MEET THE ROCKET COACHES & SUPPORT STAFF

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1 MEET THE ROCKET COACHES & SUPPORT STAFF IN THIS SECTION Head Coach Tricia Cullop Assistant Coach Todd Mitmesser 40 Assistant Coach Nitra Perry 41 Assistant Coach Katie Griggs 42 Grad. Asst. Manager Kristi Zeller 43 Athletic Trainer Sara McGriff 44 Toledo Support Staff 44

2 HEAD COACH TRICIA CULLOP Tricia Cullop *** MAC Co-Coach of the Year *** Second Year at Toledo Purdue 93 On April 28, 2008, Tricia Cullop came to the University of Toledo with the daunting task of rebuilding a Mid- American Conference powerhouse. Fast forward only 18 months and Cullop finds her squad on the threshold of a breakout season. Considering that the Rockets experienced five-consecutive losing campaigns prior to Cullop s arrival, UT s quick turnaround in was truly a testament to her coaching abilities and team play. In her rookie campaign, Cullop guided the Rockets, picked to finish last in the West Division, to the league s third-best MAC record and an appearance in the semifinals of the postseason tourney. The Midnight Blue and Gold finished 11-5 in league play and wrapped up the year with an overall mark of For her efforts, Cullop was selected as the MAC co-coach of the Year, sharing the top honor with Bowling Green s Curt The Tricia Cullop File Full Name: Tricia Marie Cullop Age: 38 Born: 4/24/71 in Bicknell, IN Education: B.A. in Communications, Purdue ( 93) Collegiate Coaching Experience: Head Basketball Coach, University of Toledo Head Basketball Coach, University of Evansville Assistant Coach, Xavier University Assistant Coach, Long Beach State University Assistant Coach, Radford University Playing Experience: Purdue University Family: Father, Theodore; Mother, Jannette; Sisters, Tammy and Tracy Miller. In the classroom, the Rockets produced and team GPAs in the fall and spring semesters with a total of seven players making the Dean s List. Spearheading the academic surge was Lisa Johnson, who earned first-team Academic All- MAC recognition. Toledo also led the MAC in attendance for the 19thconsecutive season, averaging 2,674 fans per contest, its third-highest total in the last 12 years, including a schoolrecord 5,701 fans vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 28, But Cullop will not be satisfied with finishing second in the division and advancing just to the semifinals. Her sights are firmly focused on winning a MAC championship and rejoining the elite programs in the region. After being picked last in our division in , we finished second and challenged for a division title, Cullop said. Obviously this season, our goal is to take that next step and win our division, as well as the MAC Toledo Women s Basketball Former MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst poses for a photo with league co-coaches of the Year Tricia Cullop and Curt Miller at the post-season tournament banquet in Cleveland. title. I want our team to set our goals high, and I think we have every reason to do that because of the quality players we return and the talent level of our newcomers. Added Cullop, I feel we have some unfinished business. It has been since 2003 since we last hung a banner. When I took this job, one of the things that my staff talked about was the fact we want to do everything in our power to start hanging banners again. The Rockets have also been very active in the Toledo community during Cullop s short time at UT, helping with such projects as Habitat for Humanity, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and Sponsor a Family for Christmas. Cullop came to Toledo in last year from the University of Evansville where she coached for eight seasons and built

3 the Purple Aces into one of the top programs in the Missouri Valley Conference. She guided her teams to a record over her last four campaigns, including in league action. In , Evansville was 21-12, 13-5 in the Missouri Valley, en route to a share of the school s first regular-season MVC title and a berth into the WNIT. For her achievements, Cullop was named the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year. Cullop, who was a four-year letterwinner as a player at Purdue, took over the head coaching position at Evansville in 2000 following stints as an assistant coach at Radford, Long Beach State and Xavier. After an initial rebuilding phase, Cullop steadily built the program into a consistent winner. Since the season, the Purple Aces have had records of 17-11, 16-13, and Cullop s 123 wins ranks her second all-time at Evansville, just one win behind former coach Bill Barnett. In her eight seasons at the helm, her teams finished in the top half of the Missouri Valley six times, and defeated non-conference opponents Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati and Temple. Cullop s team shook off a slow start in her final campaign