Central Michigan University Athletics
Fired Up for Spring
3/12/2019 12:16:00 PM | General
Michael Alford Fire Up Chat
As I shoveled my driveway for the umpteenth time this February, I took comfort in knowing one of the best months of the college sports year was only a month away.
Today, as I head down I-90 toward Cleveland, there's no doubt that March has arrived!
Also heading to Cleveland is the 51st iteration of our women's basketball program fresh off their third-straight MAC regular season championship and sporting a roster with at least two future Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Famers in Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson.
On the men's side, I've been so proud to watch this resilient group of student-athletes. They've overcome adversity seemingly all-season and proven themselves as a tough out behind the gritty play of Kevin McKay and David DiLeo and senior leadership of Shawn Roundtree Jr. and Larry Austin Jr.
I sincerely hope you'll join me in making the trip to Cleveland to watch both of our Chippewa Basketball teams try to capture a little March magic.
While our department is always looking ahead, there are occasions where it is appropriate to look back and celebrate a truly special accomplishment. The past couple weeks offered three such occasions for our women's track program.
During the final weekend in February in Kent, Ohio, our Chippewa women's track program visited a place it hadn't been in a decade and
a half—the top of the podium.
One of the standout performers that weekend was Nadia Williams who claimed the MAC Championship in the long jump. Nadia followed that performance with her first trip to the NCAA Championships and proceeded to earn All-American Honors with a 20' 8" mark in the long jump. Congratulations Nadia!
Another star from that weekend was our Director of Track and Cross Country Jenny Swieton. In guiding her program to their first MAC Indoor Championship since 2004, Jenny was named the MAC Women's Coach of the Year.
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Jenny was my first coaching hire as an athletic director. What helped set her apart was not only her student-athlete-centered approach, but the fact that she was a Chippewa. I knew that elevating this program to the top of the MAC was not just a professional goal, but a personal one for someone who bled maroon and gold. I think her efforts in less than two years let us know we made the right call.
With warmer weather around the corner, it won't be long until the air in Margo Jonker Stadium and Theunissen Stadium is filled with the familiar pings of metal bats on balls. I hope you'll make plans to catch our new look Chippewa Baseball team as first year coach Jordan Bischel has them off to a 12-4 start on the heels of a 6-2 spring break trip in Florida.
Finally, the Chippewa Champions Center project continues to become more of a reality each and every day. We are entering into the final stages of design and development and should break ground on this game-changing, ONE CMU facility in the coming months.
While we won't open the doors on the Champions Center until 2020, one critical part of the project will be in place for kickoff against Albany on August 29—a 32' x 100', state-of-the-art video board. We are thrilled about what this element will bring to fans at Kelly/Shorts Stadium this fall.
Fire up Chips, March is finally here!
Today, as I head down I-90 toward Cleveland, there's no doubt that March has arrived!
Also heading to Cleveland is the 51st iteration of our women's basketball program fresh off their third-straight MAC regular season championship and sporting a roster with at least two future Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Famers in Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson.
On the men's side, I've been so proud to watch this resilient group of student-athletes. They've overcome adversity seemingly all-season and proven themselves as a tough out behind the gritty play of Kevin McKay and David DiLeo and senior leadership of Shawn Roundtree Jr. and Larry Austin Jr.
| Fire Up Chat Archive |
|---|
| • March 12, 2019: Fired Up for Spring • Feb. 7, 2019: Student-Athlete Success Leads the Way • Dec. 13, 2018: Growth and Progress • Oct. 23, 2018: A Game-Changer • Sept. 10, 2018: Starting Another Exciting Year for CMU Athletics • Aug. 1, 2018: Generous CMU fans show student-athlete support • May 23, 2018: Commitment in classroom leads to lifelong success • April 16, 2018: Spring success continues trend of exceeding expectations • March 13, 2018: Champions! Special group of student-athletes launches March • Feb. 19, 2018: Building up CMU through facilities, new diversity program • Jan. 15, 2018: Second semester starts with victories, good news • Dec. 11, 2017: Champions Alumni Center end-zone project taking shape • Nov. 6, 2017: Your invitation to join our "all-in" mentality • Oct. 10, 2017: Together, we help CMU student-athletes reach their potential • Sept. 8, 2017: Matching your passion for CMU as we transition to be the best |
I sincerely hope you'll join me in making the trip to Cleveland to watch both of our Chippewa Basketball teams try to capture a little March magic.
While our department is always looking ahead, there are occasions where it is appropriate to look back and celebrate a truly special accomplishment. The past couple weeks offered three such occasions for our women's track program.
During the final weekend in February in Kent, Ohio, our Chippewa women's track program visited a place it hadn't been in a decade and
a half—the top of the podium.
One of the standout performers that weekend was Nadia Williams who claimed the MAC Championship in the long jump. Nadia followed that performance with her first trip to the NCAA Championships and proceeded to earn All-American Honors with a 20' 8" mark in the long jump. Congratulations Nadia!
Another star from that weekend was our Director of Track and Cross Country Jenny Swieton. In guiding her program to their first MAC Indoor Championship since 2004, Jenny was named the MAC Women's Coach of the Year.
Â
Jenny was my first coaching hire as an athletic director. What helped set her apart was not only her student-athlete-centered approach, but the fact that she was a Chippewa. I knew that elevating this program to the top of the MAC was not just a professional goal, but a personal one for someone who bled maroon and gold. I think her efforts in less than two years let us know we made the right call.
With warmer weather around the corner, it won't be long until the air in Margo Jonker Stadium and Theunissen Stadium is filled with the familiar pings of metal bats on balls. I hope you'll make plans to catch our new look Chippewa Baseball team as first year coach Jordan Bischel has them off to a 12-4 start on the heels of a 6-2 spring break trip in Florida.
Finally, the Chippewa Champions Center project continues to become more of a reality each and every day. We are entering into the final stages of design and development and should break ground on this game-changing, ONE CMU facility in the coming months.
While we won't open the doors on the Champions Center until 2020, one critical part of the project will be in place for kickoff against Albany on August 29—a 32' x 100', state-of-the-art video board. We are thrilled about what this element will bring to fans at Kelly/Shorts Stadium this fall.
Fire up Chips, March is finally here!
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