State of champions
Greg Burghardt
Last year’s success have some calling the 2002-03 season the best ever in CMU athletics history.
Six conference championship plaques, two MAC Tournament trophies, and a number of individual honors all add up to an even greater success story for CMU. Since joining the MAC 31 years ago, the school has not had so much go its way in any single season.
“It’s undoubtedly been an incredible year,” said Athletics Director Herb Deromedi. “To win six championships in any given year is a tribute not only to the athletes, but also the coaches directing those teams.”
Six teams contributed a championship effort — men’s cross country, field hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, men’s basketball and men’s outdoor track and field.
Percentage-wise, winning six out of 16 potential conference championships is a great accomplishment, Deromedi said.
The Chippewas had previously won four conference championships in one season on four separate occasions, but the six titles last season remain unprecedented.
“I think we had an absolute banner year as far as the number of championships the athletic department produced,” said gymnastics Head Coach Jerry Reighard.
The gymnastics team had a record-setting season that saw four of its members join All-MAC teams.
“We had by far the most successful season Central Michigan gymnastics has ever seen,” Reighard said. “We just had an excellent group of athletes that carried us to heights the program has never seen before.”
Field Hockey Head Coach Cristy Freese thinks success has been contagious within CMU’s athletics programs.
“When you have that success around campus, you want to duplicate that,” she said. “The success of other teams pushes other teams here to do well.”
Freese was named MAC Coach of the Year when the field hockey team won its first regular season MAC title last fall.
Freese attributes the success to stability within the programs.
“If you look at our coaching staff here, we’ve been here,” she said. “We have quality coaches here and we recruit good student-athletes.”
In all, six MAC Coach of the Year honors were handed out to CMU coaches — Craig Fuller (cross-country), Tom Borrelli (wrestling), Jay Smith (basketball), Jim Knapp (men’s track and field) and Freese.
“I am personally very proud to have been able to contribute to that,” Knapp said. “I can’t wait to get started this year and see if we cant come up with the same kind of success.”
Knapp received the honor twice after taking second at the MAC indoor championship and winning the MAC outdoor title.
“When you add it all up, it’s been a memorable year — not just for one team, but for all teams as well as individuals,” Deromedi said.
Four Chippewas earned All-America honors — Tristen Perlberg and Jake Flynn (cross country), Jackie Bozin (indoor track) and Jason Mester (wrestling).
CMU also was host to three MAC Players of the Year and had 42 student-athletes selected to All-MAC teams.
Michelle Brander was MAC Player of the year for her efforts in softball and field hockey goal keeper Janel Spero was named Co-Player of the Year.
Basketball center Chris Kaman received the most honors. Along with being named MAC Player of the Year, he also was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American.
The basketball team rebounded back from a losing season to take first in the conference and win the MAC Tournament and enter the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1989.
“It was an outstanding year all around,” said basketball Head Coach Jay Smith. “Obviously, you don’t have a sixth overall NBA draft pick every year.”
Smith said last season’s results are a testament to the hard work of the administration.
Deromedi said that hard work has been steadily building toward this level of success for the last five or six years.
Success is not unfamiliar to CMU. The school has won at least one MAC title in each of the past 22 seasons, including 24 since 1995.
“I remember several years ago an article appeared in CM Life that said the golden years had passed in Central Michigan athletics,” Deromedi said. “Obviously this is an example that there is a great future ahead of us and we have people working hard to be a part of that future.”
