The Toledo men’s golf team will host the 15th annual Inverness Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 23 and 24, at the Inverness Club.

The 54-hole tournament will be played on a par-71, 7,172-yard layout that served as host for the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur this past summer. The event will begin with 36 holes Monday (8:45 a.m. shotgun start) followed by the final 18 holes Tuesday (8:30 a.m. tee times on holes No. 1 and 10).

The Inverness Club was founded in 1903, and along with The University of Toledo, served as host for the 2009 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. Inverness will host the 2021 Solheim Cup and also has hosted four U.S. Opens, two U.S. Senior Opens, two PGA Championships and one U.S. Amateur.

“We are so grateful to the membership at the Inverness Club for their continued generous support of the Inverness Intercollegiate,” Head Coach Jeff Roope said. “This event means so much more than simply hosting a two-day event. It is really the cornerstone for our past, present and future successes. We get invited to other top college events because of the reciprocal nature of hosting the Intercollegiate, top recruits are looking for teams that play such a great schedule, better players allow you to compete at a higher level, competing at a higher level gets a team invited to more top events, and on and on. The benefits are enormous and irreplaceable. We cannot thank the Inverness members enough.”

The field for the tournament includes 12 schools that were ranked in the top 100 of last year’s Golfstat final rankings. Highlighting the field are three 2019 NCAA Championship participants -—Auburn, LSU and Ohio State — and six 2019 NCAA Regional qualifiers — Texas Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, St. Mary’s, Kent State and UNC Wilmington. Also competing in the tournament along with the Rockets will be Kennesaw State, Michigan, Missouri, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame.

“This year’s event signals the return of the elite status of the Inverness Intercollegiate,” Roope said. “We worked diligently to attract top teams to Toledo, and we could not be happier with the field. To have defending champion Tennessee back along with teams like LSU, Auburn, Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State is amazing.”

Tennessee won last year’s event with a 12-over par 864, finishing seven strokes ahead of Virginia and San Francisco. The Cavaliers’ Thomas Walsh captured medalist honors with a tournament-record eight-under par 205. Toledo finished seventh and was just three strokes out of fifth place. Sophomore David Amm set the pace for the Rockets by tying for 11th place.

A portion of Tuesday’s final round can be viewed on ESPN3 with a scheduled air time from noon to 3 p.m. It will mark the second consecutive year that The University of Toledo’s Department of Communication and Athletic Department have teamed up to televise the sport of golf. Since its inception in the 2015-16 academic year, the Rockets have produced events for ESPN3 in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball.

Live scoring for the Inverness Intercollegiate can be found at golfstatresults.com.

Fresh off a 45-0 victory over Murray State, Toledo will go west for a late-night matchup at Colorado State Saturday, Sept. 21.

Kickoff is scheduled for 10:15 Eastern Time. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

The Rockets and the Rams are 1-1 in their all-time series and haven’t met on the gridiron since Toledo lost in Fort Collins in 1973. The two schools will meet again in Toledo in 2021.

Toledo (1-1, 0-0 MAC) heads to the Rockies with a boost of confidence following its shutout of the Racers before 25,361 at the Glass Bowl. It was the Rockets’ first shutout since a 42-0 whitewashing of Marshall Oct. 14, 2000, a string of 228 games.

Senior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for a career-high 266 yards and three touchdowns in the Murray State win. Guadagni, who suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Toledo’s 38-24 loss at Kentucky two weeks ago, completed passes to nine different players and threw for touchdowns of 8, 11 and 43 yards.

Guadagni’s favorite target was junior tight end Drew Rosi, who caught a career-best five passes for 84 yards and one touchdown.

Toledo’s offense racked up 538 yards, while the defense held Murray State to just 94 yards of total offense in the second half.

Colorado State (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West) is coming off a 55-31 loss at Arkansas last week. The game was tied, 34-34, until the Razorbacks scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Senior Marvin Kinsey Jr. rushed for 180 yards and one TD in the loss.

Senior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for a career-high 266 yards and three touchdowns as the Rockets cruised to a 45-0 victory over Murray State before a home-opening crowd of 25,361 at the Glass Bowl Saturday night.

