The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Track & Field Ready for NCAA Mideast Regional
May 23 | Track & Field
AKRON – The University of Akron track and field teams will send 23 student-athletes to the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, held May 25-26 in Columbia, Mo., at the University of Missouri's Audrey J. Walton Stadium. The top five to place in each event will automatically advance to the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, held in Sacramento, Calif., from June 6-9.
The list of Zips participating includes: freshman Larisa Arcip (800 & 1500), senior Jessica Bright (100 hurdles), senior Corine Gavin-Hall (100 & 200), junior Crystal Goldsmith (pole vault), freshman Carrie Kayes (pole vault), sophomore Stevi Large (hammer, shot put and discus), senior Amy Lavalley (hammer), junior Jessica Miller (pole vault), junior Jennifer Peck (pole vault), senior Lisa Ravn (high jump), senior Natalie Sako (high jump), senior Rachel Zubricky (1500), senior Marcus Davis (4x400 relay), freshman Aaron Dobson (4x100 relay), senior Randall Hafner (hammer, shot put & discus), sophomore James Howell (400, 4x100 relay & 4x400 relay), junior Ryan Jones (high jump), junior Cadeau Kelley (long & triple jump), sophomore James Manley (4x100 relay), senior Mike Meditz (400 hurdles & 4x400 relay), junior Auston Papay (shot put & discus), freshman Anthony Thomas (200, 4x100 relay & 4x400 relay) and senior Ray Weisenbarger (shot put & discus).
Of those 23, 11 make a return appearance from last year, including four-time All-American Sako as well as 2006 NCAA Outdoor national qualifiers Papay and Hafner. Sako (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge HS) has a pair of second-place finishes in the high jump to her credit at the NCAA Regional, adding a ninth-place finish as a freshman. The 2007 MAC high jump champion is coming off an All-American performance from the 2007 indoor season and she earned All-American honors at last year's NCAA Outdoors, placing 12th. This year's Mideast Regional high jump field is very competitive as 10 of the top 25 ranked athletes in the nation in the event will be in Columbia. Sako – ranked sixth in the region, 19th in the NCAA and 23rd in the United States – has cleared 5-11.25 (1.81) with the region leader, Alabama'a Miruna Mataoanu, having a leap of 6-1. Sako will be joined by teammate Ravn in the 27-person field. Ravn (Canal Winchester/Canal Winchester) ranks 12th in the region, clearing 5-10 at Akron's Campbell/Wright Open.
Papay (Sharon, Pa./Sharon HS) placed third in last year's regional in the discus to advance to nationals. This year, he enters ranked second in the region – 24th nationally – in the discus, while ranking third in the region – 19th nationally – in the shot put. Hafner (Willard, Ohio/Willard HS) is one of just three athletes in the Mideast Region to qualify for the shot put, discus and hammer throws. Hafner, who placed fourth in last year's regional in the discus, ranks 11th in the Mideast Region in the hammer, 12th in the discus and 16th in the shot put. The Zips will also have Weisenbarger (Troy, Ohio/Malone College/Troy Christian HS) competing in the shot put and discus. Weisenbarger, who won the 2004 NAIA national title in the shot put while at Malone, ranks 22th in the region in the discus and 26th in the shot.
Akron will be well represented in the throws on the women's side as well. Large (Somerset, Ohio/Sheridan HS) headlines the group, being just one of four athletes in the region to qualify for the shot put, discus and hammer. The MAC outdoor champion in the hammer and discus currently ranks third in the region (12th in the nation and 23rd in the United States) in the hammer with a UA and MAC record throw of 202-6 (61.74). Also in the hammer field is the Southern Illinois' Brittany Riley, who is United States leader with a throw of 237-10 (72.51), and teammate Lavalley (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor HS), who ranks 12th in the region and is competing in her third NCAA Mideast Regional. Large additionally ranks sixth in the region in the shot put and ninth in the discus.
The throws are not the only events to have a Zip in multiple events. Kelley (Cleveland, Ohio/John Marshall HS) has qualified in both the long jump – ranking 21st in the region with a leap of 24-7.75 (7.51) – and the triple jump – ranking 23rd in the region with a distance of 49-8.75 (15.15). Arcip (Vaslui, Romania/Loc Vaslui Jud Vaslui HS) has qualified in both the 800 – ranking 21st in the region with a time of 2:08.35 – and the 1500 – ranking 24th in the region with a time of 4:26.71. Also in the 1500 is Zubricky (Lakewood, Ohio/Bellevue HS), who placed 13th in the event at last year's regional and ranks 26th in the region this year. Gavin-Hall (Canton, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS) has qualified for the 100 and 200, ranking 25th and 17th, respectively.
