Miami fans relish MAC championship run
Fans come to Cleveland's Rocket Arena to watch RedHawks win tournament title in women’s basketball
Miami fans relish MAC championship run
Fans come to Cleveland's Rocket Arena to watch RedHawks win tournament title in women’s basketball
Video by Zachary Burnett
Dave Muthersvaugh was the best man at the wedding of Katie and Michael McNeil, and the Miami Merger couple celebrates 52 years of marriage on Monday.
On Saturday, they had some of the best seats in the house to watch the RedHawks capture the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship in women’s basketball.
Rows of Red and White were out and about at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Miami, the tournament’s top seed, held off No. 6 Toledo 68-58 to complete the season sweep of conference championships.
Basketball success has made for some happy fans. Katie McNeil said she and her husband have followed this magical Miami season – the RedHawks’ men’s basketball team won its first 31 games and was ranked as high nationally as No. 19 – from as far away as Australia.
“He’s a diehard fan,” she said. “And we have hockey season tickets.”
They also witnessed some Miami basketball history on Saturday, and they weren’t alone. Tom Holmes, who earned a graduate degree from Miami and taught and coached basketball at Talawanda High School, also made the trip from Oxford.
Holmes was thrilled the RedHawks won their first MAC tournament title since 2008. He was at Rocket Arena all week for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
“We’ve been coming up for at least 25 years, and it’s nice when you have two teams as the No. 1 seeds,” Holmes said.
“The coaches of both programs have done a great job, putting plans together, recruiting the right kids. I think their parents have to be extremely proud. I’m sure the university is proud of what they’ve done.”
Lauren Rudman, a 2006 graduate of Miami who lives in Cleveland, came to Saturday’s final in hopes of seeing a RedHawk championship.
“They’ve been killing it,” Rudman said. “They’ve been really successful. The future is bright. You can just tell the chemistry is really positive.”
Muthersvaugh lives in Cleveland Heights and graduated from Miami in 1971. He praised the MAC tournaments as “very well run” and was glad to see the RedHawks earn a spot in Saturday’s final.
“It’s very exciting,” he said.