Homecoming, a weekend designed to celebrate the return of alumni and athletics, will feature only one team in Athens for the official festivities.
Saturday's football game against Akron is the only home contest on the schedule, as the volleyball, cross country, soccer and field hockey teams are all on the road.
(Homecoming) is valuable for the athletics department in that it not only offers us a chance to reconnect with alumni and friends but also to recognize four inductees for the Kermit Blosser Hall of Fame
said Jim Schaus, director of Athletics, via email.
Both the decision of the date of Homecoming and the conference schedule are out of the department's hands, Schaus said.
While Ohio Athletics schedules all of its non-conference events the Mid-American Conference office controls the schedule for all leagues in all sports he said.
After the conference schedule is set, the information is passed on to the administration, the alumni associate and the Office of Student Affairs. Those are the departments that make the decision as to which weekend would be most appropriate, Schaus said.
For some coaches whose teams are on the road, the trip away from home is a welcome break from potential disruptions.
It's just something that happens
said soccer coach Stacy Strauss. In fact
more often than not we're away on Homecoming Weekend... In a way
it's kind of nice to get away and avoid the crowds and the distraction.
Strauss' squad will travel to Miami and Bowling Green this weekend. The team has been away three of the past five years for Homecoming Weekend.
Field hockey coach Neil Macmillan, whose squad will travel to Ball State and Miami this weekend, said he takes the schedule in stride.
The MAC makes the schedule
he said. The schedule is all set regardless. If we're at home
we're at home. If we're away
we're away. We just go with what we're given.
The volleyball team will play at Ball State and at Toledo this weekend, and the cross country team is traveling to Terre Haute, Ind., for Pre-Nationals.
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