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The Toledo Rockets brought home a 48-46 victory over Pittsburgh Panthers in six overtimes in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday, Dec. 26. The game was the longest bowl game in NCAA history, topping the five-overtime game between South Florida and San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl two days prior, Tuesday, Dec. 24. Junior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III had a career-high 194 receiving yards—the sixth-most ever made by a Rocket—finishing six yards shy of becoming the fifth Rocket to earn 200 receiving yards in a game. Vandeross also caught a career-high 12 passes, totaling 85 for the season and the most since Bernard Reedy caught 88 in 2012. Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton caught eight passes for 84 yards, giving him 72 receptions and 1,033 yards for the season. Newton now has 206 career receptions, pushing past Alonzo Russell (202 from 2012-2015) to become the fifth on Toledo's all-time list. Newton also became the eighth Rocket to pass 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for a career-high 336 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore safety Braden Awls had his fourth interception of the season, the team's best. The defense was led by junior safety Jaden Dottin, who had a career-high 10 tackles and his first career interception. Junior cornerback Avery Smith and junior defensive back Nasir Bowers each had eight tackles and broke up a pass. "This senior class wanted to go get a win and the young players did a really great job practicing all week long," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "There was great effort and it showed that this team wanted to set the table for what next year could be. So many of these seniors have been here for a long time and have been through some really tough times. It felt like we had to win the game three or four times today, but we are so proud of this team." Toledo scored on their opening drive on a two-yard pass from Gleason to senior tight end Anthony Torres on fourth down. Pitt blocked the extra point and returned it 85-yards, making the score 6-2. Toledo took the lead back 13-12 on a 67-yard catch-and-run from Gleason to Vandeross. On the next play, Awls picked off a pass and returned 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Rockets a 20-12 lead with 7:24 left in the first half. In the fourth quarter, senior defensive tackle Darius Alexander picked off a pass and returned 58 yards down the sidelines to the house, cutting the lead to 30-27. Freshman placekicker Dylan Cunanan tied the score at 30-30 with his second 51-yard field goal of the season, with only 1:45 remaining in the quarter. The Rockets and the Panthers traded scores in the first two overtimes before tying on two-point conversions in the third, fourth, and fifth overtimes. After Vandeross caught the game-winning pass from Gleason, Pitt's final pass attempt to tie the game was incomplete. With the victory, Toledo is now 13-9 all-time in bowl games and has two wins over power conference opponents in the same year for only the second time in program history.

Toledo fell to Ohio University in a crucial Mid-American Conference battle at the Glass Bowl on Nov. 20. In the first quarter, the teams exchanged punts, with neither team threatening to score. Toledo (7-4, 4-3 MAC) scored on a 23-yard pass from junior quarterback Tucker Gleason to senior tight end Anthony Torres with 10:12 left in the half. The Rockets led 7-0 entering the locker room, but Ohio (8-3, 6-1 MAC) controlled the final 30 minutes of play, bringing the score to 7-24. With the loss, Toledo falls to 4-3 in MAC play, and is eliminated from contention for its third-straight MAC Championship Game appearance. "Very disappointing outcome. Hats off to Ohio for a hard-fought, 60-minute game," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Disappointing on our end. For a 15-minute stretch in the second half, we were really inefficient offensively, we turned the ball over, and we let a couple of explosive runs that got out on us. It just kind of avalanched on us a little bit. We don't have a lot of time to sit and dwell on it. It's a quick turnaround for us to play in six days. Tough pill to swallow, but we've got to rebound." Gleason finished 9-of-17 passes for 136 yards. Junior running back Willie Shaw III returned to the backfield for his first appearance since the Western Kentucky game on Sept. 21, leading the Rockets with 30 yards on six carries. Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton caught four passes for 45 yards, giving him a career-best 56 receptions for the season. Senior safety Maxen Hook had a career-high 16 tackles and added a goal-line interception, the seventh in his career. Senior linebacker Daniel Bolden added on eight tackles.

