The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Last Chance Meets
Funk, Genovesi Qualify For NCAA Indoor Championships
March 02 | Track & Field
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Virginia Tech Final Qualifier Results | Alex Wilson Invitational Results
AKRON, Ohio – With two Zips already qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, 14 more were in action Saturday at Last Chance Meets attempting to better their season marks and secure their spot in the top 16 of their respective events. The top 16 athletes of each respective event earn the opportunity to compete at the championship meet next weekend (March 8-9) at the University of Arkansas.
At the end of the day, Brittany Funk and Gabriel Genovesi passed the test with huge results to join teammates Shawn Barber (men's pole vault) and Alexis Cooks (women's weight throw) at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Funk, who started the day ranked 16th in Division I in the women's weigh throw, left little to chance at the Virginia Tech Final Qualifier in dominating the event with a personal-record toss of 70-10.75. With the mark, which was second-best in school history, Funk joins 2009 NCAA hammer throw champion Stevi Large as the only two Zips women to break the 70-foot barrier in the weight throw.
In all, the mark improved Funk's position 11 spots from 16th to fifth nationally and was seven-and-a-quarter inches shy of Large's all-time mark of 71-06.00.
Not to be outdone, Genovesi, who began the day ranked 32nd in the 800-meters nationally, took down his own school record at the Alex Wilson Invitational on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, finishing the 800m in 1:48.31. His record-setting time was more than one full second faster than his previous best (1:49.63) and improved his position 17 places to secure a No. 15-ranking and book a trip to Fayetteville, Ark.
A third Zip, Joe Wesley, who is currently ranked 16th nationally, will have to wait until the rest of the results come in from around the country to see if his season-best jump of 17-09.25 – achieved at the Zips Invitational on Feb. 15 – will be good enough as he was unable to improve his standing Saturday.
Tyshaun Peoples and Alex McCune find themselves in a similar position and will have to wait to see if they made the cut. Peoples recorded a season-best mark of 24-11.75 Saturday while McCune won the Mid-American Conference Championship in the men's heptathlon last weekend with a school-record setting total of 5,583 points.
The NCAA is expected to officially announce the entire field for the championship meet Monday.
RESULTS – VIRGINIA TECH FINAL QUALIFIER
March 2, 2013 | Virginia Tech | Rector Field House | Blacksburg, Va.
MEN'S RESULTS
Pole Vault: 4. Shawn Light, 17-06.25, 7. Joe Wesley, 17-00.25; Long Jump: 24. Tyshaun Peoples, 24-11.75; High Jump: 1. Martel Durant, 6-11.75.
WOMEN'S RESULTS
Pole Vault: 8. Ariane Beaumont-Courteau, 13-01.00, 9. Claire Lucas, 12-07.25, 10. Chelsey Detwiler, 12-07.25, 11. Alexandra Wood, 12-01.25; Long Jump: 8. Brittany Cheese, 19-09.75; High Jump: 5. Gabriela Szkolnicka, 5-08.50; Weight Throw: 1. Brittany Funk, 70-10.75;
RESULTS – ALEX WILSON INVITATIONAL
March 2, 2013 | University of Notre Dame | Loftus Sports Center | South Bend, Ind.
MEN'S RESULTS
800m: 2. Gabriel Genovesi, 1:48.31, 23. Jake Hiltner, 1:50.70.
