Men's Track Leads Wire-to-Wire, Captures MAC Outdoor Title

May 14 | Track & Field

2011 MAC Outdoor Championship Results (PDF)

2011 MAC Outdoor Championship Results (HTML)

DeKALB, Ill. – Propelled by five event titles and as many runner-up finishes on the day, The University of Akron men's track and field team cruised to its third Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship in four years Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

The Zips, who also won the MAC Indoor crown last February, led wire-to-wire throughout the three-day competition while amassing a total of 198.50 points for an easy win over second-place Kent State, which finished with 165.50 points.

"It sounds cliche, but it really was a great team win," said UA head coach Dennis Mitchell. "Our team faced a lot of adversity throughout the weekend with the weather conditions being the way they were, having to run the majority of events in one day and missing some key individuals due to injuries. The marks are not going to reflect how great the performances were because of the conditions but ultimately, it just came down to winning or losing and I was proud of the way our team responded."

A tornado watch and subsequent adverse weather resulted in a delay of nearly six hours Friday and restricted the day's competition to just three events. As a result, the remaining 32 men's and women's events had to be run Saturday in a frantic finish.

Bjorn Johansson, who won the decathlon in almost total darkness in the late hours of the night Friday, was named the recipient of the MAC's Most Outstanding Field Performer on the men's side while Mitchell was named MAC Men's Coach of the Year for the third time since 2008. Mitchell earned the same distinction for the MAC Indoor Championship in February and has now earned the league's highest designation 14 times during his 16-year career.

The men claimed the program's third ever MAC Outdoor Championship despite the absence of Phil Ferguson, who was the recipient of the MAC Men's Most Outstanding Performance a year ago, and Mike Uhle, the three-time defending outdoor champion in the pole vault. Both Ferguson and Uhle were unable to compete due to injuries.

A pair of repeat winners highlighted the day for the men's team as Mike McCall won his third consecutive outdoor high jump title with a clearance of 6-11.00 while Collister Fahie captured his second straight outdoor long jump crown with a huge leap of 25-04.75. Fahie's mark represents the fourth-longest jump in UA history.

UA was also fueled by first-place finishes from Tyshaun Peoples, who won the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.14, Willie Brown, who won the 800-meters with a time of 1:51.46, and Kenny Owens, who cleared 16-07.25 to bring home the pole vault championship.

In all, the men's team, which began the day with a 26-point lead over Miami, dominated a trio of events to leave little doubt Saturday. The Zips finished 1-2-3 in the long jump as Peoples recorded the fifth-best leap in school history with a monster mark of 25-02.75 to grab second place and Daryl Baptiste followed suit with a PR mark of 24-04.25 to take third.

UA also finished 1-2 in the pole vault as Dan Garrett finished runner-up with a clearance of 16-03.25 and 1-3 in the 800-meters after Gabriel Genovesi crossed the line in 1:55.02. Also earning runner-up finishes were Joe McCoy, who ran 9:14.67 in the 3,000m Steeplechase, and KC LaCross, who finished the 400 hurdles in 51.85.

The UA women's team, which finished in a tie for sixth place with 55 points, also crowned a MAC Champion as Cassie Schenck captured first in the 3000m steeplechase with the second-fastest time in school history, crossing the line in 10:24.48. It is her second steeplechase title overall and first since winning the event as a freshman in 2008. In all, Schenck finished the day with 15 points after placing fourth in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:35.04.

The Zips also received a boost from a pair of runner-up finishes from Brittany Cheese, who recorded a PR in the long jump with a mark of 19-06.00, and Valerie Wert, who went 175-09 in the discus. Wert's throw was the third-best mark in Akron history while Cheese's leap was the fourth-farthest distance.

RESULTS – MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 14, 2011 | Huskie Stadium | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Ill.

TEAM SCORES
MEN (21 Events)
1. Akron (198.50); 2. Kent State (165.50); 3. Central Michigan (119); t-4. Buffalo (112); t-4. Eastern Michigan (112); 6. Miami (105).

WOMEN (21 Events)
1. Kent State (117.50); 2. Eastern Michigan (116.50); 3. Miami (107); 4. Western Michigan (92); 5. Buffalo (78); t-6. Akron (55); t-6. Toledo (55); 8. Northern Illinois (47); 9. Ohio (46); 10. Central Michigan (38); 11. Bowling Green (36); 12. Ball State (25).

INDIVIDUAL SCORES
MEN
Long Jump: 1. Collister Fahie, 25-04.75 (10 points), 2. Tyshaun Peoples, 25-02.75 (8), 3. Daryl Baptiste, 24-04.25 (6); Steeplechase: 2. Joe McCoy, 9:14.67 (8), 10. Heath Harris, 10:08.98; Discus: 4. Nick Banke, 171-05 (5), 4x100: 2. Akron, 40.78 (8); 1,500m: 5. Nick Stroemple, 3:57.67 (4), 6. Brad Hough, 3:57.84 (3), 7. Mac Hiltner, 3:57.92 (2); High Jump: 1. Mike McCall, 6-11.00 (10), 4. Jakob Leon, 6-06.00 (4.50); 110 Hurdles: 1. Tyshaun Peoples, 14.14 (10); 100m: 5. Dominique Watson, 10.61 (4), 11. Lorenzo Brazzell, 10.77, 12. Marcus Ferguson, 10.81; 800m: 1. Willie Brown, 1:51.46 (10), 3. Gabriel Genovesi, 1:55.02 (6), 15. Hiltner, 2:01.76; 400 Hurdles: 2. KC LaCross, 51.85 (8); 200m: 10. Brazzell, 21.77, 13. M. Ferguson, 22.13; 5,000m: 11. Scott Meyers, 15:26.54, 14. Stroemple, 15:36.71; Pole Vault: 1. Kenny Owens, 16-07.25 (10), 2. Dan Garrett, 16-03.25 (8), 7. Joe Wesley, 15-05.00; Triple Jump: 3. Fahie, 49-02.50 (6), 12. Baptiste, 43-06.50; 4x400: 5. Akron, 3:18.68 (4).