to win 10 straight conference games and clinch a share of the MVC regular-season title. Evansville lost in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament, but advanced to the WNIT by virtue of its regular-season title. In their first-round WNIT contest, the Purple Aces overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to knock off Ohio Valley Conference champion Southeast Missouri State, HEAD COACH TRICIA CULLOP After being picked last in our division in , we finished second and challenged for a division title. Obviously this season, our goal is to take that next step and win our division, as well as the MAC title. I want our team to set our goals high, and I think we have every reason to do that because of the quality players we return and the talent level of our newcomers. CULLOP S Head COACHING LEDGER Year School Overall Conference Place Evansville (.464) 8-10 (.444) MVC - T-5th Evansville (.500) 9-9 (.500) MVC - T-4th Evansville (.407) 5-13 (.278) MVC - T-8th Evansville (.407) 6-12 (.333) MVC - 9th Evansville (.607) 10-8 (.556) MVC - 5th Evansville (.552) 11-7 (.611) MVC - 4th Evansville (.613) 11-7 (.611) MVC - T-4th Evansville (.636) 13-5 (.722) MVC - T-1st Toledo (.581) 11-5 (.688) MAC - 2nd (West) Nine-Year Totals (.534) (.525) 60-58, the first post-season victory in UE women s basketball history. Evansville s post-season ride ended in the second round of the WNIT, as Kansas shot down the Purple Aces at historic Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS, Cullop s teams caught the attention of local women s basketball fans, as Evansville set season attendance marks in each of her final six seasons at the helm, culminating with an average of more than 1,500 fans per game in , more than double the average when she first assumed the head coaching job in The NCAA recognized Evansville s attendance growth with a Pack the House award in Cullop s teams shone in the classroom, as well. The women s basketball team was one of Evansville s s top academic squads over the last seven years. The team achieved a cumulative team grade point average over 3.15 in Cullop s eight years at the helm, including posting a 3.31 team GPA in school year and a 3.08 GPA in the 2008 fall semester. Cullop and her team were also very active in the Evansville community, including helping with such projects as Habitat for Humanity, the Race for the Cure and the American Heart Walk. She was also instrumental in creating the Women s Hoops for the Cure game, with proceeds from an UE contest going to the Greater Evansville Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to aid in breast cancer research, and the Future Purple Aces Fast B.R.E.A.K. (Basketball Reinforcing Education to Area Kids) program, which uses basketball to help grade school children apply the concepts of math to real-life situations. Seven-Time Mid-American Conference Champions 37

4 HEAD COACH TRICIA CULLOP Head Coach Tricia Cullop and the University of Toledo agreed to a contract extension in April that will keep her on the Rockets bench through the season. Individually, Evansville s players reached new heights under Cullop s guidance. Cullop helped produce 13 All-MVC players, including seven firstteam selections during her tenure. Cullop also helped produce UE s only two MVC Defensive Players of the Year, and a pair of MVC All-Freshman Team selections in her tenure as head coach. Cullop came to Evansville in April, 2000 after four years as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Xavier University. While at Xavier, she helped the Musketeers to their best record in school history (26-5 in ), and the school s first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament championship. Xavier captured two NCAA Tournament bids and one WNIT berth in her four years as an assistant coach. Cullop also had assistant coaching stops at Radford and Long Beach State prior to joining the Xavier staff. In her two seasons at Radford, the Highlanders earned their first two NCAA Tournament berths in school history. All told, Cullop has been a part of seven NCAA Tournaments and two WNIT berths in her 18 years as a player and coach at the collegiate level. As a player, Cullop was a four-year letterwinner at Purdue where she was part of three-straight NCAA Tournament teams ( , and ) and won Purdue s first-ever Big Ten championship. She was team captain in and a three-time academic All- Big Ten selection under head coach Lin Dunn (currently head coach with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA). Cullop was named the Purdue Mortar Board Female Student-Athlete of the Year in A native of Bicknell, IN, Cullop was a 1989 High School All-American at North Knox High School. She was also a member of the North Squad in the 1991 U.S. Sports Festival. Cullop earned a B.A. in communications from Purdue in She is the daughter of Theodore and Jannette