Sept. 27, 2012
Issue No. 154, September 27, 2012
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
To those of you who have written or called me in the last few days and to all of you who have thought about it, I say: We’re working harder than ever. I understand the frustration you feel after the kind of loss we sustained on Saturday. The only thing I know to do is to get back to work. And that is the same for Coach Johnson, the staff and our players. There is a substantial portion of the season left to play, and we’ve got a bunch of resilient Georgia Tech student-athletes who are going to play hard every week to turn 2012 into a successful season.
As fans we all need to support these players and help pull them through the tough times. I hope that will start on Saturday when we take on Middle Tennessee at noon. It’ll be a great day to bring the family, enjoy Wreckfest, Yellow Jacket Alley and take a walk through our new basketball home, McCamish Pavilion. McCamish will be open to the public from 9 to noon on Saturday.
We have now opened a full-fledged sales center at McCamish so that interested patrons can stop by during the day to take a tour, look at available seating and talk about the various options to become a season ticket holder. If you are not yet a basketball season ticket holder, come by and take a look. Parking is free in the McCamish lot and access is easy. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new building, it’s a must-see in the coming days and weeks.
Some save-the-date housekeeping might be in order as we look toward the fall. We will be presenting “Jacket Jam” on Oct. 21 — a fun, interactive, family – and student-friendly afternoon where both men’s and women’s basketball teams will scrimmage; sign autographs and participate in fun contests. The grand opening is set for Friday night, Nov. 9 when Brian Gregory’s men’s team takes on Tulane. This will be the big night. Among other things, Coach Bobby Cremins will be on hand with many former Jacket players to get the new Pavilion off on the right foot. The grand opening weekend concludes with a blockbuster women’s game on Sunday, Nov. 11 as MaChelle Joseph’s team, fresh of last year’s Sweet 16 run, takes on perennial powerhouse Tennessee.
Season tickets are still available for both men’s and women’s 2012-13 season. Click here to find out more information.
Big Day for Golfers
Congratulations to Bruce Heppler’s 4th-ranked Yellow Jacket golf team, which shot a tournament-best score of 276 Tuesday to capture a share of the championship with the University of California at the PING-Golfweek Preview Invitational at the Capital City Club Crabapple, and to golfer Seth Reeves who fired a 4-under-par 66 in the final round, the best round by an individual in the tournament, to finish in a tie for second individually.
We are excited to be hosting the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship next May at Capital City Club Crabapple. This victory was particularly pleasing since 14 of the teams were ranked among the nation’s top 25. Tech and Cal finished the tournament at 5-over-par 845, eight shots ahead of defending national champion Texas and UNLV.
Here’s Coach Heppler talking about his team’s performance.
Volleyball on a Roll
What a start for Tonya Johnson’s Georgia Tech volleyball team as its streak continued last weekend, sweeping the Maryland Terrapins, 3-0, to snap the Terps four-game winning streak and to maintain our team’s undefeated (7-0) home record.
Tech has now swept six of its last seven opponents. Against the Terrapins, the top performers were junior setter Kaleigh Colson, who recorded a double-double (30 assists, 11 digs), while Bailey Hunter and Monique Mead added 12 and 14 kills, respectively. In the back row, senior libero Nicki Meyer led the team with 16 digs.
The volleyball Jackets have their work cut out for them this weekend going on the road to take on two of the league’s top contenders in NC State and North Carolina.
A Reason to Smile
Let me finish this week with a piece of good news that is bound to pick up the spirits of all Jacket fans. I am including here the link to an article in the recently published Smart Money magazine which ranks Georgia Tech No. 1 in America in what they call “Payback” rankings. The magazine uses criteria to show the relationship between the tuition costs as compared to salaries earned by graduates, both recent and mid-career. I think you’ll find this a fascinating read. Tech President Bud Peterson is quoted throughout. I’m pretty sure our coaches will find this information helpful as they are out on the recruiting trail and perhaps you’ll want to use it in your conversations around the water cooler.
Links to Information on the Georgia Tech-Middle Tennessee State Game:
Game Day Central
Georgia Tech Game Notes
What’s On Tap For Tech Fans
