The University of Akron Athletics
UA Women Claim MAC Outdoor Track and Field Title
May 13 | Track & Field
May 13, 2006
Complete Results
TOLEDO, Ohio - Soggy and rainy conditions didn't slow down the University of Akron women's track and field team which today claimed the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship at the UT Track in Toledo, Ohio, in dominating fashion, enabling the Zips to sweep the three league titles during the 2005-06 academic year.
The Zips women rolled up four individual victories, including three today, and tallied 141 points in the 12-team field, outdistancing runner-up Eastern Michigan (103) by nearly 40 points. Ball State was third with 97 points and defending champion Kent State (89.5) was fourth.
The UA men finished third in the seven-team field with 134.5 points. Central Michigan tallied 176.5 and held off Eastern Michigan (159.5) for its second-straight outdoor crown. Kent State was fourth with 132 points. It was the highest outdoor finish for the UA men since entering the MAC.
The Akron women secured their first MAC outdoor title since 1999. The Zips won the 2005 cross country title and this year's indoor track crown to become the first women's team in league history to capture track's version of the triple crown.
The feat has happened three times on the men's side (Eastern Michigan in 2000-01 and 2001-02; Central Michigan in 2004-05), but never with the women. Bowling Green was the last women's team with a shot at the triple crown back in 1998-99, as it won cross country and indoor track before the Zips took the outdoor crown to foil the attempt.
"It's a great win for our program," 11th-year head coach Dennis
Mitchell said of the victory. "I'm glad we didn't leave it til the
final event. Every time we hit a rough spot, the team responded.
They showed they wanted it more than anyone else."
|
|
Mitchell was named MAC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year after the meet. He has directed the Zips to three of the last four women's league track titles. The Zips were second at last year's outdoor meet.
Heavy rain and lightening forced the meet to be stopped for two hours in the afternoon. The Akron women were well in charge when the meet was halted with four running events left.
The Zips scored heavily in the sprints and middle distance during the third and final day of action. Beata Rudzinska (Ilawa, Poland/Zespot Szkot/University of Gdansk) and Emily Freudenrich (Warren, Ohio/Lordstown HS) collected 18 points in the 800 meters, by finishing first and second, respectively.
Rudzinska hauled in her eighth-straight 800m MAC crown, and 13th overall, by clocking a time of 2:09.52 in her final league competition. Freudenrich cut the tape in 2:10.80. Junior Rachel Zubricky (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood HS) tallied eight points with a second-place finish (4:33.71) in the 1,500 meters.
Sprinters Deanna Caldwell-Edwards (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville HS) and Corine Gavin-Hall (Canton, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS) combined to score 25 points in the 100 and 200 meters. Caldwell-Edwards was second in both, clocking a 11.76 in the 100 and 24.02 in the 200. Gavin-Hall was fifth in the 100 (12.01) and fourth in the 200 (24.27).
Akron also picked up a pair of victories today in the field events. Junior Natalie Sako (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge HS) swept the indoor and outdoor league high jump titles with a clearance of 5-10, and senior Liz Mangen (Houston, Ohio/Russia Local HS) won her first discus crown with a toss of 155-09.
Senior Ashley Kaufman (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area HS), who won the javelin Thursday, was named the meet's top female field events performer.
The UA men had some strong individual performances with three victories today. Senior pole vaulter John Russell (Glendale, Ohio/Princeton HS) won his fourth MAC title, but first at the outdoor championships with an NCAA regional-qualifying and meet record clearance of 17-06.50. Runner-up David Jones of CMU was well behind with a vault of 16-00.75. Russell earned the male field events performer of the meet.
Senior Tomasz Smialek won his sixth MAC high jump title, including his second outdoors, with a clearance of 7-00.50, matching his season-best effort.
The UA men picked up 18 points in the discus with a 1-2 finish by sophomore Auston Papay (Sharon, Pa./Sharon HS) and junior Randall Hafner (Willard, Ohio/Willard HS). Papay had a toss of 177-11, while Hafner posted a personal-best 170-02.