The victory was the first shutout for the Rockets in 19 years, a span of 228 games going back to a 42-0 Toledo win over Marshall Oct. 14, 2000. It also was the first time Murray State had been shut out since 2005.

Guadagni, who suffered a concussion in Toledo’s 38-24 loss at Kentucky two weeks ago, completed passes to nine different players and threw for touchdowns of 8, 11 and 43 yards. Guadagni’s favorite target was junior tight end Drew Rosi, who caught a career-best five passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. Toledo’s offense racked up 538 yards, 348 in the air and 190 on the ground.

Toledo’s defense kept the Racers in check all night, forcing two turnovers and holding them to 331 total yards, just 93 of which came in the second half. The Rockets’ defense came up big when it counted, too, holding Murray State to 4 of 15 on third down and 0 of 3 on fourth down.

In the first quarter, Murray State drove down to the Toledo 28-yard line on its first possession, but was stopped on downs when Jordan Fisher halted a short pass for no gain on a fourth and six. Moments later, MSU had a chance to get on the scoreboard, but Zaden Webber’s 45-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright.

The Rockets got on the board first when freshman Evan Davis nailed a 40-yard field goal with 3:21 left in the first quarter.

Toledo struck on the first play of the second quarter on an eight-yard pass from Guadagni to redshirt freshman Devin Maddox to give Toledo a 10-0 lead. Moments later, Guadagni hit Rosi for an 11-yard strike to increase the lead to 17-0. The drive was set up by a 66-yard bomb from Guadagni to Bryce Mitchell to the MSU 11-yard line.

In the third quarter, Toledo took advantage of a Samuel Womack interception, extending the lead to 24-0 on a 43-yard TD pass from Guadagni to Desmond Phillips.

Murray State missed another chance to score when a 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked by David Hood.

On the very next play, the Rockets made it 38-0 on a 55-yard bomb from Carter Bradley to Danzel McKinley-Lewis.

Toledo added to its lead with a 42-yard TD run by freshman Micah Kelly to make it a 45-0 game in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets travel to Colorado State Saturday, Sept. 21. The game is slated to start at 10:15 Eastern Time and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The Toledo women’s golf program will host a tournament at the Inverness Club for the first time next week when it tees off its 2019-20 campaign with the Glass City Invitational.

The 54-hole tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 16-17. An 8:45 a.m. shotgun start will open the tournament Monday with an 8 a.m. tee time scheduled for Tuesday.

The event is open to the public with free parking.

The tourney field includes three schools — Florida, Illinois and Northwestern — that advanced to the 2019 NCAA Championships and five more — Baylor, Furman, Michigan State, Ohio State and Texas A&M — that qualified for last year’s NCAA Regionals. In this year’s Women’s Golf Coaches Association preseason poll, Florida is ranked No. 8 and is joined by No. 15 Northwestern, No. 16 Illinois and No. 19 Michigan State. Also receiving votes in the poll were Baylor, Furman and Ohio State.

Joining the Rockets in the event are Coastal Carolina, Michigan, South Florida and Wisconsin.

“Inverness Club is a special place with a membership committed to the highest of quality in the game of golf,” Toledo Head Coach Jenny Coluccio said. “We are thrilled and fortunate to have the opportunity to host the first women’s event at Inverness and welcome a very competitive field. Our relationship with Inverness and hosting a top event will continue to have a lasting impact for our players and program.”

Toledo’s squad this season will feature a blend of youth and experience. The Rockets return three seniors — Thunpijja Sukkasem, Donchanok Toburint and Saranlak Tumfong — this year and welcome four freshmen — Caroline Kane, Amelia Lee, Kathryn Roth and Claudia Sampson.

Coluccio said she is looking forward to the start of the season with a group that is eager to learn.

“Productive is the word that best describes our first two weeks of practice and qualifying,” Coluccio said. “The team is truly learning during each practice session, and I am very happy with their efforts. This year will be a journey, and we are focusing on one step at a time and improving each day. I am excited to watch their overall progress this year. They are excited to be playing at home at Inverness and Toledo for the first event of the season.”

