OXFORD, Ohio - With all the championship-winning performances produced by Miami this past week, it was impossible to pick just one athlete for each gender, so the Miami Athletes of the Week connected by Frontier Communications for the week of Feb. 25 to March 3 goes to all members of the ice hockey team, the collegiate and senior synchronized skating teams and the women's swimming and diving team.
The
hockey team captured the final Central Collegiate Hockey Association
regular-season title with a 4-2 win over in-state rival Ohio State Saturday
night. In doing so, the RedHawks secured the program's fourth CCHA
regular-season championship and fifth conference crown overall, also winning
the CCHA Tournament in 2011. Miami last won a CCHA regular-season title in
2009-10 and also has done so in 1992-93 and 2005-06. Senior Curtis McKenzie, freshman Riley Barber, and sophomores Blake Coleman and Cody Murphy all scored
goals Saturday for Miami, which finished the regular season 22-9-5 overall and 17-7-4-4
in the CCHA, three points ahead of runner-up Notre Dame. Freshman
goaltender Ryan McKay pitched a shutout for 57 minutes, allowing the 'Hawks to
jump out to a 4-0 lead, as he finished with 28 saves in the victory. Coleman
and Barber each had a goal and an assist in the win.
The collegiate synchronized skating team cruised to its ninth
consecutive national championship Saturday, finishing ahead of its nearest competitor
by 8.15 points. The nine U.S. collegiate titles dates back to 2004-05 and ties
the U.S. Figure Skating record for consecutive national titles, equaling pairs
skaters Theresa Weld Blanchard and Nathan Niles' nine straight titles from
1918, 1920-27 (there was no competition held in 1919). Miami
capped off its second-straight undefeated season with the title and pushed its
string of first-place finishes to 11 consecutive, dating back to the start of
the 2010-11 season. Miami earned a season-high score of 92.26 for its Rock 'N
Roll-themed program to win gold for the 15th time in the 17 seasons the
RedHawks have fielded a collegiate team at the intercollegiate level. Delaware
was second with a score of 84.11.
The
senior synchronized skating team finished second at the U.S. National
Championships, earning the RedHawks a berth to the ISU World Synchronized
Skating Championships April 5-6 in Boston, Mass. Miami will make its 10th
world championships appearance in program history and first since 2011. The
senior team was also recognized by the Professional Figure Skaters Association
for having the best team performance at the national championships, the second
straight year the 'Hawks have earned the honor, garnering it for their free
skate program Saturday evening. Miami earned a combined score of 191.28, its
best of the season, collecting a mark of 125.54
for its 1920's inspired free skate while earning a program component score
of 69.25 and a technical element score of 57.29.
The
women's swimming and diving team claimed its 17th Mid-American Conference
championship Saturday in the 33-year history of MAC swimming and first since
2009. What made Miami's victory even more unique
is that the RedHawks climbed to the top of the standings without placing first
in any of the 20 individual or relay team events - a first in the history of
MAC women's swimming and diving. Miami totaled 621 points at the MAC
Championships, finishing well ahead of runner-up Ohio by 116 points. Senior
Bekka Westrick earned First-Team All-MAC while senior Leah Thornton, senior
Maegan O'Connor, sophomore Courtney Collett, freshman Aubrey Kluth and junior
Nicole Wagner were all tabbed Second-Team All-MAC selections.
The collegiate synchronized skating team has now been named the Miami Athletes of the Week twice this year and four times overall while the other teams were recognized as a whole for Miami Athletes of the Week for the first time.
The hockey team earned the No. 1 seed for the CCHA Tournament, which comes with a first-round bye. The RedHawks return to the ice March 15-17 for a best-of-three second round series at Steve Cady Arena against an opponent to be determined. Tickets can be purchased here. The varsity synchronized skating team is off for a month before heading to the ISU World Championships April 5-6 in Boston while the collegiate team is finished with its competitive season and next performs in the Miami University Ice Show April 26-27. The women's swimming and diving team is also done with its competition as a team, however select individual swimmers will compete in the NCAA Championships March 21-23 in Indianapolis.
The next Miami Athletes of the Week connected by Frontier Communications will be announced Tuesday, March 12. For a list of previous winners, click here.
For more information on high speed internet, Dish Network satellite television and digital home phone service call Frontier Communications at 888.540.7999 or log onto www.frontier.com. Frontier Communication is an Official Corporate Partner of the Miami RedHawks.
--MURedHawks.com--
