Viking Fans,
We are just over a month into the 2023-24 academic year and fall sports competition. It's always A Great Day to Be a Vike! and campus is really buzzing with the opening of new restaurant options at the Student Center and Berkman Hall and the new Viking Public House at the Administration Center.
On the athletics front, Coach Voss and women's volleyball are winners of four of their last five matches, our soccer teams look to close out with strong performances with just over a month to go in the regular season, while we have also logged highlights in women's golf, cross country and more over the last couple of weeks.
Our winter teams, including both basketball programs have officially started their 20-hour-per-week practice segments, and in just a few weeks the Wolstein Center will come alive for hoops, Busbey Natatorium for swimming and diving, and Woodling Gym for wrestling and fencing.
I am excited to share our monthly update as we celebrate all that is happening in CSU Athletics!
Women's Basketball Ticket Package on Sale for $99
Yesterday, we announced a new ticket package for select 2023-24 women's basketball home games. The $99 package includes a number of doubleheader dates, where fans can see both the men's and women's basketball teams in action for one low price, in addition to courtside seats at four standalone women's home games at the Wolstein Center, and each game of the Viking Invitational that will be played at Woodling Gym.
We are excited to build upon the momentum of last year's Horizon League Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and to capitalize on the positive energy surrounding women's basketball across the country. In addition, we look forward to welcoming the Women's Final Four to Cleveland in March! I am honored to serve on the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission's local organizing committee and look forward to finding ways for CSU to partner with other downtown businesses and organizations to host an incredible event for the participating teams, fans and Northeast Ohio (did you know that during early April, Cleveland will experience the Final Four, International Film Festival, Guardians Opening Day, and is in the path of totality for the full Solar Eclipse?!)
Men's Basketball Single Game Tickets and Promotions Announced
We also recently announced the full promotional schedule and single-game ticket availability for men's basketball home games. We are excited to continue building an incredible atmosphere inside the Wolstein Center as we push towards averaging 3,000+ fans for home games this season.
Hoopy Hour returns with discounted concession prices leading up to tip-off for all weeknight home games. New this year is the Downtown Deal, a $35 all-you-can-eat and drink package available for select weeknight home games.
Just yesterday, senior Tristan Enaruna was named pre-season Horizon League player of the year by The Almanac as part of their college basketball preview magazine and we are excited for the opportunity men's basketball has to become CSU's first team with four consecutive postseason tournament appearances!
Season tickets and mini plans remain on sale, and with the season just over a month away there is no better time than now to lock in your seats.
Fall Sports Success
Fall sports are in full swing, and I have enjoyed joining several great crowds on campus to watch our student-athletes compete over the past month.
We recently celebrated a milestone as head coach Chuck Voss recorded his 400th career victory on September 19th against IUPUI. Coach Voss has been an incredible leader for CSU for many years and we appreciate his dedication and passion for CSU and our volleyball student-athletes. Congratulations are in order for a couple of student-athlete achievements including Liberty Torres earning a league Player of the Week award and Karly Klaer reaching 1,000 assists.
Women's golf had an excellent showing this past weekend at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational. The team finished as the runner-up, just one shot behind the hosts from Youngstown State. Two student-athletes, Kaitlin Kormuth and Mandie Ruminski, finished in the top-10 individually.
Cross Country's Mia Beemsterboer won the season-opening Wooster Invitational with a time of 16:13.1. Seven of the top eight place-finishers in the race were fellow Vikings!
As the calendar turns to October, our soccer teams have some big games approaching and we encourage fans to come out to Krenzler Field to root them on. Women's soccer will host three Horizon League contests at Krenzler Field during the month of October – Thursday the 5th against Youngstown State, Thursday the 12th against Robert Morris and Saturday the 21st which will be the regular season finale against Wright State.
Men's soccer also has a number of home contests in October, including hosting a top-5 opponent as Akron comes to town on October 13th. Fans can purchase tickets for that matchup by clicking HERE.
Academic Center Dedication
Last week we officially unveiled upgrades to our academic center spaces, as well as offices and meeting spaces on the third floor of the Physical Education Building at Woodling Gym, as well as the study hall in the Wolstein Center.
Thanks to the philanthropic gifts from several Viking supporters, as well as an NCAA AASP Grant, we have made several significant upgrades which will enhance these spaces and provide our student-athletes with additional resources as they work towards their academic pursuits. New and improved study spaces, collaboration areas, as well as updated branding on the walls and within the hallways highlight some of the improvements we have made. We look forward to continuing our streak of 34-straight semesters with a department GPA of 3.0+!
As we move forward, we are excited about the momentum for progress into "Phase 2" of our Woodling Gymnasium Enhancement Initiative. We are actively working on securing funding for locker room improvements for volleyball, wrestling, cross country/track, men's and women's fencing, and softball as well as improvements to student-athlete service areas including sports performance and sports medicine.
This project is critical to the long-term success of our department as the 50-year old Woodling Gymnasium and Physical Education Building are utilized daily by the vast majority of our student-athletes.
If you have interest in learning more about this project and ways you can help click HERE for more information or to pledge your support. Our advancement staff is also available to assist in connecting fans with other ways you can directly impact the delivery of our CSU Viking Promise!
Thanks for your loyal support of the Vikings – see you soon!
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Saturday, September 30: Men's Soccer vs. Northern Kentucky, 7:00 p.m.
Monday October 2 and Tuesday October 3: Men's Golf hosts Tom Tontimonia Invitational at Lakewood Country Club
Thursday, October 5: Women's Soccer vs. Youngstown State, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 10: Men's Soccer vs. Akron, 7:00 p.m. BUY TICKETS
Thursday, October 12: Women's Soccer vs. Robert Morris, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 13: Volleyball vs. Green Bay, 6:00 p.m. BUY TICKETS
Saturday, October 14: Volleyball vs. Milwaukee, 4:00 p.m. BUY TICKETS
Saturday, October 14: Men's Soccer vs. Milwaukee, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 21: Women's Soccer vs. Wright State, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 21: Save the Date! Basketball Green and White Scrimmage (purchase season tickets for special invite!)
