The University of Akron Athletics
T&F Has 10 Qualify for NCAA Regional at Wake Forest
March 25 | Track & Field
Winston-Salem, N.C. – University of Akron sophomore Stevi Large headlined a successful second and final day in the men's and women's track and field teams' 2007 outdoors debut at the Wake Forest Open.
Large was one of 10 Zips to post NCAA regional qualifying marks at the meet, accomplishing the feat in both the shot put and hammer. Others to do so over the two days were Amy Lavalley (hammer), Randall Hafner (hammer, discus and shot), Crystal Goldsmith (pole vault), Auston Papay (shot put), Larisa Arcip (800), Natalie Sako (high jump), Cadeau Kelley (long jump), Corine Gavin-Hall (200) and Mike Meditz (400 hurdles).
Coming off an appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Large took a big step towards making an appearance at this spring's 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Somerset, Ohio, native opened Saturday by shattering an Akron record and winning the hammer with a toss of 197-2 (60.09) by six feet over second place Tamara Burns (Virginia Tech) and nearly 10 feet over third Kimery Hern (Georgia Tech). The mark, which is nearly nine feet better than the previous school record (set by Large last spring), additionally qualifies her for the NCAA Regional Championships. Teammate Amy Lavalley placed fourth in the event, posting an NCAA regional qualifying standard and setting a personal record with a toss of 182-6 (55.64)., while Allison Lawyer was 16th with a throw of 148-5 (45.25). For the men in the event Randall Hafner placed fourth and posted an NCAA regional qualifying standard with a throw of 190-0 (57.91), which is a personal record and the third-best effort in school history.
Sako, who earned her fourth All-American honor in the high jump earlier this month at the NCAA Indoors, was edged in a jump-off by Duke's Debra Vento. However, Sako still posted an NCAA regional qualifying standard by clearing 5-10 (1.78). Lisa Ravn took fifth in the event (5-7), while Kirsten English placed seventh (5-7).
In the long jump, Cadeau Kelley tied for second in the men's competition with a leap 24-2.25 (7.37), which qualifies him for the NCAA Regional Championships. Mike Wagner added a 13th-place finish in the event, jumping 22-6.50 (6.87). Freshman Neisha Kelly placed ninth on the women's side with a leap of 18-3 (5.56).
The running events on Saturday started with the finals of the women's 100-meter hurdles, which Jessica Bright placed 12th (14.68). In the men's 110-meter hurdle final, A.J. Oyer placed 11th with a time of 14.93, while Wagner was 13th (15.07).
In the 99-person, women's 1500, The Zips put two athletes in the top 10. Senior Rachel Zubricky came in third with a time of 4:30.89, while Colleen Moran was seventh with a time of 4:34.60. Sediah Erskine also competed in the event, placing 34th (4:47.36). For the men in the event with a field of 117, David Howard placed 14th (3:56.39), Jeff Swartzel was 27th (3:59.90) and Clayton Watson was 43rd (4:04.45).
Howard Harris placed fourth in the men's 100 meters (10.51) and Corine Gavin-Hall turned in a 10h-place finish in the women's 100 meters (11.92). However, Gavin-Hall turned in a fourth-place finish in the 200, running a personal record time of 23.92 to qualify for the NCAA regional. Also in the 200, Chantell Cargile placed 34th (25.50), Latalia Jones placed 39th (25.66), Shamara McDavid placed 44th (25.82) and Azzure Lindsey was 61st (26.26). Later, Harris registered a fifth-place finish in the 200 with a time of 21.37. He was followed closely by teammate Brandon Wells (21.41), while Aaron Dobson was 15th (21.87) and James Manley was 31st (22.21).
Mike Meditz added to Akron's NCAA regional qualifiers by being one of the top collegians to finish in the 400 meter hurdles, placing sixth overall with a time of 52.10. Oyer also competed in the event, placing 20th with a time of 56.01. For the women, Siobahn Counts placed 13th in the event with a time of 1:03.82.
The competition drew to a close with the discus, 3,000 meters and the 4x400 relays. In the men's discus, Akron had two place in the top six, including Hafner placing fourth (169-10) and Weisenbarger placing sixth (164-2). In the women's discus, Lawyer placed 11th with a throw of 138-5 (42.18). In the women's 3K, Heidi Gross placed 11th (10:21.45) and Olivia Jaworek was 23rd (11:03.51). In the men's 3K, David Marchione placed 20th (8:58.73), Mike Baraona placed 26th (9:03.0), Clayton Watson placed 25th (9:03.21) and Rick Weisheimer placed 34th (9:14.62). Akron's 4x400 relay team took seventh with a time of 3:15.21.
The Zips will return to action in two weeks. Some of the team will return to North Carolina to participate in the Duke Invitational (April 6-7, while others will travel to the Lone Star state to compete in the Texas Relays (April 5-7).