The Toledo women’s basketball team defeated Long Beach State University 79-72 at Savage Arena on Nov. 22. The Rockets (3-1) started behind in the first half, with the 49ers (2-2) coming out with a seven scoring run midway through the first quarter. Graduate student Khera Goss scored a three-pointer, giving the Rockets the lead entering the second quarter and carried the advantage for the rest of the game, the margin as large as 16 in the third quarter. Four Rockets scored in the double digits for the first time this season, led by sophomore Kendall Carruthers who finished with 19 points. Graduate student Nan Garcia scored 14 points, while sophomore Cadence Dykstra added 13. Goss added 12 points, along with five assists. Carruthers went 7-for-9 shooting, 1-for-2 at the free throw line, and 4-for-4 from the three-point range. Dykstra went 4-for-4 shooting, 5-for-6 at the free throw line, and team high seven assists. Freshman Evalyse Cole had her first career points tonight, going 2-for-2 at the free throw line. Garcia and Goss each added five rebounds. Dykstra, graduate student Hannah Noveroske, and freshman Kendall Braden each collected three rebounds. Goss also had two steals and a block, while sophomore Ella Weaver had two steals. “I told them before the game I thought I could feel the momentum coming,” said Head Coach Ginny Boggess. “I thought tonight would be a tipping point for some of our young women and for us collectively. I thought you saw that out there, especially the growth in the play from Cadence Dykstra and some of our young kids coming off the bench, and Nan Garcia and Hannah Noveroske made huge contributions. I'm very pleased overall and also excited that we still have some things to clean up and build upon moving forward.” Toledo will begin play at the Navy Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, Nov. 30, where they will take on Navy at 1 p.m.

The Toledo women's basketball team was in a back-and-forth battle with Mercyhurst all night, pushing past the Lakers in a 70-66 victory with a run late in the fourth quarter on Dec. 6 at Savage Arena. The Rockets (5-2) scored the final points of the game, holding the Lakers (2-6) without a point for the last four minutes of play. Mercyhurst started the match in the lead 7-13 when graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz scored a triple to cut the lead to 10-13 with 3:23 left in the quarter. Mercyhurst ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 19-12 lead. Toledo slowly came back in the second quarter as graduate student Khera Goss scored five straight points to cut Mercyhurst's lead to 21-19 with 6:25 left in the half. A Mikonowicz jumper in the paint ended a 12-2 run for the Rockets, giving them a 26-23 lead with 3:17 left in the half. Goss scored with four seconds left in the half to give Toledo a 34-28 lead heading into the locker room. Mercyhurst fought back in the third quarter, holding Toledo scoreless in the final 3:38 of the quarter, cutting the Rockets lead to 54-51 at the break. Graduate student Nan Garcia scored back-to-back free throws with 8:05 left in the game, pushing Toledo's lead to 60-53, but Mercyhurst responded with six straight points to cut the lead to 60-59 with 6:56 left. Freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson scored three consecutive layups to help the Rockets lead 68-66 with 1:41 left in play. Toledo forced the Lakers to miss their last six shots, securing the 70-66 victory. Fedd-Robinson led Toledo with 15 points, adding five rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Goss scored 14 points and five rebounds. Mikonowicz had a season-high 12 rebounds while scoring nine points for the Rockets. "I'm really pleased with our toughness down the stretch tonight," said Head Coach Ginny Boggess. "We made some big plays and got the stops we needed. We have some things to clean up with ball screens, but anytime we can get a win, whether on the road or at home, I'm really happy." The Rockets head to the Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, North Carolina for a two-game tournament. Toledo opens the tournament against Troy on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. and will face either Arkansas or Liberty on Dec. 19.

