The University of Toledo was awarded the Reese Trophy as the top men’s athletic program in the Mid-American Conference at the MAC Honors Dinner in Cleveland Thursday night. The Rockets earned the honor for the second consecutive year after winning it last season for the first time in the 66-year history of the prestigious award.
For the 2022-23 academic year, the Rocket men won MAC championship titles in football, basketball and tennis, finished in second place in cross country, and came in third place in golf.
Toledo’s women finished fourth in the Jacoby Trophy standings. The Rocket women won MAC titles in cross country, basketball and tennis, while volleyball finished in third place in the MAC West Division and qualified for the MAC Tournament.
Overall, the Rockets won a school record six MAC titles this past school year.
“This truly was an historic season for our athletic program,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Bryan B. Blair. “To win six MAC titles in one season is an unprecedented accomplishment and one in which our student-athletes, coaches and staff can take great pride. Special congratulations to our men’s programs who have now won back-to-back Reese trophies after never having won the award in the previous 64 years of its existence, and to our women’s program for winning three MAC titles for the first time ever. That says a lot about where we are as a program right now and what we hope to accomplish going forward.”
“We are very proud of our Rockets for once again receiving the Reese Trophy as the top men’s athletic program in the Mid-American Conference,” added University of Toledo President Gregory Postel. “Both our men’s and women’s teams had historic years in their respective sports. Our entire University community salutes their athletic achievements, as well as their continuing outstanding performance in the classroom.”
For the Reese and Jacoby trophies, points are awarded based on each school’s finish, with the overall total divided by the number of sports sponsored by each school.
The men’s trophy is named for former MAC Commissioner David E. Reese. Reese was the first-ever MAC Commissioner and served the Conference from its inception in 1946 until 1964.The women’s trophy is named for former MAC Commissioner Fred Jacoby. Jacoby was the MAC Commissioner from 1971-82 and is credited with incorporating women’s athletics into the conference structure.
