forward Julian Mavunga and a stout defensive effort sparked Miami to a 75-64 upset of local rival Xavier in Millett Hall, as the `Hawks led from start to finish. (RECAP) On Saturday, Miami fell to another local rival in Dayton, as a late 10-0 run by the Flyers broke open a tight game leading to a 70-58 RedHawk defeat. Mavunga led Miami with 18 points. (RECAP) Miami plays two more games this week, both at home, hosting Saginaw Valley State Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at Millett Hall before welcoming Troy to Oxford on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 4:30 p.m. as part of a men's/women's basketball doubleheader.
Men's Basketball vs. Xavier Photo Gallery
Women's basketball (3-3) won its only game last week, knocking off local rival Wright State on the road, 62-57, as sophomore Courtney Osborn paced Miami with 19 points. (RECAP) Miami returns to action tonight (Monday) at 7 p.m. at Millett Hall against former MAC foe Marshall. The `Hawks then play at Indiana at 7 p.m. Thursday before hosting Cal-State Bakersfield at 2 p.m. Saturday as part of the men's/women's doubleheader.
 Junior Alden Hirschfeld recorded his first career hat trick in Saturday's win. | |
The sixth-ranked ice hockey team (10-5-3, 8-4-2-1 CCHA) skated to its second straight weekend split, falling Friday to No. 12 Notre Dame, 5-4, before rebounding with a convincing 5-2 win Saturday. Junior Alden Hirschfeld recorded his first career hat trick, all in the second period Saturday, to lead Miami to the 5-2 victory. (RECAP) On Friday, the Irish scored three third-period goals to erase a RedHawk lead and steal the win. (RECAP) Miami is now off for three weeks before returning to the ice Dec. 29-30 at the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla. where it will open with No. 8 Maine.
Hockey Photo Gallery vs. Notre Dame (Saturday)
Also, congrats to sophomore Reilly Smith, who is among 39 rising Canadian hockey stars chosen to take part in Canada's National Junior Team selection camp. The selection camp takes place Dec. 12-15, 2010 at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ont. with those making the final roster participating in the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) World Junior Championships Dec. 26, 2010 to Jan. 5, 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y. (RELEASE)
 Sophomore Leah Thornton won five events at the Miami Invitational to help the women win the title. | |
The men's and women's swimming teams hosted the 17th annual Miami Invitational over the weekend. The women won the meet over Emory with 2,604 points paced by three individual wins from sophomore Leah Thornton, who also swam on two winning relay teams. (SATURDAY RECAP) (FRIDAY RECAP) (THURSDAY RECAP) The men finished in second place with 1,421 points, getting a meet-record performance from diver Jimmy Beres in the three-meter event. (RECAP) Both teams are off until after the new year when they host Evansville, Jan. 12.
Women's track and field opened its 2010-11 indoor season over the weekend at the Oiler Opener in Findlay, Ohio. Junior Diona Graves won the 60-meter dash in the seventh-fastest time in school history while sophomore Katie Scannell won the 400m to pace Miami at the season-opening meet. (RECAP) Women's track is off until 2011 as well when it competes at the BGSU Team Challenge Jan. 15.
All three of Miami's synchronized skating teams also opened their season last weekend by competing in the Dr. Porter Classic Saturday and Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The RedHawk senior team finished in fourth, the collegiate team took second place and the junior team finished fifth. (RECAP) Miami returns to the ice when the junior team heads to Fond du Lac, Wis., for the Junior World Team Selection Competition Jan. 7-8. The RedHawk senior and collegiate teams will be in action the following week at the Mid-America Championships in Fraser, Mich., Jan. 15-16.
Congrats to senior Rachel Patterson, who was named MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week after a strong showing at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. (RELEASE) Also congratulations to field hockey and women's soccer players who were named Academic All-MAC last week. Soccer placed a school-record five players on the squad (RELEASE) while senior Mary Hull represented Miami on the field hockey Academic All-MAC squad. (RELEASE)
HawkTawk continues this Thursday from Brick Street in Oxford beginning at 7 p.m. It can also be heard on the radio on one of Miami's affiliate stations: WKBV, WPFB-FM, WMOH and WONE.
GO REDHAWKS!
Players Mentioned