Live scoring for the Glass City Invitational can be found at golfstatresults.com.



The University of Toledo named Brie Globig as the Rockets’ interim women’s swimming and diving coach Thursday.

Globig takes over the reins of the program following the resignation of Jonas Persson, who has accepted a position at the University of Utah as the associate head coach for the swimming and diving program.

“We are excited for the upcoming season and look forward to the accomplishments of our swimming and diving student athletes” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Kelly Andrews. “We know that Brie and Gabby Agostino, our diving coach, are going to provide our student-athletes with outstanding leadership.”

Globig is entering her first season with the Rockets and fifth season overall as a head coach. Prior to her newly appointed role as interim head coach, she was hired as the assistant coach in July.

“I look forward to helping guide the Rockets to a successful 2019-20 season, both in the pool and the classroom,” Globig said. “The culture and values instilled in the program will ensure the continued success of each athlete and the team as a whole.”

Globig comes to Toledo after serving as head coach for four years at East Stroudsburg University. Prior to her four seasons there, Globig worked as a graduate assistant swimming and diving coach at California University (Pa.) in 2013-14.

She swam collegiately at Bloomsburg (Pa.) University from 2008 to 2012.

At ESU, Globig coached eight individuals who qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships in the 2018-19 season; this included a fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle. The Warriors set 14 school records and two pool records during her time at ESU. Globig led the Warriors to their best finish at the PSAC Championships in 16 years during the 2017-18 season: Seven Warriors combined for 27 scoring performances at the conference meet. ESU saw two individuals qualify for “A” finals for the first time in five years, with two swimmers earning top-10 finishes. The Warriors also notched a fifth-place finish in the 400 free relay, their best relay finish since 2004.

ESU also had a strong showing in the classroom last season, earning College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America team honors by registering a 3.34 team grade-point average.

As a four-year swimmer at Bloomsburg, Globig qualified for the PSAC Championships in three freestyle events during her last three seasons with the Huskies. Globig also earned NCAA “B” standard times in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in two different events.

Globig graduated from Bloomsburg in 2012 with a degree in pre-physical therapy and health science. In 2014, she earned her master’s degree in sport management with a concentration in intercollegiate athletic administration from California University (Pa.).

Andrews added a national search for a permanent head coach will begin immediately.

Toledo will make its 2019 debut at the Glass Bowl with a matchup vs. Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent Murray State Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m.

The Rockets opened the season with a loss at Kentucky Aug. 31 and a bye week Sept. 7.

Toledo started strong against the Wildcats, moving out to a 14-7 lead thanks to rushing touchdowns from sophomore running back Bryant Koback and senior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni. But Kentucky outscored the Rockets 31-10 the rest of the way, denying Toledo the chance for its second-ever win against an SEC school.

Guadagni completed 7 of 12 passes for 122 yards before leaving the game due to injury late in the third quarter. He also tied Koback for the team lead with 73 rushing yards. Juniors Danzel McKinley-Lewis and Bryce Mitchell topped the Rockets with three receptions apiece.

Sophomore Saeed Holt led Toledo’s defensive efforts with a career-high 10 tackles to go with a tackle for loss and forced fumble, while junior Tycen Anderson registered a career-best eight stops.

The Racers are 1-1 and coming off a 63-17 loss at No. 3 Georgia Sept. 7. In its opener Aug. 31, Murray State dumped National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics opponent Pikeville, 59-20.

This will be the first meeting between Toledo and Murray State on the gridiron. The Rockets are 24-2 vs. FCS opponents since the NCAA split up Division I in 1978.

Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. The game will be carried by ESPN3.

To ensure a positive game-day experience, fans are advised to arrive early in order to give themselves plenty of time to find suitable parking.

Tickets are still available. Go to the Toledo Football Central website, call 419.530.GOLD (4653), or go to the Athletic Ticket Office at Savage Arena. The office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Students are admitted free with their Rocket ID; faculty and staff can buy tickets half price with ID.

The University of Toledo women’s cross country team placed second with 56 points at the Northern Illinois University Huskie Challenge in DeKalb Friday evening, finishing behind the host school total of 32 points.