Cullop, and has two sisters, Tammy and Tracy. TOLEDO honors Under TRICIA CULLOP Chuck Ealey Undefeated Spirit Award (Criteria was displaying leadership with their teammates, campus, community and/or youth) Allie Clifton ALL-MAC Second-Team Tanika Mays ALL-MAC Honorable Mention Naama Shafir MAC All-Freshman Team Naama Shafir MAC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Tanika Mays 2009 Academic All-MAC Team First Team Lisa Johnson Jewish Sports Review All-America First Team Naama Shafir Tricia Cullop versus Division I Opponents Akron 0-1 Arizona 1-0 Austin Peay 2-4 Ball State 2-3 Bowling Green 0-2 Bradley 9-8 Buffalo 1-0 Butler 4-3 Central Arkansas 1-0 Central Michigan 1-1 Cincinnati 1-2 Cleveland State 0-1 Colorado 0-1 Colorado State 0-1 Creighton 5-13 Drake 9-10 East Tennessee State 0-1 Eastern Michigan 2-0 Hawaii 1-1 Illinois-Chicago 3-0 Illinois State 7-9 Indiana 0-1 Indiana State 6-11 IPFW 0-1 IUPUI 4-2 Kansas 0-1 Kent State 1-0 Kentucky 2-0 Lipscomb 2-0 Louisville 1-1 Loyola Marymount 0-1 Marquette 0-2 Marshall 1-0 Miami 1-0 Michigan State 0-1 Missouri 0-3 Missouri State 6-10 Morehead State 3-0 North Carolina 0-1 North Dakota 1-0 Northern Illinois 3-0 Northern Iowa 13-7 Ohio 5-0 Pennsylvania 1-0 Portland State 1-0 Radford 2-0 SIU Edwardsville 1-0 Southeast Missouri State 1-0 Southern Illinois 11-5 Temple 1-1 Tennessee-Martin 4-0 Tennessee Tech 4-3 Toledo 1-0 Virginia Tech 0-1 Western Kentucky 1-2 Western Michigan 2-0 Wichita State 12-5 Wisconsin 0-1 Wisconsin-Green Bay 0-1 Wright State 0-1 Youngstown State 1-0 BOLD italics indicates opponent Toledo Women s Basketball

5 Q: Talk about the goals you have for the team in ? A: After being picked last in our division in , we finished second and went into the last week of the season tied for first and challenging for a division title. Obviously in , it will not be an easy road, but our goal is to take that next step and win our division. In addition, we want to challenge for an overall MAC championship. I want our team to set high goals, and I think we have every reason to do that because of the quality players we return and the talent level of our newcomers. We really feel good about our personnel situation and what lies ahead. Q: What do you see as assets and question marks for this year s team? A: Our biggest asset has to be our experience and depth. We return a lot of experienced players. On the flipside, our biggest question mark heading into is how quickly and consistently our newcomers provide that depth. Strength and Conditioning Coach Steve Murray is challenging them in the weight room so they can provide that depth. The other asset I love about the newcomers is that they all come from winning high school or AAU programs. They understand what it takes to win. Another intangible I think we have in our favor is that falling short of your goal can sometimes be a good thing. I believe our team is extremely motivated. We were in sight of our goal last season, and we let it slip through our fingers. Our older players completely understand what our goals are in and what it is going to take to accomplish them. They are extremely focused on making it happen. Q: With all five starters returning, you have plenty of experience to rely on. What are your expectations for them? A: I expect our returners and starters to give us great leadership, set the tone in conditioning and build our team chemistry. I believe chemistry is a big factor and something that people don t talk about that much, but I think that was a huge factor in the success we had in We beat teams last season that maybe had more talent on paper, but our players came together, gave everything they had and played with a lot of passion. We were so hungry to win in that we overcame some obstacles. Obviously, people are going to expect us to do well this season, so we have to come back better then we were last year. We will have a target on our backs and we need to make sure we are prepared Q & A WITH TRICIA CULLOP I m thrilled to have the resources and facilities that we have at UT. It is a tremendous blessing to have so much at our fingertips. We are also able to offer almost any academic major to recruits that visit our beautiful campus. The fact that we are one of only 17 state schools in the country to offer the top majors across the board is a huge plus. for that. We have to do the work that is going to get us over that next hump and challenge the squads at the top of the MAC. Q: How do you view the MAC race unfolding in ? A: I feel the teams that finished on top last season deserve the nod at the start of Bowling Green has proven itself the last five seasons, and Ball State returns quite a few key players that played considerable minutes in its championship run. There are a lot of teams in the MAC that are starting to make that climb to compete for a division championship. At the end of