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Another week in the books, and another week closer to football, folks. It will be here before we know it. We’re all looking forward to the fall, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing happening right now in the MAC universe. We’re excited to recap the week that was!
In the news this week, two former MAC track and field athletes have qualified for the Olympics. Former Akron distance runner Clayton Murphy qualified for Tokyo in the 800 meter race, after claiming the Bronze medal in the 2016 Games. Similarly, former Eastern Michigan standout Donald Scott qualified for Tokyo in the triple jump. This will be Donald’s first trip to the Olympics, a huge accomplishment. Congratulations and good luck to both! We’ll certainly be monitoring their success in Japan next month.
On the hardwood, new EMU men’s basketball coach Stan Heath continued his overhaul of the Eagles roster, bringing in graduate transfer James “Monty” Scott from Portland State. This certainly seems like a welcome addition for Eastern, as Scott averaged 13.7 PPG for the Vikings last year and was named All-Big Sky Honorable Mention.
Also at EMU, some cool news from the gridiron: Punter Jake Julien was named to the 4th team preseason All-American by Phil Steele this week. Julien is the only MAC player to earn this distinction, and it’s easy to see why. He’s really proved himself to be elite for the Eagles over the past four years.
Rounding out the news this week, the boys break down the recent Supreme Court ruling, which limits the NCAA’s ability to restrict the benefits that schools can offer their student-athletes. This feels like the first domino to fall for the NCAA, and we will be interested to see what this leads to.
In a week one football preview, the boys break down the slate of games for the opening week and discuss the best match-up’s. Zach talked a few weeks ago about Syracuse traveling to Ohio, and Sam touches on Kent State’s trip to Texas A&M. Do you see any opportunities for the MAC to steal a win in the opening week?
To close out the show, the boys welcome Hustle Belt creative director James Jimenez to discuss how he became a fan of Central Michigan. James talks about how he ended up choosing to go to CMU, what the fanbase is like, and how folks feel about the current state of Chippewa athletics.
Thanks for stopping by this week! Have a great weekend, and we’ll talk to you next Friday.