Six Rockets scored in double digits on Dec. 7 to lead the Toledo men's basketball team (6-3) to a 111-49 victory over Defiance College in Savage Arena. The Rockets' 111 points is their most since defeating Oakland 112-90 on Nov. 16, 2022. "We needed a game like this after not playing well our last two games," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "Prior to those two games, we had won five in a row and were playing great. I liked the way we shared the basketball, and that showed with having 25 assists and just five turnovers. We needed to get our edge back, and I thought we started to do that today." The largest lead of the game for Toledo was 62 points, when freshman Jaylen Murphy broke away and dunked with ten seconds left in play. Sophomore Sam Lewis scored a career-high 18 points, making all seven of his shots from the field, 1-for-1 on three points, and 3-for-4 of his free throws. Sophomore Javan Simmons (16 points), sophomore Sonny Wilson (16 points), freshman Jaylan Ouwinga (13 points), sophomore Grgur Brcic (13 points) and sophomore Bryce Ford (13 points) joined Lewis in double digit points for the game. Brcic also had a career-high nine rebounds to help lead the Rockets to 52 total rebounds. Simmons grabbed eight rebounds while Lewis grabbed five. Fifth-year senior Isiah Adams tallied nine points, six rebounds, and a career-high ten assists. Toledo travels to Youngstown State for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The Toledo women’s basketball team came back from a double-digit deficit for the second time this season. The Rockets went into the locker room 32-42 and came back to beat the Northern Kentucky Norse 76-73 at Savage Arena on Nov. 17. Toledo (2-1) was down 55-41 in the third quarter before they scored eight straight points in 2:03, tightening the margin to 55-49. Graduate student Sammi Mikonowicz scored the last six on free throws. Mikonowicz gave Toledo its first lead since the early minutes of the game with an and-one putback, bringing the score to 67-66 with 5:47 to go. The Rockets trailed 73-70 entering the final minute of play. Sophomore Kendall Carruthers hit the game-tying three-pointer before graduate student Nan Garcia delivered the game-winning putback with 2.8 seconds left in play. Graduate student Khera Goss scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-for-6 from the three-point range. Mikonowicz added 16 points of her own, shooting 4-for-7 field goals and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line. This is Carruthers second consecutive 15-point-game while adding three assists. Defensively, freshman Faith Fedd-Robinson had four steals and a block. Caruthers added on two steals while Garcia and Goss each had a block. Toledo’s last three victories, dating back to last year, are all double-digit comebacks. This victory earned the Rockets their 17th consecutive home win, reaching a full calendar year without a home defeat. The Rockets are back at Savage Arena on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. to face Long Beach State.

The Toledo men’s basketball team won against Wright State 86-77 in front of an opening-night crowd of 4,037 at Savage Arena on Nov. 13. Sophomore Sonny Wilson matched his career high of 20 points in a single game, a record set last year at Buffalo. Four other Rockets joined Wilson in the double digits: fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams (18 pts.), junior Seth Hubbard (15 pts.), and sophomore Sam Lewis (10 pts.). “It was a heck of a win for us tonight against a program that I have a lot of respect for,” said Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk. “We played with great energy defensively and that led us to having a great start at the offensive end. We had good balance again also by sharing the ball and taking good shots.” Wilson made 7-of-9 shots to help Toledo. He also scored a team-high eight rebounds, one shy of his career high. Freshman Jaylan Ouwinga blocked a season-high four shots, helping the Rockets earn a season-best nine rejections—the highest since blocking nine vs. Ohio University on Feb. 8, 2022. Sophomore Javan Simmons tied his career best of six assists. Sophomore Bryce Ford made a career-high four free throws while sophomore Sam Lewis earned a career-high five rebounds and four assists in addition to scoring double digits for a third consecutive game. Toledo (2-1) never trailed during the game, earning 13-2 after the first five minutes of play. The Rockets held a 41-33 lead heading into the locker room before Wright State tied the score 49-49 with 14:35 left in the game. Toledo’s lead never fell below five points in the final ten minutes. The Rockets are back on the road, returning to Savage on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. to play the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