last season, Akron took Ball State to the wire, Miami beat BGSU and Western Michigan battled the Falcons to overtime, to name just a few. There are quite a few squads that are starting to understand what it takes to get to the top. It is not easy to get there, and I have an awful lot of respect for the teams that have done that. We want nothing more than to challenge. I definitely think the league is going to be extremely competitive, and I know our players are looking forward to the challenge. Q: What does it mean to be the head coach at the University of Toledo? A: I m thrilled to have the resources and facilities that we have at UT. It is a tremendous blessing to have so much at our fingertips and to be located in the central part of our conference. We are able to offer almost any Seven-Time Mid-American Conference Champions academic major to recruits that visit our beautiful campus. The fact that we are one of only 17 state schools in the country to offer the top majors across the board is a huge plus. This university offers the total package. It is exciting to be able to offer recruits all of the aforementioned things and also walk them around the facilities and show off all of the upgrades that have been done in the last year. I feel it is an extreme honor to be the coach at UT, but at the same time I feel that we have some unfinished business. It has been since 2003 since we last hung a banner. When I took this job, one of the things that my staff talked about was the fact that we want to do everything in our power to start hanging banners again. Our fans here are absolutely tremendous. I heard about them before, but going through a season, I learned what a great home-court advantage we truly have, and I see that only getting better. Having a year under my belt and looking back at it, I feel very fortunate to be here. Q: Talk about your staff and your coaching philosophy? A: I feel that our coaching staff is very complementary of one another and hard working. Our goal when we are not coaching is recruiting, because everything looks better when you have players that can get the job done. We want to continue to bring players into this program that can help us accomplish our goals. 39

6 ASSISTANT COACHES Todd Mitmesser Second Year at Toledo Berea College 93 The Todd Mitmesser File Full Name: Todd Edward Mitmesser Age: 38 Born: 2/16/71 in Coldwater, MI Education: B.A. in History Education, Berea College (KY) ( 93) M.S. in Public Service Administration, Evansville ( 08) Coaching Experience: 2008-pres. Assistant Coach, University of Toledo Assistant Coach, University of Evansville Head Coach, Lincoln East High School (Girls Varsity) Head Coach, Lincoln Southeast High School (Boys Freshman) Head Coach, Lincoln High School (Girls Junior Varsity) Head Coach, Lincoln High School (Freshmen) Head Coach, Berea Middle School Head Coach, Berea High School (Girls Junior Varsity Softball) Head Coach, Berea High School (Girls Junior Varsity) Assistant Coach, Berea High School (Girls Varsity) Family: Wife, Susan; Daughter, Marian (3); Son, Edward (2) Todd Mitmesser brings almost two decades of basketball experience to the Rockets program as he begins his second season as an assistant coach. Mitmesser is involved in all facets of the program, including on-floor coaching, recruiting, academic support, individual conditioning workouts, scouting and scheduling opponents. Todd and I have worked together for several years now, said Head Coach Tricia Cullop, who coached with Mitmesser at Evansville for three seasons. One thing I love about Todd is that he has been a head coach before and really understands the game. He and I share the bulk of the scouting responsibilities, and I enjoy the fact that he sometimes plays the devil s advocate. Todd is also a huge asset to the post players in their development. I watched them come a significant way last season and that really helps our team at both ends of the floor. In , Mitmesser helped mentor UT to double-digit league victories (11) for the first time in the last six years and an appearance in the MAC Tournament Semifinals, despite being picked sixth in the West Division by the MAC News Media Association. Toledo won six more conference games last season (11-5 record) than it did in (5-10 mark). Individually while working with the Rockets post players, he tutored Tanika Mays to second-team All-MAC recognition. We are so excited about the opportunity to build on the success of last season, Mitmesser said. The experienced players we have coming back combined with a talented incoming class will give us added depth at every position. The season cannot come soon enough. Mitmesser assisted with both scouting and recruiting during his time in Evansville, while also working primarily with UE s post players. During his tenure, the Purple Aces p o s t e d a win-loss mark and captured a share of