A.J. Oyer (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake HS), who the 60-meter hurdles indoors, was the runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles and just missed posting an NCAA regional-qualifying mark. His career-best time of 14.31 was just off the 14.30 standard. Oyer was also fifth in the 400mh (52.95).
Sophomore Cadeau Kelley (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall HS), who was fourth in yesterday's long jump, was the runner-up in the triple jump with a career-best leap of 47-07.
While this was the final meet of the season for many student-athletes, a number of Zips will continue on to the NCAA Mideast Regional meet which is scheduled for May 26-27 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Men's Scores: 1) Central Michigan, 176.50; 2) Eastern Michigan, 159.50; 3) Akron, 134.50; 4) Kent State, 132; 5) Miami, 102.50; 6) Ohio, 58; 7) Buffalo, 54.
Women's Scores: 1) Akron, 141; 2) Eastern Michigan, 103; 3) Ball State, 97; 4) Kent State, 89.50; 5) Western Michigan, 85.50; 6) Central Michigan, 60; 7) Bowling Green, 52; 8) Miami, 50.50; 9) Toledo, 45; 10) Northern Illinois, 35.50; 11) Ohio, 35; 12) Buffalo, 25.
2006 MAC Outdoor Championships - Awards and Honors
Women's Most Valuable Performer
Patrice Beasley, Eastern Michigan
Women's Most Outstanding Track Performance
Jill Scully, Ball State
Women's Most Outstanding Field Performance
Ashley Kaufman, Akron
Women's Coach of the Year
Dennis Mitchell, Akron
Women's First Team All-MAC
Patrice Beasley, Eastern Michigan
Janaie Edwards, Central Michigan
Beata Rudzinska, Akron
Jill Odom, Western Michigan
Jill Scully, Ball State
Ebba Stenback, Toledo
Tamera Thomas, Central Michigan
Chrystal Dooley, Eastern Michigan
Natalie Sako, Akron
Lashonda Davis, Miami
Liz Mangen, Akron
Stevi Large, Akron
Ashley Kaufman, Akron
Ashley Morrow, Northern Illinois
Sarah Landau, Miami
Jennifer McCoy, Ball State
Tamelca Lewis, Ball State
Women's Second Team All-MAC
Deanna Caldwell, Eastern Michigan
Voni Ferguson, Ball State
Emily Freudenrich, Akron
Rachel Zubricky, Akron
Carime Reinhart, Ohio
Jamie Roflow
Amber Williams
Dominik Stokowska, Kent State
Ashley McCullough, Eastern Michigan
LeVania Henderson, Kent State
Jenna Strouse, Akron
Vanessa Roelofson, Buffalo
Jackie Rodgers, Kent State
Taryn Nye, Miami
April Williams
Men's Most Valuable Performer
Dan Huling, Miami
Men's Most Outstanding Track Performance
Johnie Drake, CMU
Men's Most Outstanding Field Performance
John Russell, Akron
Men's Coach of the Year
Jim Knapp, CMU
Men's First Team All-MAC
Johnie Drake, Central Michigan
Steve Wezner, Central Michigan
Abraham Mach, Central Michigan
Corey Nowitzke, Eastern Michigan
Dan Huling, Miami
Clarence Glenn, Central Michigan
Brian Heim, Buffalo
Tomasz Smialek, Akron
Scott Mayle, Akron
Rayshon Higgins, Buffalo
Auston Papay, Akron
Andy Nicholas, Kent State
Dave Adamek, Eastern Michigan
John Russell, Akron
Chris Caine, Kent State
Men's Second Team All-MAC
Pierre Vinson, Central Michigan
Roy Shavers, Eastern Michigan
Ray Armstrong, Kent State
Jake Dubois, Eastern Michigan
Jeff Powers, Central Michigan
A.J. Oyer, Akron
Mike Meditz, Akron
Adam Kring
Phil Rickaby, Kent State
Cadeau Kelley, Akron
Randall Hafner, Akron
Jarosl Zakrzewski, Kent State
Rob Prechtt, Miami
Brent Shelby, Kent State
David Jones, Central Michigan
Kevin Dwyer, Miami