The Toledo Rockets brought home a 37-10 victory over Central Michigan in the Glass Bowl on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for 136 yards, including one touchdown while rushing for two of his own. Freshman placekicker Dylan Cunanan made three field goals for the second time this season. The victory keeps Toledo (7-3, 4-2 MAC) in the hunt for its third consecutive MAC Championship Game appearance. The Rockets are tied with Western Michigan and Buffalo for fourth place. On Toledo's first possession of the game, the Rockets moved 71 yards in ten plays to take a 7-3 lead when Gleason rushed for a nine-yard touchdown. Toledo increased their lead to 10-3 on the first possession of the quarter with a 30-yard field goal by Dylan Cunanan. Gleason gained 32 and 30 yards, the second of which was good for his second touchdown of the game, increasing the Rocket's lead to 17-3 with 4:48 left in the half on a 75-yards-in seven-play drive. Toledo scored ten points in the final thirty seconds of the first half on a pick-six by junior defensive back Nasir Bowers and a 32-yard field goal by Cunanan, giving the Rockets a 27-3 advantage heading into the locker room. Toledo increased the lead to 34-3 on a 27-yard touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Zy'Marion Lang, who kept one foot in bounds along the edge of the end zone. Toledo tacked on three more points on a 40-yard field goal by Cunanan with 9:57 left in the game. Central Michigan scored their lone touchdown on a 70-yard drive with 1:28 remaining. Gleason completed 13-of-23 passes for a total of 123 yards and rushed for a total of 66 more. Senior Jacquez Stuart rushed for a season-high 65 yards, the most since the 2023 Arizona Bowl vs. Wyoming. Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton led the Rockets with three receptions. The Rocket's defense was dominant, forcing five turnovers (three fumble recoveries, two interceptions) and holding the Chippewas to 236 yards of total offence. Senior linebacker Dan Bolden led the Rockets with nine tackles. Sophomore safety Braden Awls had six tackles, while senior defensive tackle Cavon Butler and senior safety Maxen Hook each had five. Junior defensive end Anthony Dunn Jr. had a career-best 3.5 tackles for loss. "I'm proud of our football team for getting the win tonight," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Really good job by our defense creating turnovers. I thought the tale of the game was getting turnovers and capitalizing for points. We did a good job capitalizing on our red zone opportunities as well. We also ran the ball well, especially in the first half, and have found some good balance there the last couple of weeks, supplemented by Tucker Gleason." The Rockets are back in Savage Arena to host Ohio University Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the last home game of the season.

The Toledo women’s volleyball team fell to Ball State 3-0 (21-25, 13-25, 20-25) on Saturday, Nov. 9. Toledo (15-13, 8-8 MAC) remains in seventh place in the Mid-American Conference standings despite the loss, with two games remaining in the regular season. Fifth year senior and outside hitter Taylor Alt led the Toledo offense, totaling 13 kills and eight digs. Alt has secured double-digit kills in 21 matches this season. Junior outside hitter Izzy Granger added eight kills and two service aces, while redshirt freshman middle blocker Sierra Pertzborn totaled seven kills. Freshman outside hitter Olivia Heitkamp recorded six kills, making this her seventh consecutive match with six or more kills. Freshman libero Grace Freiberger had a team-high 19 digs, making this her 25th career match with double-digit digs. Sophomore setter Macy Hatkevich had 33 assists and six digs. Sophomore right-side hitter Caylee Sharkey had two service aces. The Rockets close out the regular season at Kent State University on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m.

