Latest news with #RobertMorrisUniversity
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wexford native helps bring Western Michigan to first ever Frozen Four title
Western Pennsylvania had nine skaters representing the region during the Frozen Four tournament, and one of them won the title. Brian Kramer, 24, is a Wexford native who played his freshman season at Robert Morris University. When RMU's hockey programs were eliminated, he transferred to American International College for three seasons, then ended up at Western Michigan University this season for his final year of eligibility. Advertisement It was a season of firsts for the Broncos' hockey program, which was outside of the top 15 in the NCAA preseason poll. They won their conference's regular season and tournament titles for the first time and only lost a single game during regulation in the regular season. The team entered the NCAA Tournament on a winning streak and earned a No. 1 seed. On Saturday, Kramer and the Broncos appeared in the Frozen Four final for the first time — and then brought home the national title with a 6-2 win over Boston University. Kramer, who notched 16 points over 40 regular season games, had some critical plays throughout the Broncos' tournament run. He set up the game-winning goal during the regional final against UMass and scored the first goal of the semifinal matchup against defending champion Denver. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Robert Morris University partners with the Cleveland Cavaliers to host a basketball clinic
Robert Morris University's men's basketball team will take the floor Friday for its March Madness opener in Cleveland. Today it was time for some youth basketball athletes to take the Colonials home court in a unified basketball clinic. GameChanger, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Special Olympics Pennsylvania hosted the event. For Johnathon Oaks, it's as if the court is a canvas. "You get to bring everybody together," Oaks, a GameChanger Stay and Play Champion and Special Olympics athlete, said. That's where his plan comes to fruition. "I thought it was a great opportunity to get all the kids together and have some fun," Oaks said. Oaks helped lead Thursday's clinic and it was one of unity. "Remove the labels, remove the barriers and we're highlighting abilities, not disabilities," Andrew Fee, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Special Olympics Pennsylvania, said. It's all happening as RMU men's basketball is prepping for Friday's March Madness first-round game in Cleveland. "We had this planned for months so it's just weird serendipity that it ended up like that," Melanie Seiser, Vice President of Youth Sports and Community Development with the Cleveland Cavaliers, said. It's while the Cleveland Cavaliers Academy was here today helping out. "It's gonna be a lot of things like shooting and dribbling," Seiser said. "We'll do some defensive drills." Cavs Academy has been doing things like this in Ohio for years. "We had the opportunity to expand here in working with Pennsylvania," Seiser said. With no NBA team in the Pittsburgh area the Cavs are filling that void. "We're crossing state lines, but it's still so near and dear to us," Seiser said. The athletes shot, dribbled, practiced and had fun Wednesday. "We're all about fierce competition, but while you do that, experiencing joy," Fee said. For Jonathan Oaks, it's a delight to see it all come together. "I'm really excited everybody's here," he said. "And I'm really excited that everybody's gonna get the chance to learn and play some basketball." Fee said while it's the first time, these partners are doing this clinic and it won't be the last.
CBS News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Robert Morris campus abuzz with excitement ahead of March Madness game
Everyone likes a good Cinderella story, and Robert Morris University is going to the ball this Friday. The excitement on campus is palpable as everyone counts down to the game , when RMU, the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, takes on No. 2 Alabama in Cleveland. The university is part of one of the biggest tournaments in sports: March Madness. "It definitely brings a lot of energy to campus and a lot of pride for the alumni who've been here. And it's also their first couple of years in the Horizon League, so being able to win it in the first few years is definitely big for the future of the programs," said student John Sramac. Robert Morris players learned their opponent on Selection Sunday. But they were back to business on Monday, with coach Andy Toole working the team at practice. Many eyes are on RMU now, and students are recognizing it's great for the RMU brand. "I think it brings a name to the culture and everything and people are gonna hear it all around town and take pride in that," said student Mac Link. Basketball sometimes takes a backseat to football, baseball and hockey in the Steel City, but now it's center stage. "I think it brings a lot of basketball hype to the Pittsburgh area. I think it makes it a hotbed for Pittsburgh and, you know, brings basketball to this area, which it is not commonly known for," said student Eric Swagert. Since March Madness started in 1939, it's turned into a monstrous celebration. It's a huge opportunity for RMU, sure to put them on the map to continue the school's growth. Cleveland is just a two-hour drive from Robert Morris, meaning spring break or not, a whole lot of people will be there, waiting for that glass slipper to be slipped on, continuing their journey to the top.
CBS News
12-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
March Madness fever is taking off at Robert Morris University as team punches ticket to NCAA Tournament
March Madness fever is taking off at Robert Morris University after the school's basketball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Robert Morris beat Youngstown State 89-78 on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Horizon League tournament and have earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade. The environment on campus for the game was electric with students cheering on their fellow classmates. "I'm just so proud, you know," said senior student Kendall Funk. "Watching them for four years, it's just so cool to see how hard they've worked and how much work they've put in through the season and just to see that pay off. It makes me so happy." "Very emotional and very exciting," said junior student Samantha Shahinin. "When I first came into RMU, the football team wasn't that good. Not the best basketball season either. So like, coming in, it was really amazing to see the difference and the growth in our athletic department." "Coming up, we're going to do a time capsule event for our class," said sophomore student Micah Blackwell. "So it's like the first, kind of like the first in RMU history. And I feel like moments like these, these are moments I want to capture." "I remember watching and my dad's like 'Wow. They're doing real good this year.," said junior student Bryn Krason. "And I'm like oh yeah, they're doing good. But I never thought I would have a chance to like, every year I make a bracket. I never thought I would actually put like, RMU on the bracket. So now this year I'm putting RMU on the bracket!" The Colonials now await the fate of Selection Sunday when they'll find out where they're seeded in the NCAA Tournament along with their opponent and when and where they'll play their first-round game.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
RMU asking fans to pack UPMC Events Center for Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal game
The Robert Morris University basketball team has March Madness aspirations this season and fans are being asked to pack the campus arena tonight for their quarterfinal game against Wright State in the Horizon League Tournament. The Colonials won the Horizon League regular season championship this year and will host Wright State in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament. "I think these guys are hungry and our goal is to continue to try and push them and drive them to be able to continue to make this season last as long as it can," said RMU head coach Andy Toole. Robert Morris flipped the script in just one year, going from a team that lost 20 games to a team that won 20 games, finishing in first place in their conference. A lot of new faces on the roster helped the team reach the new milestones this season and Toole says the players had an incredible ability to quickly buy in and create chemistry with one another. "They decided to come here for whatever reason," Toole said. "Now are you going to come here and make the most of it, make the best of it? Try to give your all to it? And I think these guys have done that." "Just having one goal as a team and as a unit," said junior guard Amarion Dickerson. "That's obviously, at the end of the season, to be Horizon League champions." Dickerson was named the Horizon League's defensive player of the year and sophomore forward Alvaro Folgueiras was named the league's player of the year. Senior guard Kam Woods has flown under the radar a bit this season, leading RMU in points and assists this year. Woods says he's proud of the team for the run it's on, especially considering they started the season with a 2-4 record. With home court advantage, the team is asking fans to pack the UPMC Events Center to help spark what they hope is a long postseason run. "It's huge," Toole said. "Obviously to create a great home court environment would be enormous. You know our guys, I think would respond really well to that. I've been trying to tell people all year long they're a really fun team to watch. The way they play the game, the passion they play the game with, the joy they play the game with, some of the highlights they've been able to make have been really spectacular during the course of the year. And it'll be great for everyone to come out and support them for all the work they've put in.