“Overall, it was a solid day for our women,” said first-year Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. “We do not want to be at our best at this time of year. We want to be at our best when we come back to this course in six weeks. This was really like a fact-finding mission to get a feel for the course and get experience on it.”

Sophomore Claire Steigerwald set the pace for the Rockets, crossing the finish line with a time of 22:38.1 to take seventh. Junior Michelle Hostettler stopped the clock at 22:53.1 to land ninth. Freshman Emily Vining posted a time of 22:55.1 to finish in 11th place.

“Claire Steigerwald had a very good day, and she handled herself really well, which was nice to see,” Grove McDonough said. “She’s going to look great on the course again come the end of October, so I feel good about that. Emily Vining had an outstanding day for a freshman, as well, running her first 6K on such a difficult course.”

On the men’s side, freshman Jacob Harris’ collegiate debut was a memorable one after he captured the individual title. Harris crossed the finish line with a time of 25:52.1 over 8,000 meters to help the Rockets to a fourth-place team finish.

“Obviously, Jacob Harris getting the win was terrific,” Grove McDonough said. “He was very controlled, he ran with lots of poise. You really can’t ask for more than that in your collegiate debut, to come away with a win. Raymond Korir had a really nice day in his debut for us, as well. I really felt good about our men out there today and really encouraged about our men’s program moving forward and being considerably improved from where they were a year ago.”

Sophomore Raymond Korir also made an appearance in the top five, stopping the clock at 26:19.1 to finish fourth. Freshman Jake Rethman was the third Rocket to cross the finish line, posting a time of 27:19.0 to take 21st place.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 28, for the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus. Competition is slated to start at 9 a.m.

Rocket fans can support the city of Toledo’s fire and police departments in the first Battle of the Badges flag football game to be played in the Glass Bowl Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 and also includes admission to the Toledo Rockets home opener vs. Murray State Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at UTRockets.com, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653), or visiting the Rocket Ticket Office in the Glass Bowl and Savage Arena. The Rocket Ticket Office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, with doors opening at 5 p.m.

Free parking will be available in lots 5, 6 and 10.

Three dollars from every ticket sold will be donated to each organization’s charity. The fire department is donating to Toledo Firefighters’ Local 92 Charity, while the police department is contributing to the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association.

Fans can use the promo code “POLICE” to purchase tickets for the police department, or the promo code “FIRE” for the fire department.

Go to the police ticket website or the fire department ticket website.

The University of Toledo football program shared the joy of victory with approximately 30 special needs students from around the area at its sixth annual Victory Day at the Glass Bowl.

Participating students met Rocket football players, ran drills on the field, and heard their names announced over the public address system as they scored a touchdown.

Victory Day is an opportunity for special needs students to have their moment in the sun on the football field. Each student was partnered with a Toledo football player who served as his or her mentor for the day. Toledo cheerleaders also were there to cheer on the participants.

“I’m not sure who gets more out of this, the kids or our players,” said Head Football Coach Jason Candle. “It’s an awesome day to give a chance to a young person who may have some limitations to have a special day. We’re just happy that we are able to provide a smile today and an opportunity for our players to interact with the community.”

Many Rocket players said the event not only is a chance to make special connections in the community, but it also helps provide them with a sense of perspective.

“It’s a great honor to be able to see these kids enjoying themselves,” said senior running back Ronnie Jones. “It gives me a sense of humility knowing that there is something bigger out there than just you. Giving back is the biggest thing you can do. And the thing is, it doesn’t take a lot of effort. Just coming out and playing with a kid can make their day.”

Added senior center Bryce Harris, “We get a chance to do this all year round. I think we take it for granted sometimes. It’s a great opportunity for us to step back and let these kids be the Rockets for a day.”

Some of the students come back every year and have built special bonds with individual Rockets. Junior punter Bailey Flint has been paired with Nick Fish for three years.

“I’ve been able to build a relationship with Nick and his entire family,” Flint said. “They shoot me messages on what he’s doing, how he’s doing in school. He plays on an ice hockey team, and he brought half the team today, which is awesome. It’s really great to see these kids score a touchdown. That’s something that I’ve never even done.”