The Toledo women’s basketball team started the Ginny Boggess era with a win against Marshall 71-68 in front of an opening-night crowd of 3,754 at Savage Arena on Nov. 4. The Rockets (1-0) fell behind early, ending the first quarter 22-8, but outscored the Marshall Thundering Herd (0-1) the rest of the game to claim the win. Marshall started the game with 10 consecutive points to take a 10-0 lead after 3:47 of the first quarter. Toledo countered with a 5-0 run, but Marshall’s CC Mays hit consecutive three-pointers to increase the Thundering Herd’s lead to 16-5 with 3:13 left in the quarter. A breakaway layup by freshman guard Faith Fedd-Robinson capped an 11-4 run, cutting the lead to 2-19 with 4:45 left in the half. Graduate student guard/forward, Nan Garcia hit a three-pointer with 51 seconds left that capped a 6-0 run to cut Marshall’s lead to 35-29. Toledo out-scored Marshall 21-15 in the second quarter, but a late layup from Marshall gave them a 37-29 lead headed into the locker room. A layup made by senior forward Jessica Cook made it a one-possession game, 44-41 heading into the media timeout at 4:37. Cook would then make Toledo’s next basket to make it a one point game, 44-43. Two free throws made by graduate student guard Khera Goss once again cut the Herd’s lead to 54-53 at the end of the third quarter. A pair of buckers were made by graduate student center Hannah Noveroske, putting Toledo in the lead 58-54. After Marshall took back the lead, Noveroske would score to re-gain the lead, 66-65 with 3:33 left in play. The two teams exchanged baskets in a back-and-forth final quarter, with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead. Sophomore guard Kendall Carruthers sank a jumper with 25 seconds left in the game to push the Toledo lead to 71-68. A potential-tying jumper by Marshall’s Madison Kellione with less than a second left in the game was waived off by a traveling call to seal the Toledo win. Noveroske led Toledo with 16 points and eight rebounds, followed by graduate student guard/forward Sammi Mikonowicz with 15 points. Goss and Cook scored 11 and 8 points respectively, with Goss having 6 rebounds and Cook with 4. “First and foremost, I want to thank the sixth man here at Savage Arena for showing up and showing out tonight,” said Boggess, after earning her first win as Toledo’s head coach. “I was really excited how our seniors led, and we’ve got some talented young players who stepped up in big moments for us. Overall, the toughness, the resiliency, the championship culture, and the ‘Blue Collar, Gold Standard' mentality was really shown tonight, and I am proud of our fight.” The Rockets women’s basketball team is celebrating their 50th anniversary as a varsity program all throughout the season. Toledo will head to Iowa City to face defending national runner-up Iowa on Wed., Nov. 13. Tip-off will be 7:00 p.m. ET and will air on Big Ten Network.

The biggest football rivalry in the Mid-American Conference brought 29,697 fans to the Glass Bowl Stadium for the annual Battle of I-75 game on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Toledo Rockets and the Bowling Green State University Falcons’ first meeting on the football field was on Oct. 13, 1919, where the Rockets won 6-0. 87 games have followed between the two, with a pause from 1936-1947 due to the animosity between the two teams. The rivals have faced each other every year since 1948, making this game the 77th consecutive meeting. The two campuses’ football fields are separated by 26.1 miles, most of which is along the rivalry’s namesake Interstate 75, which runs from the upper peninsula of Michigan down to Miami, Florida. This year, the Toledo Rockets (5-3, 2-2 MAC) fell to the Bowling Green Falcons (4-4, 3-1 MAC) 26-41 after three quarters of close play when the Falcons scored the final 13 points to seal the game, making this the fourth consecutive year where the away team leaves with the Battle of I-75 trophy. Bowling Green took advantage of the short field, driving 45 yards in five plays on their first possession to take an early lead of 7-0. On the following drive, senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton caught a 34-yard reception to set up the Rockets for their first score of the game. Toledo tied it up 7-7 on a four-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Tucker Gleason to Newton. Toledo started the second quarter with a 54-yard field goal, the second-longest in Toledo history, from freshmen placekicker Dylan Cunanan to bring the score to 14-10. The record is 55 yards set by Todd France in 2001 vs. Western Michigan. The Falcons increased their lead to 21-10 on a two-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Connor Bazelak to senior tight end Levi Gazarek, ending a nine-play 79-yard drive. With 2:58 left