Zips to Battle Rival Kent State in Annual Track and Field Dual Meet

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

Zips to Battle Rival Kent State in Annual Track and Field Dual Meet

January 18 | Track & Field

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | LIVE STATS

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron track and field team returns to action this Friday, Jan. 19, as the Zips square off against rival Kent State in a dual meet at the Kent State Field House starting at 5:15 p.m.

UP NEXT: The 28-event meet will commence with the men's long jump beginning at 5:15 p.m. before the women's mile kicks off action on the track at 6:30 p.m.

The event will be scored as a dual meet with 5-3-2-1 points being awarded for individual events with two scores per team, while relays will be scored with the winner being awarded five points and the runner-up three points

QUOTING HEAD COACH DENNIS MITCHELL: "We always look forward to this dual meet. It is a great rivalry, not just because of the proximity of both schools, but because of the competitiveness of the event. There are always great marks on both sides. You always have to perform well to win this meet."

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams garnered recognition for their efforts in 2017 as the Zips were ranked 35th and 37th, respectively, in the 2018 preseason United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings released on Jan. 10.

The Zips' men's squad is the highest-rated team in the Mid-American Conference and is ranked No. 11 in the initial Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News.

ZIPS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN LATEST TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron currently has seven student-athletes ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), including junior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio), who owns the No. 2 mark nationally in the men's pole vault (18-3.25/5.57m).

Also rated among the top-25 is sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) (sixth in the women's pole vault - 13-11.75/4.26m), redshirt freshman Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio) (11th in the women's pole vault – 13-7.25/4.15m), senior Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) (13th in the women's long jump – 20-0.25/6.10m), senior Kwadarrius Smith (Orlando, Fla.) (21st in the 60 meters), senior Garrett Crichlow (Twinsburg, Ohio) (23rd in the mile – 4:10.07) and freshman Jenna Frantz (Versailles, Ohio) (24th in the women's pole vault – 13-1.50/4.00m).

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: Matt Ludwig eclipsed 18-3.25 (5.57m) to win the men's pole vault at the Kentucky Invitational on Jan. 13. His effort represented the second-best mark in indoor program history. Posting the third-, fourth-, fifth-fastest times in the women's 3,000 meters (9:44.17), men's 60 meters (6.72) and 3,000 meters (8:19.14) was redshirt junior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia), Kwadarrius Smith and redshirt freshman Marc Migliozzi (Pittsburgh, Pa.), respectively.

A YEAR AGO: Sparked by a school-record mark and 19 first-place performances, the Akron track and field teams bested rival Kent State in a men's and women's dual meet at the Stile Athletics Field House on Jan. 20, 2017.

Powered by nine first-efforts on the women's side, Akron bettered Kent State 82-69. In the men's competition, the Zips garnered 10 winning performances to edge the Golden Flashes, 86-64.

Senior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) led Akron's efforts on the evening establishing a school-record mark of 25-7.25 (7.80m) en route to capturing the men's long.

Winning the women's pole vault was Lucy Bryan with a clearance of 14-1.25 (4.30m).

Kwadarrius Smith crossed the line first in the men's 60 meters in 6.76, just one one-hundredth's off a second shy of equaling his then career-best time of 6.75 set at the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships. He followed up with a win in the 200 meters with a time of 21.80.

Garrett Crichlow and Mackenzie Andrews opened the competition for the Zips capturing victories in the men's and women's miles with times of 4:16.76 and 4:58.43, respectively.

Matt Rowland eclipsed 17-1.50 (5.22m) to take top honors in the men's pole vault.

Redshirt junior Brandon Mitchell (Pittsburgh, Pa.) crossed the line first in the men's 60-meter hurdles in 8.25, before Jackie Siefring edged out senior Ariadna Ramos Gandia (Barcelona, Spain) by two one-hundredths of a second, 8.68 to 8.70, to win the women's 60-meter hurdles.

Siefring added her second win of the evening in the women's long jump with a mark of 19-8.75 (6.00m).

Daziah Green finished first in the women's 400 meters in 56.64, while Nikki Manson cleared 5-10 (1.78m) on her third and final attempt at the height to take top honors in the women's high jump.

Daniella Johnson followed with a triumph in the women's 60 meters in a time of 7.56.

Sean Poholski and Natalie Zidd posted victories in the men's and women's 800-meter races posting times of 1:52.38 and 2:14.01, respectively.

Juniors Curtis Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) and Cody Stine (Shelby, Ohio) each surpassed 6-11.75 (2.13m) in the men's high jump, but it was Richardson winning the event by virtues of jumps.

Ramos Gandia recorded a mark of 41-7.25 (12.68m) to earn the triumph in the women's triple jump. In the men's triple jump, Mike Ohiembor leaped 51-0.75 (15.56m) to place first.

The men's 4x400 relay team of Anthony Young, senior Taron Slone (Columbus, Ohio), and Alante Oliver and Miles Baldwin capped the evening for the Zips with a winning time of 3:19.27.

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