their first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title in and an automatic bid into the 2008 WNIT. Mitmesser also tutored four all-conference honorees on seven occasions, and mentored the MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Overall, Mitmesser has spent parts of 19 years as both a collegiate assistant coach and a head coach in the high school ranks of Nebraska and Kentucky. Known as a keen strategist with a strong passion for the sport of basketball, Mitmesser joined the UE staff in 2005 after six successful seasons as head girls basketball coach at Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, NE. He was named the 2004 Nebraska Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by the Nebraska Coaches Association after leading the Spartans to a 24-1 overall record and a Class A state title. He also was named the Nebraska Coach of the Year by both the Huskerland Prep Report and the Lincoln Journal Star for his work with the Spartans. Following the 2004 season, Mitmesser was named as a head coach in the Nebraska/South Dakota All-Star Game. Mitmesser was nominated for the head coaching position of the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star Game in both 2003 and 2004, as he also helped Lincoln East to a state runner-up finish in He also served as head coach for the Nebraska/Kansas All-Star Basketball Tour of Belgium in 1997 and Mitmesser began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Berea High School in Berea, KY in 1990, while still a student at nearby Berea College. A native of Coldwater, MI, Mitmesser graduated from Berea in 1993 with a bachelor s degree in history education. Mitmesser and his wife Susan have a daughter, Marian (3), and a son, Edward (2) Toledo Women s Basketball

7 ASSISTANT COACHES Nitra Perry Second Year at Toledo Mississippi State 00 Nitra Perry is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Rockets women s basketball program. Perry is involved in all facets of the program, including on-floor coaching, academic support, individual conditioning workouts and scouting. She also serves as the program s recruiting coordinator. Nitra has already proven herself to be a tremendous recruiting coordinator, Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. She has helped us attract some talented players in the short amount of time she has been here. I m already excited about the relationships she is building that will help us in the future. Nitra has a magnetic personality that draws people to our campus. In addition to that, Nitra did a great job working with our guards and also did some scouting for us last season. She is a talented young coach who does a great The Nitra Perry File Full Name: Nitra D. Perry Age: 31 Born: 8/1/78 in Bolivar, TN Education: B.A. in Education, Mississippi State ( 00) Coaching Experience: 2008-pres. Assistant Coach, University of Toledo Assistant Coach, Mississippi State University Graduate Assistant Coach, Georgia Tech Playing Experience: Birmingham Power of the NWBL International play in Portugal and Italy Mississippi State Family: Parents, Kirk and Constance; Sister, Afton; Brother, Kirk Jr. job challenging and motivating our players. In , Perry helped mentor UT to double-digit league victories (11) for the first time in the last six years and an appearance in the MAC Tournament Semifinals, despite being picked sixth in the West Division by the MAC News Media Association. Toledo won six more conference games last season (11-5 record) than it did in (5-10 mark). Individually while working with the Rockets guards, he tutored Naama Shafir to honorable mention All-MAC recognition. Perry has also been instrumental in signing a recruiting class that ranks second-best in the MAC, according to the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. I m very excited to be going into my second season working alongside Tricia, Perry said. With a majority of our players returning, we look to doggedly pursue the MAC title this year. Also, we are adding a very powerful and versatile class of newcomers that is definitely going to put us closer to our goal. Perry arrived in Toledo following two seasons at her alma mater, Mississippi State, where she was responsible for player development, practice preparation, assisting with recruitment and overseeing academics. While with the Bulldogs, she helped mentor All-SEC Freshman Team performers Alexis Rack and Mary Katherine. Perry returned to her alma mater after serving as an administrative assistant with the Georgia Tech program for three seasons ( ), where she also assisted with the Yellow Jackets women s basketball camps. A four-year letterwinner for the Lady Bulldogs from , Perry garnered numerous honors at Mississippi State, including being named honorable mention All-SEC by the Associated Press in 1999 and 2000 and earning SEC Academic Honor Roll and SEC