Taylor Clarke named new EMU soccer head coach
According to EMU Athletics, Taylor Clarke was officially announced as the next Eastern Michigan University women’s head soccer coach on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Clarke was previously the head coach of Carroll University where he facilitated the Pioneers to an 11-6-3 record while also advancing them to the finals of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament.
During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Clarke was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at fellow Mid-American Conference member Bowling Green State University. During Clarke’s time in Bowling Green, the Falcons made two MAC tournament appearances and also posted a 20-win season.
The 2021 season was the year the Falcons earned the honor of regular season MAC champions while also going on to win the MAC Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Before that, Clarke was the head coach at Ashland University for three seasons (2018-2020) where he posted a 32-12-7 overall record with two NCAA postseason appearances. He previously started his coaching career at Ashland as an assistant coach in 2014.
He also served as an assistant coach at Calvin University where he helped lead the Knights to a 21-1-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen after he was the assistant men's soccer coach at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and led the Seahawks to a top 20 NCAA division 1 ranking.
EMU football notches 10 athletes on Phil Steele’s MAC All-Conference list
The Eastern Michigan University football team saw 10 members get their names selected to the 2023 Phil Steele Mid-American All-Conference team, as it was announced on Monday, Dec. 18.
Senior long snapper Steve Bird highlighted the honors as he was selected to the first-team list, marking his first-ever postseason honor.
Senior offensive lineman Brian Dooley, junior punter Mitchell Tomasek, and senior punt returner Hamze El-Zayat were all selected to second-team honors.
Third-team honors consisted of senior wide receiver Tanner Knue, senior linebackers Chase Kline and Joe Sparacio, and senior running back/returner Jaylon Jackson.
Last but not least, junior defensive lineman Peyton Price and junior kicker Jesus Gomez took home fourth-team honors.
For the Eagles, they now have earned double-digit honorees on the list for two consecutive seasons and four times in the past five years.
EMU student-athletes represented at 2023 graduation
Eastern Michigan University saw 16 total student-athletes officially graduate on Sunday, Dec. 17, at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
They were honored as a part of EMU’s Winter Commencement Ceremony following the 2023 fall semester. Graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences, Individualized Studies, College of Education, College of Business, GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology, and the College of Health & Human Services were all a part of the ceremony.
The student-athlete graduates included:
Steve Bird, Zack Conti, Brian Dooley, Samson Evans, Tanner Knue, Kempton Shine, and Joey Zelinsky from football.
Claire McCurley from rowing, Yusuf Jihad from men’s basketball, Cam Kellett from men’s golf, Natai Apichonlati from women’s golf, Molly Paris from gymnastics, Julie Lindsey from women’s lacrosse, Rebecca Przybylo from women’s soccer, and Yvan Lopes Ribeiro from men’s track and field.