Victory Day was started in 2010 by Aaron Segedi, a teacher and football coach from Trenton, Mich., a cancer survivor whose life was saved thanks to a liver donation from his sister, Rhonda. Since then, the Victory Day program has been adopted by high schools and universities throughout the country.

The Rockets first celebrated Victory Day in 2014. Candle said he hopes the event will continue for years to come.

“We grow up looking up to athletes, entertainers and historical figures,” Candle said. “But there are some real heroes right in front of us with these parents. We have no idea what they go through on a day-to-day basis. It’s a very small piece in a big puzzle, but we’re happy to be a part of it.”

The University of Toledo Athletic Department has announced the addition of several menu updates and enhancements to game days at the Glass Bowl for the 2019 football season.

The Glass Bowl game-day concession menu will expand to include an increased number of stands throughout the stadium, several new premium items, as well as the addition of local favorites such as Tony Packo’s and Holey Toledough Doughnuts.

“We’re thrilled to bring in new vendors and expand our menus for fans. We want to make the Rocket game-day experience more memorable, and part of that experience is offering a variety of delicious food items at the Glass Bowl,” said Deputy Director of Athletics Dave Nottke. “We are also partnering with local vendors to bring our fans more of the food they love.”

Toledo Athletics also recently announced a partnership with a local franchisee to serve Domino’s Pizza as the official pizza at Rocket sporting events on campus.

New dining options are:

• Glass City Smokehouse — The new Glass City Smokehouse, located in the southwest end of the stadium behind Sections 11 and 12, will feature grilled hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, smoked brisket sandwiches, bratwurst and turkey legs, with additional smoked or barbecue menu items that will rotate every game. For the home opener Saturday, Sept. 14, the Glass City Smokehouse featured items will be brisket nachos and chorizo sausage. All sausages are made from scratch with smoked in-house meats.

• Beer Garden — There will be an expanded beverage menu in the Beer Garden on the north end of the stadium near Gate A. It will feature Budweiser and Bud Light, the official beer of the Toledo Athletic Department, along with favorite beverage choices in one location with quick and easy service.

• Fans-First With the Rocket Value Special — The very first stand on the West Concourse behind Section 2 will feature a Rocket Value Special: hot dog, chips and 20-ounce drink for $6.

• Main Stands on West and East Concourses — The main stands on the East and West Concourse will feature local favorites rom Tony Packo’s, the Front Street Frank and the Packo’s Original Hot Dog, as well as pizza from Domino’s and other game-day staple items. An express lane that will accept cash-only will be available so that fans don’t miss any of the action. Also, more locations will serve beer, with Budweiser and Bud Light available at the main stands.

• Food Court — The Food Court on the West Concourse behind Sections 2 and 3 will showcase new items like walking tacos and bacon-on-a-stick, along with other game-day staples like popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, candy and more.

• Sweet Shack — Located on the West Concourse behind Section 8, the Sweet Shack will feature a churro dog, as well as provide a rotating special item of the game and traditional sweet treats.

• Fuzzy’s Taco — Fuzzy’s Taco stand on the southeast corner of the stadium behind Sections 17 and 18 will feature street tacos and queso and chips.

• Holey Toledough Doughnuts — Local favorite Holey Toledough Doughnuts will be in the south end of the stadium with a doughnut of the game, other savory doughnuts and coffee.

• Rocket Hour — When the gates open 90 minutes before kickoff, for the first hour, fans can enjoy Rocket Hour with $4 12-ounce Bud Light and Budweiser. All Rocket fans 21 years and older are welcome to visit the Rocket Hour stand located in the south end zone. Fans are reminded to tailgate responsibly.

The Rockets also are improving the quality and speed of services, according to Nottke, and credit card transactions will be faster. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express will be accepted at all full-service stands. An ATM is located on the West Concourse behind Section 6.

Season and single-game tickets are on sale at the UToledo Athletic Ticket Office in the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena, online at the Toledo Football Central website, and by phone at 419.530.GOLD (4653). Faculty and staff can buy tickets half off with ID, and UToledo students are admitted free with ID.