WOMEN
Steeplechase: 1. Cassie Schenck, 10:24.48 (10 points), 14. Alexandra Bowers, 11:48.83; Long Jump: 2. Brittany Cheese, 19-06.00 (8), 7. Katherine Lee, 18-07.75 (2); 1,500m: 4. Schenck, 4:35.04 (5); 100 Hurdles: 7. Cheese, 14.15 (2); Shot Put: 15. Brittany Funk, 38-05.00, 17. Aliyah Cotton, 37-00.50; 100m: 20. Shauniece Steele, 12.29; 24. Seanlay Bell, 12.5725; 25. Noelle Bradley, 12.5756; 800m: 20. Kayla Whitlow, 2:21.90; High Jump: 9. Cheese, 5-03.00; 200m: 20. Steele, 25.20; Discus: 2. Valerie Wert, 175-09 (8), 16. Funk, 138-01, 19. Cotton, 135-04.

MAC Specialty Awards
MVP
Women: Iris Campbell, Western Michigan
Men: Terefe Ejigu, Eastern Michigan

Most Outstanding Track Performers
Women: Rachel Whitley, Western Michigan
Men: Brycen Spratling, Eastern Michigan

Most Outstanding Field Performers
Women: Becky O'Brien, Buffalo
Men: Bjorn Johansson, Akron

Coach of the Year
Women: Bill Lawson, Kent State
Men: Dennis Mitchell, Akron

Men's First Team All-MAC
Matt Pfleger, Kent State - Hammer
Tyler Sweet, Akron - Javelin
Terefe Ejigu, Eastern Michigan - 5,000 Meters, 10,000 Meters
Rob Golabek, Buffalo - Shot Put
Bjorn Johansson, Akron - Decathlon
Ryan Bloom, Buffalo - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Collister Fahie, Akron - Long Jump
Evan Palmer, Buffalo - Discus
Tyshaun Peoples, Akron - 110 Meter Hurdles
Tecumseh Adams, Central Michigan - 1,500 Meters
Michael McCall, Akron - High Jump
Brycen Spratling, Eastern Michigan - 400 Meters
Clint Allen, Eastern Michigan - 100 Meters
Willie Brown, Akron - 800 Meters
William Cole, Buffalo - 400 Meter Hurdles
Brian Smith, Buffalo - 200 Meters
Kenny Owens, Akron - Pole Vault
Rob Falchi, Kent State - Triple Jump

Men's Second Team All-MAC
Eric Hubbard, Akron - Hammer
Kyle Smith, Central Michigan - Javelin
Austin Hendrix, Eastern Michigan - 10,000 Meters
Adam Ruiz, Miami - Shot Put
Michael McCarty, Miami - Decathlon
Joe McCoy, Akron - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Tyshaun Peoples, Akron - Long Jump
Matt Gac, Buffalo - Discus
Mitchell Seawood, Kent State - 110 Meter Hurdles
Jarrod Eick, Miami - 1,500 Meters
Dean Wood, Kent State - High Jump
Jahquil Hargrove, Miami - 400 Meters
Princeton Bryson, Kent State 100 Meters, 200 Meters
Marteze Roper, Kent State - 800 Meters
KC LaCross, Akron - 400 Meter Hurdles
Daniel Garrett, Akron - Pole Vault
Donald Scott, Eastern Michigan - Triple Jump

Women's First Team All-MAC
Shant'e White, Buffalo - Hammer
Jessica Hemingway, Eastern Michigan - Pole Vault
Victoria Paterra, Miami - Javelin
Rachel Patterson, Miami - 10,000 Meters
Diana Dumitrescu, Kent State - Heptathlon
Cassie Schenck, Akron - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Iris Campbell, Western Michigan - Long Jump, 200 Meters
Rachel Whitley, Western Michigan - 1,500 meters, 800 Meters
Becky O'Brien, Buffalo - Discus, Shot Put
Layne Baggett, Miami - 100 Meter Hurdles
Shantavia Williams, Eastern Michigan - 400 Meters
Ashlee Abraham, Eastern Michigan - 100 Meters
Hope Alexander, Miami - Triple Jump
Asia Rawls, Eastern Michigan - 400 Meter Hurdles
Rebecca Lomax, Ball State - High Jump
Annie Beecham, Ohio - 5,000 Meters Women's Second Team All-MAC
Melissa Kurzdorfer, Kent State - Hammer
Kim Preston, Kent State - Pole Vault
Sara Oczypok, Kent State - Javelin
Thekla Lorenz, Ball State - Heptathlon
Emma Kertesz, Toledo - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Brittany Cheese, Akron - Long Jump
Katie Lenahan, Miami - 1,500 Meters
Alexandra Roberts, Miami - Shot Put
Roneisha Frye, Northern Illinois - 100 Meter Hurdles
Diona Graves, Miami - 100 Meters
Shnell Wishart, Eastern Michigan - Triple Jump
Asia Henry, Buffalo - 800 Meters
Andreea Patrasc, Kent State - 400 Meter Hurdles
Rasheta Butler, Northern Illinois - 200 Meters
Tatijana Jacobson, Bowling Green - High Jump
Valerie Wert, Akron - Discus