All-Tournament Team honors in She ranks 12th on the school s all-time scoring chart with 1,124 career points and fifth on the rebound list with 746 career boards. Perry was a member of three Lady Bulldog squads that reached postseason play, making two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one to the WNIT. During her senior campaign in 2000, she helped MSU to a program-best 24 wins and a run to the SEC Tournament Championship game. Following her graduation in 2000 with a degree in education, Perry traveled overseas to play basketball for two years, competing in Portugal in 2001 and Italy in She also competed for the Birmingham Power of the NWBL during before joining the coaching ranks. Seven-Time Mid-American Conference Champions 41

8 ASSISTANT COACHES Katie Griggs First Year at Toledo Xavier 02 Katie Griggs is in her first season as an assistant coach for the Rockets women s basketball team. Griggs will work with all aspects of the program, including on-floor coaching, international recruiting and individual conditioning workouts. She also will serve as the Rockets apparrel contact and booster club liason, as well as oversee practice players and alumni relations. I m excited about the opportunity to be at Toledo because of the rich tradition of the women s basketball program, Griggs said. There are several banners hanging from the rafters, and I m excited to help work to bring that back to the University and community. Griggs is a 2002 graduate of Xavier University with a degree in business management. A native of nearby Wauseon, OH, Griggs was recruited by UT Head Coach Tricia Cullop, a Musketeers assistant coach at the time, and played two seasons ( , ) with XU. She appeared in 61 games, averaging 4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.3 minutes per game. Xavier advanced The Katie Griggs File Full Name: Katie Lynn Griggs Age: 29 Born: 2/25/80 in Wauseon, OH Education: B.A. in Business Management, Xavier ( 02) Coaching Experience: 2009-pres. Assistant Coach, University of Toledo Student Assistant Coach, Xavier University Playing Experience: Xavier University Family: Parents, Kim and Claudia; Brother, Cory to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons and finished with a combined win-loss ledger. As a freshman, Griggs saw action in 31 contests and tallied 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.7 minutes, en route to earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team accolades. She scored in double figures on seven occasions in her first season, including three of her final four games. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Griggs knocked down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points in a career-high 37 minutes against top-ranked Connecticut. A season later, she appeared in 30 games and averaged 3.8 points, 2.5 caroms and 1.9 helpers in 21.8 minutes to help Xavier to its firstever conference tourney championship. I had the privilege of coaching Katie at Xavier for her first two seasons, Cullop said. She made an immediate impact because of her talent level, intelligence and work ethic. All those intangibles have carried over to today, and her winning mentality will be a tremendous help to our program going forward. I also love the fact she has local ties and is familiar with a lot of the schools from which we will be recruiting. She also possesses great post-season experience and was part of a very successful program. As a recruit, she had the opportunity to go to many Big Ten and BCS schools, yet she chose Xavier. We want players of that same caliber and mindset that can make an immediate impact in our program and help us hang championship banners once again. Following her sophomore year, Griggs had major back surgery and was not able to return to the court as a player. She spent her final two seasons as a student assistant. The biggest learning point that impacted me as a student working in the basketball offices at Xavier was the amount of time and dedication it takes to prepare for practices, games and meetings, Griggs said. As a player, you don t always realize the effort that goes into building a great program. I was able to see that firsthand those two years, and gained a better understanding of what it takes to be successful. Since graduating, Griggs has spent her time in the business world, working in sales for Adrian Steel Company and Buckhead Beef Toledo Women s Basketball