in the half, Toledo trimmed the Falcon’s lead to 21-17 with a 12-yard rush by Gleason, capping a 14-play and 75-yard drive. After Toledo forced a BG punt, Falcon senior cornerback Jordan Oladokun stepped in front of a throw and raced 61 yards for a touchdown, pushing their advantage to 28-17. Toledo took advantage of a 44-yard kickoff return by senior running back Jacquez Stuart to set up a 27-yard field goal by Cunanan. With no time remaining in the first half, UToledo made it a one-score game at 28-20 heading into the locker room. The Rockets forced the Falcons to punt on their first possession of the half and then capitalized on their own opening drive, moving 93 yards in five plays to bring the score to 28-26 after a 64-yard pass from Gleason to Newton. The two-point conversion attempt by Gleason was incomplete. Bowling Green added three points on a 47-yard field goal by junior kicker Zach Long to give the Falcons a 31-26 edge with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Long then added on a 35-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 34-26. Two offensive possessions later, the Falcons drove 60 yards in five plays, and junior WR Rahkeem Smith sealed the deal as he scored a 19-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 41-26. "We have really good leadership on our team and in the locker room," said Toledo’s Head Coach Jason Candle. "Those guys have a lot of pride and I know the fabric that makes up this locker room. This is a tough football game that you drop in the middle of the year, but there is a ton of football left to be played. Each and every week in this league, you have to be at your best. As tough as it may be, you have to flush this one out and get back out to the practice field and prepare for next week." Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton had a career day, establishing career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (164). His 64-yard touchdown reception was the longest in his career. His two touchdown receptions from the game gives him a total of 31 for his career, breaking the Toledo record of 30 set by Cody Thompson (2014-18). “We’ve got to stay together through this process,” said Newton. “It’s a tough loss, but at the end of the day, it’s the game of football. We have more games ahead of us, and I’ve got to make sure everyone comes in ready to attack and get our minds right for the next games. Breaking the all-time receiving touchdowns record is a great accomplishment, but I’m focused on making sure the team comes in ready to work this week.” Junior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III set his career high with 11 receptions. He finished the game with 106 receiving yards, making this the second time this year he has surpassed 100 yards. Gleason was 30-of-45 for 320 yards and two scores, setting his career marks for completions and attempts. Toledo defense was led by senior linebacker Dan Bolden and senior safety Maxen Hook with 10 tackles each, with Hook reaching double-digit stops for the fourth time this year. “It’s a classic,” said Bowling Green head coach Scott Loeffler. “I think they say this is the top five rivalry in college football. It’s a rivalry game. There’s a lot of good things that have happened in these last six years. Think it’s three and three now, and that’s what this game is supposed to be like. Tons of respect for the Toledo players. They fought hard, and just came up a little bit short. I think they’ve got a great coaching staff, and I think they’ve got good football players.” The Rockets maintain a 43-42-4 edge over the Falcons, having won twelve of the last fifteen matchups. The Rockets travel to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 2, with kickoff set for noon.

With an 86-71 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Mar. 8, the men’s basketball team cemented their fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference (MAC) title. The Rockets ended the regular season with an overall record of 20-11, 14-4 in the MAC. On Mar. 14, in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament, the No. 8 seed Golden Flashes got their revenge on the No. 1 seeded Rockets, handing UT a 67- 59 loss at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. All five Rocket starters were honored by the MAC. Junior Ra’Heim Moss earned First-Team All-MAC honors and juniors Tyler Cochran and Dante Maddox Jr. received Second-Team All-MAC honors. Cochran was named the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Moss was also named to the MAC’s All-Defensive Team. This is the first time in school history that two Rockets were named to the All-Defensive team. Javan Simmons was unanimously named MAC Freshman of the Year. Simmons and Sonny Wilson were both named to the MAC’s All-Freshman Team.