The Zips will send a quartet of student-athletes to the regional in the pole vault. Goldsmith (Zanesville, Ohio/Zanesville HS) is coming off a second-place finish at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a vault of 12-9.50 (3.90) to rank 10th in the region. She will be joined by Peck (Maumee, Ohio/Springfield HS), Miller (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and Kayes (Green, Ohio/Green HS), each of whom cleared 12-5.50 (3.80) to tie for 14th in the region. Goldsmith placed 13th in the 2005 Mideast Regional, while, at last year's regional, Peck was 13th and Miller was 14th.
In the men's high jump, won last year by Akron's Tomasz Smialek, Jones (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Lakeland CC/Twinsburg HS) will be making his second appearance in the meet, tying for eighth last year. The 2007 MAC Outdoor champion ranks ninth in the region clearing 6-10.50 (2.10). Also in the Mideast Regional field is the world's number one, Auburn's Donald Thomas, who has cleared 7-8 (2.34) this season.
A pair of school record holders in the hurdles will be represented. Meditz (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls HS) ranks 11th in the region in the 400 hurdles with his time of 51.51 and Bright (Madison, Ohio/Madison HS) enters the regional ranked 26th with a time of 13.75 in the 100 hurdles. Meditz will additionally be competing in the 4x400 relay, along with Davis, Howell and Thomas. Howell (Cerritos, Calif./Richard Gahr HS) will also be competing in the 400, an event which he ranks 21st in the region, and the 4x100. Thomas (Cleveland, Ohio/Kennedy HS) will join Howell on both relay teams as well as be competing in the 200, where he ranks 23rd in the region. Rounding out the 4x400 relay is Davis (Fairlawn, Ohio/Copley HS/Detroit (Mich.) Mercy HS), while Dobson (Orange, Ohio/Orange HS) and Manley (Blacklick, Ohio/Lincoln HS) will fill out the 4x100 relay team.
Akron in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
(Top 5 Automatically Advance to NCAA)
2003 MEN: 19th (10.5 pts) – John Russell (2nd-t – pole vault)
Columbus, Ohio Tomasz Smialek (5th-t – high jump)
Jamie Goodwin (14th – 200)
Dustin Shaffer (11th – hammer)
James Baisden (20th – 400)
Kevin Poest (NH – pole vault)
WOMEN: 27th (5.5 pts) - Beata Rudzinska (5th – 800)
Mary Varga (7th-t – high jump)*advanced to NCAA in heptathlon
Kira Sims (8th – pole vault)
4x400 relay (9th)
Ashley Kaufman (17th – javelin)
Liz Mangen(19th – discus)
Kelly Green (NH – high jump)
2004 MEN: 35th (4 pts) – Greg Corbitt (5th – hammer; NA – shot put)
Baton Rouge, La. Greg Miller (9th-t – pole vault)
Dustin Shaffer (14th – hammer)
Randall Hafner (28th – shot put)
John Russell (NH – pole vault)
WOMEN: 14th (14 pts) - Kira Sims (1st – pole vault)
Beata Rudzinska (5th – 800)
Natalie Sako (9th-t – high jump)
2005 MEN: 13th (18 pts) – John Russell (1st – pole vault)
Bloomington, Ind. Tomasz Smialek (2nd – high jump)
Auston Papay (10th – discus; 27th – shot put)
Zach Helm (26th – hammer)
Randall Hafner (27th – hammer)
WOMEN: 16th (17.3 pts) - Natalie Sako (2nd-t – high jump)
Beata Rudzinska (4th – 800)
Ashley Kaufman (5th – javelin)
Jennie Castle (7th – 1500)
4x100 relay (9th)
Jenna Strouse (13th – discus)
Crystal Goldsmtih (13th-t – pole vault)
4x400 relay (15th)
Deanna Caldwell (18th – 200)
Amy Lavalley (22nd – hammer)
Morgan Sulzener (26th – 3k Steeplechase)
Brittany Hocker (NA – 200)
Lisa Ravn (NH – high jump)
2006 MEN: 9th (28.5 pts) – Tomasz Smialek (1st – high jump)
Knoxville, Tenn. John Russell (2nd-t – pole vault)
Auston Papay (3rd – discus; – 12th shot put)
Randall Hafner (4th discus)
Ryan Jones (8th-t – high jump)
Mike Meditz (23rd – 400 hurdles)
Howard Harris (28th – 100)
WOMEN: 13th (17 pts) - Natalie Sako (2nd – high jump)
Ashley Kaufman (2nd – javelin)
Liz Mangen (8th – discus)
Jenna Strouse (9th – discus; NA – shot put)
Amy Lavalley (11th – hammer)
Rachel Zubricky (13th – 1500)
Jennifer Peck (13th – pole vault)
Jessica Miller (14th – pole vault)
Beata Rudzinska (18th – 800)
Stevi Large (18th – hammer)
Deanna Caldwell-Edwards (19th – 100)
Morgan Sulzener (24th – 3k Steeplechase)
Lisa Ravn (NH – high jump)