9 GRADUATE ASSISTANT MANAGER Kristi Zeller First Year at Toledo Toledo 09 Kristi Zeller, a former member of the Rocket basketball team, is in her first year as the graduate assistant manager on the University of Toledo women s basketball staff. Zeller is in charge of video exchange, as well as assisting with promotional activities, fundraising, inhouse recruiting and coordinating the team s community outreach program. Kristi was passionate enough about this program last season that she asked to come in and help knowing she was not going to get a dime for her efforts, Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. She missed playing and just wanted to be a part of the program, and we were very excited that she wanted to do that. She is a former player who was also a great student, so I think she ll be able to help our current players get through the same types of situations that she went through. I love having a young former player on the staff. She has a tremendous sense of pride and wants to help us build this program back to where it needs to be. The Kristi Zeller File Full Name: Kristi Nicole Zeller Age: 23 Born: 6/23/86 in Stow, OH Education: B.A. in Social Work, Toledo ( 09) Coaching Experience: 2009-pres. Graduate Assistant Manager, University of Toledo Student Assistant Manager, University of Toledo Playing Experience: University of Toledo Family: Parents, Rick and Barb Zeller was a four-year letterwinner at UT ( ) and graduated this past May with a bachelor s degree in social work. She appeared in 110 games for the Midnight Blue and Gold and was part of two teams that advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. A good long-range shooter, Zeller made at least two triples in a game on 20 occasions in her collegiate career. An excellent student in the classroom, Zeller was a two-time recipient of the team s Top Scholar Athlete Award and was an academic all-league honoree, becoming just one of seven players in school history to be named to the academic squad on more than one occasion. The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests. I m very excited and fortunate to be working under Coach Cullop and her staff, Zeller said. It s amazing to be able to continue to be a part of such a good program that will continue to get better. I m looking forward to this season and all the wins that will come along with it. A native of Stow, OH, Zeller is a 2004 graduate of Stow High School. She wrapped up her career as the Bulldogs all-time leader in points (1,102) and assists (397). As a senior co-captain, she averaged 16.1 points and 6.5 assists per game, garnering conference co-player of the Year accolades while leading her team to a 20-3 record. As a junior co-captain, Zeller contributed 11.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals per contest, earning honorable mention allstate recognition. She also earned firstteam all-conference and all-region honors, as well as second-team all-district aknowledgement. She played guard for coach Bob Podges, whose team went during her four years. Zeller carried a 3.85 grade-point average and was a member of the National Honor Society. Zeller is continuing her studies at Toledo, pursuing a master s degree in liberal studies. Seven-Time Mid-American Conference Champions 43

10 ASSOCIATE HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER SARA McGRIFF Sara McGriff Sixth Year at Toledo Ball State 02 Sara McGriff is in her sixth year at the University of Toledo and first season as associate head athletic trainer. McGriff is assigned to women s basketball and men s and women s golf and oversees graduate assistant athletic trainers in the sports of men s and women s cross country, track & field and softball. McGriff joined the Rockets staff on July 8, 2004 after she received her master s degree in exercise and sport science from Georgia while working directly with the Bulldogs swimming and diving programs. Georgia finished second at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Championships. In July 2004, she worked the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, where two of her Georgia swimmers qualified for the United States Olympic Team. McGriff is very familiar with the Mid- American Conference, having earned her bachelor of science degree in athletic training from Ball State in 2002, where she worked with the Cardinals football, volleyball, gymnastics and tennis programs. McGriff was a recipient of the NATA Research and Education Foundation Scholarship, and she is an Emergency Medical Technician-Basic. She was certified by the BOC in 2002 and licensed by the State of Ohio in She is also a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association. McGriff is a native of La Porte, IN where her parents, Randy and Nancy, currently reside. She also has a younger brother, Ian. women s basketball support staff Alaina Pirnat Student Athletic Trainer Tierra Washington Student Manager Tiara Williams Student Manager Tabitha Yeager Student Manager Jen Miller Physical Therapist Stacy Bowers Academic Coordinator Steve Murray Strength & Conditioning Heather Lutz Dir. of Athletic Marketing Brian Lutz Assoc. A.D. Compliance Mike Renard Equipment Manager Tim Warga Asst. A.D. Operations/Events Mike Sydlowski General Manager Rocket Properties Toledo Women s Basketball