Last year, Miami University athletics achieved many great feats, including another MAC championship visit for football, an Elite Eight run for women’s field hockey and an undefeated regular season with a March Madness win for men’s basketball.
RedHawk fans had the opportunity to participate in the teams’ successes by attending games and rooting for history in the making. Among all seasons and games were a few moments that encapsulated the dominant run Miami athletics made.
Men’s Basketball: RedHawks complete a perfect 31-0 season
The RedHawks defeated the Ohio University Bobcats in a 110-108 overtime thriller on March 6 to close out the season with a perfect 31-0 record. Guard Eian Elmer had a career-high 32 points while Bobcat guard Jackson Paveletzke dropped 37.
What made this game even more special was the end of the game itself. Heading into the last seconds of the game, Paveletzke missed a 12-foot jumper that would’ve sealed the victory for the Bobcats. Instead, the game went into overtime.
After a clutch pair of free throws from RedHawk guard Peter Suder to take the lead, the Bobcats had another chance to steal the game from the RedHawks. Down by one with under five seconds remaining, Paveletzke dribbled down the court to put up a game-winning three that rolled off the back of the rim, sending RedHawk coaches, fans and players into mayhem.
Men’s Basketball: Double buzzer-beater miracle against Buffalo
The RedHawks defeated the Buffalo University Bulls in another overtime thriller, 105-103 on Jan. 17. Buzzer-beater victories are among the most exciting ways to close out a basketball game. The RedHawks hit two.
Suder scored an impressive 37 points to help keep the undefeated season alive for the RedHawks. Although Suder led the charge for the majority of the game, it was Elmer who hit the first buzzer-beater three-pointer after a Suder miss and offensive rebound with three seconds remaining.
After a low-scoring period in overtime, the game was tied with under 10 seconds remaining, and Suder redeemed himself with a game-winning three-pointer.
Men’s Basketball: RedHawks upset SMU and join round of 64 in March Madness
After losing in the first round of the MAC tournament, the RedHawks’ only chance at competing in the NCAA Division I March Madness tournament was an at-large bid. After much controversy over whether the undefeated record was a good enough resume to earn it or not, the committee gave the RedHawks an 11-seed and a play-in game against the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs.
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It was the RedHawks’ first appearance in the tournament since 2007, marking a historic season for the team. Although Miami wasn’t favored to win, according to CBS Sports, the men rallied together for an 89-79 victory that would send them to the first round. This marked the first tournament win for the program since 1999.
Miami set a First Four record with 16 three-point shots, each one electrifying the nearby UD Arena full of raucous RedHawk fans.
The team’s basketball season finally came to an end after a 78-56 defeat against the University of Tennessee Volunteers, who made it to the Elite Eight before getting knocked out by the eventual tournament champions, the University of Michigan Wolverines.
Women’s Basketball: Lady RedHawks win first MAC Championship since 2008
As the men’s basketball team continued receiving recognition at the national level for its undefeated season, the women’s basketball team quietly put up an impressive 28-7 record, tying for first in the conference. The RedHawks later took down Kent State University, Ohio University and the University of Toledo to win their first MAC tournament title since 2008.
This marked a historic achievement for Miami’s basketball programs: the first time in history both men’s and women’s teams played in the NCAA Division I March Madness tournament. The RedHawks earned a 13 seed and lost in the first round to the 4-seed West Virginia Mountaineers 82-54.
Baseball: McKie Field’s largest crowd attendance and win over Michigan
Miami defeated the University of Michigan Wolverines 12-10 on April 21 after hitting five home runs and erasing a 3-0 deficit after the first inning. McKie Field held 1,643 fans, a program record for the ballpark.
What made fans even more excited to watch was that three of the five RedHawk home runs were consecutive. A win against the Wolverines meant a MAC team taking down a Big Ten conference team, which validated the skill level of Miami’s baseball program and drew national attention.
Women’s Field Hockey: Eighth straight title win and Elite Eight appearance
Miami’s women’s field hockey program has continued to stay strong after yet another impressive season and an Elite Eight run in the NCAA Division I women’s field hockey tournament. The team finished with a 16-5 record and an 8-1 conference record, earning the one seed in the tournament and later defeating two-seed University of Massachusetts Minutemen 2-1 in a double-overtime game.
Luckily for the RedHawks, this momentum carried them on to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in program history, upsetting the number-four-seed University of Virginia Cavaliers 2-1 as an unseeded team.
Miami eventually fell to the Northwestern University Wildcats 3-2, an impressive achievement as the Wildcats went on to win the national tournament in a double overtime thriller against the Princeton University Tigers.
Football: RedHawks shutout Lindenwood for first win of the season
After losing its first three games of the season, Miami shut out the Lindenwood University Lions 38-0 for its homecoming game. The huge win would boost the team’s confidence and momentum, enough to eventually reach the MAC tournament game for the third straight season.
The game wasn’t just high-scoring, but also fun to watch. Early in the game, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown led to the RedHawks’ first score of the game. Wide receiver Kam Perry added two deep touchdowns, 31 and 66 yards respectively. Quarterback Henry Hesson, in his first home start, threw for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Perry.
With the recent success of its various athletic programs, Miami has gained more national attention than ever before and has built a resume for incoming freshmen to support the championship-level sports Miami has to offer.
younggm7@miamioh.edu
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