The Miami University Athletic Department capped off a historic year on Wednesday night, riding a school-record nine championships to finish first in the Mid-American Conference's Reese (men) and Jacoby (women) standings in the same year for the first-time ever.
In addition to tying the school record for most championships at nine (eight of which were in the MAC), Miami set new records for seven coach of the year and 10 player/freshman of the year awards in 2018-19.
"Winning these awards is a tribute to our great student-athletes, coaches and staff as everyone plays a role in success like we enjoyed this year," said Director of Athletics
David Sayler. "Working at a tremendous place like Miami University allows us to expect that we can have it all here and we will never stop in our relentless pursuit of academic and athletic excellence."
The Reese Trophy, which was first awarded back in 1958, has been claimed by Miami on 24 different occasions. No other school has won the award more than nine times in Mid-American Conference history. Men's cross country and swimming and diving claimed MAC Championships this past year, while football (second), outdoor track (third) and baseball (fourth) all had major impacts on capturing this award for the first time since 2004-05.
On the women's side, Miami claimed the Jacoby Trophy for a sixth time in school history. This award first began back in 1983. Four different teams won MAC Championships this past season, including volleyball, softball, tennis and field hockey. Cross country and women's basketball also influenced the award with third-place finishes, helping the RedHawks claim the award for the first time since 2012-13.
"Our Miami University student-athletes combine athletic achievement with excellence in the classroom and service to the community," Miami President Greg Crawford said. "Congratulations to
David Sayler and our outstanding coaches for leading Miami athletics to one of its most successful years ever while advancing our core values and making athletics an integral part of the student experience. This is a remarkable achievement, thanks to David's leadership and vision during his seven years at Miami."
For both trophies, points are awarded based on each school's league finish in a particular sport, with the overall total divided by the number of sports sponsored by each school. The men's trophy is named for David E. Reese, the first-ever MAC Commissioner. The women's trophy is named for Fred Jacoby, MAC Commissioner from 1971-82, who is credited with incorporating women's athletics into the conference structure.
Reese and Jacoby Standings Since Sayler's Arrival
Year Men Women Overall Win Percentage
2012-13 12
th 1
st .506
2013-14 11
th 3
rd .476
2014-15 11
th 3
rd .489
2015-16 10
th 4
th .496
2016-17 7
th 3
rd .475
2017-18 3
rd 2
nd .526
2018-19 1st 1st .588
Miami added a school record nine championships during the 2018-19 campaign with help from field hockey (regular season and tournament champion), tennis (regular season and tournament champion), volleyball (regular season), men's swimming and diving (MAC Championship meet), softball (regular season), synchronized skating (national champion), and men's cross country (MAC Championship meet). Overall, Miami won 192 games this year, the most it has won since 2012.
Miami set a school record with seven Coach of the Year honors, led by
Hollie Bonewit-Cron (swimming),
Tom Chorny (men's cross country),
Clarisa Crowell (softball),
Carolyn Condit (volleyball),
KR Li (diving),
Inako Puzo (field hockey) and
Ricardo Rosas (tennis).
The RedHawks also posted a combined 10 Player/Freshman of the Year award winners, which is also a school record. Those honorees include: Sam Bachman (baseball – freshman) Olivia Bechtel (women's track and field), Gaby Harper (volleyball - freshman), Mariona Heras (field hockey – defensive), Harrison Moncino (diver), Iago Moussalem (swimming), Paula Portugal (field hockey – offensive), Brindtha Ramasamy (tennis - freshman), Ryan Smith (track – freshman) and Sean Torpy (track and field).
All this occurred while Miami was once again strong in the classroom, finishing the spring semester with a 3.2 grade-point average. Miami has now finished each semester with at least a 3.0 GPA for 29 straight semesters.
How It Happened
Sayler's vision of capturing both awards was clear from day one, but he also knew major alterations over time were needed to reach those goals.
Leadership and structural changes were made in an effort to reenergize and revive programs. The
Graduating Champions Campaign was also launched, the first-ever athletics only fundraising campaign at Miami. Nearly half of the funding raised for the Campaign supported facilities, while the other half addressed scholarship, endowment and program support. These facilities included the addition of the Dauch Indoor Sports Center (DISC), Miami Varsity Tennis Courts, the Jay Hayden Baseball Center and the turfing of McKie Field at Hayden Park, the Leahy Performance Center at the Goggin Ice Center and the Athletic Performance Center. It also included renovation of Yager West for Olympic Sports and updates to Millett Hall. Renovation of the Miami Soccer Field Complex began in May and field hockey received a new locker room this past fall.
A new blueprint was created in order to uniquely support student-athletes through a clearly defined strategic planning process that focused on the mission of Graduating Champions. The
Strategic Plan highlights department values, including diversity and inclusion, competitive excellence and collaboration.
In an effort to modernize select athletic programs, the men's and women's cross country/track and field programs were combined into a single unit. The same took place with both the men's and women's swimming and diving, merging them into one program. These moves both contributed to the men's cross country and men's swimming and diving programs capturing MAC Championships this past season. Head swim coach Bonewit-Cron also became the first female head coach in conference history to lead a men's team to a MAC Championship.
Behind the scenes, other departmental mergers have taken place to streamline support and operating efficiency for student-athletes. This includes the creation of the Human Performance and Wellness Division (combining sports medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition and mental health), where all physical and mental performance and health are holistically addressed.
All of these additions and modifications were evident in 2018-19 as the RedHawks not only claimed victory in both the Reese and Jacoby, but they also set school records in several categories and completed one of the most successful years in Miami Athletics history.
