The University of Akron Athletics
22 Zips Head to NCAA East Track Regional
May 21 | Track & Field
AKRON - Twenty-two student-athletes from the University of Akron track & field programs will compete in the 2010 NCAA East Regional. Two additional Zips, Daniel Kinsey and Bjorn Johansson, will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA East (Greensboro, N.C.) and West (Austin, Texas) Regional will be May 27-29 and the NCAA Outdoor Championships (Eugene, Ore.) will be June 9-12.
The UA men will send 14 to the regional as well as three additional runners as part of the 4x100 relay team. The list includes Collister Fahie (long jump), Phil Ferguson (200m), Dan Garrett (pole vault), Eric Hubbard (hammer), Keith Huebner (shot put), Mike McCall (high jump), Joe McCoy (steeplechase), Kenny Owens (pole vault), Tyshaun Peoples (110m hurdles), Tyler Sweet (javelin) and Mike Uhle (pole vault). The relay will include Ferguson, Marcus Ferguson, Lorenzo Brazzell and Aaron Dobson.
The Zips will send eight women, including Larisa Arcip (1,500m), Alina Bocicor (triple jump), Carrie Kayes (pole vault), Niesha Kelly (triple jump), Allison Lawyer (shot put), Katherine Lee (pole vault), Valerie Wert (discus and hammer) and Lauren Whitehill (javelin).
The regional format is new for 2010. Instead of having four regionals, there will only be the East and West Regions. This year, the top 48 individuals (top 24 relay teams) in a respective event qualify for this year's region. From there, the first round of events will trim the 48-person field per event to 24, leaving 24 in each region to compete in the quarterfinal round. After the quarterfinals, the top 12 in each region will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the semifinal and final rounds.
As for Kinsey (Beaver Local HS) and Johansson (Hallstahammer, Sweden), the duo will go straight to the NCAA Championships as each rank among the nation's top 24 in the decathlon. Due to the grueling nature of the multi-events and the little time between the regional and the championship, there is no qualifying round for the decathlon nor heptathlon. Rather, the top 24 advance straight to the NCA Championships. Kinsey, a 2009 All-American in the decathlon and 2010 MAC champion in the event, ranks 24th in the nation with a season-best point total of 7,313. Johansson, the 2010 MAC Indoor heptathlon champion and Outdoor decathlon runner-up, ranks 13th in the nation with a season-best point total of 7,432.
Arcip (Vaslui, Romania) is a two-time All-Mideast Region honoree in the old format - finishing among the region's top eight. This year, the three-time MAC champion in the 1,500 enters the NCAA East Region ranked 32nd with a season-best time of 4:25.04.
Bocicor (Bucharest, Romania) briefly held the UA record in the triple jump before Kelly erased it one round later at the Zips' Campbell-Wright Invitational. However, Bocicor, the MAC Outdoor runner-up in the event, posted a season-best leap of 40-9.50 this past weekend to secure her berth to the East Regional, ranking 41st.
Kayes (Green HS) is tied for the season in the East Region with a season-best vault of 13-11.25. The 2010 NCAA Indoor All-American will be making her fourth NCAA Outdoor postseason appearance.
Kelly (St. Peter Chanel HS) set a UA record three times in 2010 in the triple jump. At her final UA home meet, the senior posted a leap of 40-10.50, which ranks 38th in the East.
Fahie (Firestone HS), the 2010 MAC Outdoor champion in the long jump, ranks 32nd in the region thanks to his leap of 24-7 at the Duke Invitational.
P. Ferguson (Copley HS) is ranked 16th in the NCAA East in the 200 with a time of 10.78. That time came in the sophomore winning the 2010 MAC Outdoor title and helped Ferguson be named the meet's award for Most Outstanding Male Track Performance.
Ferguson will also represent Akron on the 4x100 relay team, which took the 24th and final qualifying spot with a time of 40.38 set last week at the MAC Outdoor Championships. He will be joined by M. Ferguson (Buchtel HS), L. Brazzell (Villa-Angela St. Joseph HS) and A. Dobson (Orange HS).
Garrett (Kings Mills HS) is making his first career NCAA appearance. The sophomore ranks 33rd in the region with a vault of 16-7.50 at Akron's Campbell-Wright Invitational.
Hubbard (Medina HS) enters the NCAA East Region ranked 44th in the hammer. The sophomore posted a season-best throw of 194-3 early in the outdoor season at LSU.
Huebner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is making his first trip to the NCAA since 2008. The 2010 MAC Outdoor runner-up in the shot put has a season-best effort of 57-10.50 to rank 27th in the region.
Lawyer (Zanesville HS) will be making her third NCAA Outdoor postseason appearance. The senior ranks 41st in the East in the shot put with a mark of 48-11.50, set this past weekend at the MAC Outdoor Championships.
Lee (Alexandria, Va.) will compete in the pole vault as she ranks 25th in the region with a season-best vault of 12-11.75. Last year, she qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional with a vault of 12-7.50 and placed 16th at the regional with a then career-best vault of 12-10.
McCall (Revere HS), a four-time MAC Champion between indoors and outdoors, enters the NCAA East Region tied for 17th in the high jump with a clearance of 7-00.25.
McCoy (Woodridge HS) is ranked 42nd in the steeplechase. The sophomore posted a time of 9:02.42, setting an Akron record while competing at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Classic.
Owens (Wadsworth HS) is making his first career NCAA appearance. The junior ranks 32nd in the region, clearing 16-8 at Akron's Northeast Ohio Invitational.
Peoples (Glenville HS) is ranked 34th in the 110-meter hurdles. The 2010 MAC Outdoor runner-up in the event turned in a season and personal-best time of 14.14 at the Jesse Owens Classic.
Sweet (Warren, Pa.) will be making his third NCAA outdoor postseason appearance in three seasons with the Zips. The junior and two-time MAC champion in the javelin ranks 31st in the region with a season-best effort of 213-11.
Uhle (Olentangy Liberty HS) is coming off his best performance of the season with a vault of 17-7 to win his sixth MAC title in six possible chances. The vault additionally set a MAC Outdoor Championships meet record. The junior and 2010 NCAA Indoor All-American ranks sixth in the East.
Wert (Lexington HS) was recipient of the MAC Most Outstanding Female Field Performance Award this past weekend, winning both the discus and hammer. The junior ranks seventh in the East in the discus with her school-record throw of 176-6 from the MAC Outdoors. She additionally ranks 14th in the region in the hammer with season-best mark of 193-4.
Whitehill (Manchester HS) is making her second NCAA postseason appearance after earning second team All-MAC in the javelin last week. The senior has a season-best throw of 145-6, which came at the Jesse Owens Classic, to rank 35th in the NCAA East.
