Over the past few weeks, we’ve celebrated our fall sports teams’ return to Mount Pleasant and their seasons are now underway. I’m Fired Up for what’s in store!
The football team returns nine starters on defense, which is just one reason we’re excited to travel to Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 1 and Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 16. We also are eager to welcome you to Mt. Pleasant for five home games, beginning with New Hampshire on Sept. 9. And don’t forget to put Homecoming — Oct. 14 — on your calendar, when we take on Akron!
Visit our ticket page to browse single-game and season tickets, as well as links to purchase volleyball tickets, which are a great deal with general admission pricing ranging from $4 to $6. The volleyball team, coming off a 20-victory season in 2022, opens its regular-season home schedule Sept. 1-2 with the Chippewa Invitational, a four-team event.
Men’s and women’s cross country, soccer, field hockey, and men’s and women’s golf also begin their seasons over the next week.
Good luck to all of our fall student-athletes!
Progress and education
CMU Athletics staff spent the summer planning, growing and learning. We are working on enhancing our goals, which remain focused on developing our student-athletes, providing an outstanding fan experience and being leaders in the Mid-American Conference.
One highlight is the progress we’ve made to ensure we’re developing our student-athletes to be the best they can be on the field, in the classroom and in their everyday lives. This includes enhancement of support services for our student-athletes, focused on their mental and physical health, leadership, career development, community outreach and more.
On the staff side, we took the opportunity this summer to learn more about our neighbors and partners, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, through a visit to the tribe’s Ziibiwing Center. Thank you to the center’s expert tour guides who provided an experience that left us with an even deeper appreciation for and understanding about Native American culture.
Welcoming a new Hall of Fame class
This is also an exciting time of year for CMU Athletics because it is when we announce our newest Marcy Weston Hall of Fame inductees.
Congratulations to this year’s inductees:
- Wrestler Ben Bennett, who attended CMU from 2009-13, and is the current CMU associate head wrestling coach.
- Women’s soccer player Bailey Brandon, who attended CMU from 2009-12.
- Softball player Leslie Grimes Phelan, who attended CMU from 1989-92.
- Women’s soccer player Liesel Toth, who attended CMU from 2008-11.
- Football player Frank Zombo, who attended CMU from 2006-09.
- The 1983-84 women’s basketball team.
The 2023 class will be inducted on Friday, Sept. 29, during a ceremony that starts at 6 p.m. in McGuirk Arena. Admission is free and open to the public. The inductees also will be honored at CMU’s football game the next day against Eastern Michigan.
Telling our story and making connections
Over the past year, the Athletics staff and I have made it a goal to communicate more with fans and supporters. That’s why I launched this blog and also my podcast — CMU Athletics Connection — where I go behind the scenes to share stories about our rich history, successful alumni and student-athletes.
In my latest podcast, I sat down with CMU alum and Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush. We talked about his time at CMU — on the football field as well as in the classroom — and what it’s like to play in the NFL. You can listen to our conversation here.
We also embraced opportunities this summer to enhance CMU’s national presence. This included participation in events where we can share our expertise, such as the National Athletics Directors Association Conference in Orlando this June, as well as representation at the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee meetings in Savannah, Georgia, in July.
I hope to see many of you at our events this upcoming year. It’s because of you that we are able to give our student-athletes the support they need to be successful. Thank you for your continued support of CMU Athletics!
Fire Up Chips!
