Zips Prep for NCAA Mideast Regional Meet

May 24 | Track & Field

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams have 21 student-athletes set to compete this weekend at the NCAA Mideast Regional meet, which is taking place in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Zips, who sent 20 competitors to last year's regionals, will be competing for the 544 available men's and women's slots at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held June 7-10 on the campus of Sacramento State University. The two-day regional meet gets underway Friday in Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee.

UT is the host for one of the nation's four regional championship meets. The top five finishers in each of the 19 men's and women's events - and the top three relay teams - advance to the NCAA Championships. Some at-large entries also may advance depending on their national rankings.

UA last competed at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships (May 11-13), where the women's team captured the outdoor title and the men placed third. The Zips became the first women's program in league history to win the cross country title, as well as the indoor and outdoor crowns, in the same academic year.

Three UA student-athletes - senior All-Americans John Russell (Princeton, Ohio/Princeton HS), Tomasz Smialek (Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland/Pierwsze Liceum) and Ashley Kaufman (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area HS) - are among the top three seeds in their event.

Russell, a four-time All-American, is tied for first in the 18-man field in the pole vault with his season-best clearance of 18-00.50 achieved at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, while Smialek's 7-00.50 mark from the same meet is third in the 17-man high jump field. Kaufman's throw of 177-02 from the Mt. SAC Relays is the second-best of the group of 22 in the javelin.

Russell, Kaufman and Smialek, along with Stevi Large (Somerset, Ohio/Sheridan HS), Liz Mangen (Houston, Ohio/Russia Local HS), Auston Papay (Sharon, Pa./Sharon HS), junior All-American Natalie Sako (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge HS) and senior All-American Beata Rudzinska (Ilawa, Poland/Zespot Szkot/University of Gdansk) won individual titles at the league outdoor meet. Large won the hammer throw, Sako captured the high jump, Mangen and Papay secured the discus titles, and Rudzinska won the 800 meters. All five will compete in the regionals.

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. She will be looking to qualify for her eighth NCAA Championships meet. The five-time All-American is seeded 13th with a season-best time of 2:08.19.

Kaufman, Papay, Rudzinska, Russell, Sako are among 13 Zips who will compete Friday. They will be joined by Deanna Caldwell-Edwards (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville HS) in the 100 meters, Randall Hafner (Willard, Ohio/Willard HS) in the discus, Howard Harris (Cleveland, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit HS) in the 100m, Mike Meditz (Brunswick Hills, Ohio/Brunswick HS) in the 400-meter hurdles, Lisa Ravn (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester HS) in the high jump, Brandi Schoeppner (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva HS) in the 5,000m, Jenna Strouse (Mt. Vernon, Ohio/Mt. Vernon HS) in the shot put and Rachel Zubricky (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood HS) in the 1,500m.

Strouse qualified in three events, but will only compete in a pair - the shot put and discus. Hafner also qualified in hammer throw, but will not take part in that event. Papay will also compete in the shot put and discus.

Smialek will be joined in Saturday's high jump competition by Ryan Jones (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg HS/Lakeland CC) for his first regional appearance. Jones has a season-best leap of 6-10.75 which is No. 10 in the region.

Others competing Saturday include Large and Amy Lavalley (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor HS) in the hammer throw, Mangen in the discus, Jessica Miller (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster HS) and Jennifer Peck (Maumee, Ohio/Springfield HS/Bowling Green) in the pole vault, and Morgan Sulzener (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia HS) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Miller, Peck and Schoeppner are first-time regional qualifiers.