KENT: Brice Biggin isn’t going anywhere soon. That’s good news for the Kent State gymnastics team.
Biggin, who coached the Golden Flashes for the past 21 years and was a student-athlete there in 1980s, signed a contract extension Tuesday that will keep him through the 2015-16 academic year.
He is the reigning National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Head Coach of the Year and led KSU to its first trip to the NCAA Championships in program history, completing the season with the program’s highest ranking at No. 12.
His honors and accolades are numerous over the years. Since being named coach in 1992, Biggin has been selected the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year eight times, NCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year two times and NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2001. To date, he has led the Flashes to seven MAC regular-season titles and seven MAC tournament titles.
Last season, Biggin was one of 10 Kent State employees honored by President Lester A. Lefton as a recipient of a President’s Excellence Award.
In addition to all that Biggin’s leadership has produced sports-wise, he’s also set his program up for academic excellence as well. Last semester, the gymnastics team combined for a 3.44 grade-point average, which was third best among the university’s 16 athletic programs.
More gymnastics
On Feb. 19 the gymnastics team will host the Fifth Annual “Flip for the Cure” fundraiser when the Flashes host Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. During the past four years, the team has helped to raise more than $10,000 to help fight breast cancer.
Women’s basketball
Junior guard Trisha Krewson was the lone MAC player named to the Capital One Academic All-District 5 First Team on Thursday, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The honor recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. As a first-team Academic All-District honoree, Krewsen advances to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.
An English major with a double minor in justice studies and pre-law, Krewson’s 3.98 GPA is the highest on the District 5 team. On the court, she is the Flashes’ top scorer, averaging 11.8 points per game (11th in the MAC). She is also second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game (15th in the MAC).
Women’s track and field
The indoor track and field team broke records last weekend at Youngstown State competing in the 15-team YSU Invitational.
In the field, the Kent State women captured three individual titles with all three efforts setting facility marks. Standout Lauren Noe (Cuyahoga Falls) had a career-best heave of 63 feet, 1.25 inches in the weight throw, improving her fifth-best distance in Kent State history for her first win of the season.
Wrestling
Freshman Ian Miller was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday. He had the only major decision for Kent State in its 22-13 victory over Central Michigan. The No. 1 ranked 149-pounder in the conference, Miller defeated CMU’s Joe Kielbasa (the MAC’s No. 2 ranked 149-pounder) 13-5 with the aid of five takedowns. Miller is 24-3 on the season with 10 pins, a technical fall and eight major decisions. Owning a 13-match winning streak, Miller is ranked No. 8 in the latest Division I Coach Poll and is No. 4 according to Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine.
Having won eight consecutive dual meets, the Flashes are tied for No. 14 in NWCA Coaches rankings. This weekend, they can lock up the MAC regular-season title. They host Buffalo tonight and Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sstorm13. Follow Beacon Journal sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
