The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Mt. SAC Relays
Track To Split Squad For Busy Weekend Of Action
April 17 | Track & Field
Follow Zips Track & Field on Twitter (@ZipsTFCC), Facebook and Instagram
AKRON, Ohio – After sweeping the men's and women's team titles at the All-Ohio Championships for the first time since 2009, The University of Akron track & field program will divide into two groups and compete in four meets across a pair of states this weekend.
The Zips will send 23 athletes to California where they will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays and Bryan Clay Invitational, both hosted by Azusa Pacific University, and the Beach Invitational, hosted by Long Beach State at Cerritos College. Stating in state, UA will also send 27 athletes to Columbus for the annual Jesse Owens Track Classic, hosted by Ohio State University.
The Zips women's team enter the week with a number of athletes ranked highly in the NCAA, including Brittany Funk, who is the No. 2-ranked thrower in the hammer with a top mark of 217-07. Joining Funk in the top 10 is Annika Roloff, who set the Mid-American Conference's all-time record in the women's pole vault at the All-Ohio Championships in Cincinnati.
Roloff's winning mark of 14-01.75 also surpassed the Zips' previous standard of 14-01.25, which was shared by Carrie Kayes (2009) and Kira Sims (2004).
Another Zips thrower, junior Alexis Cooks is UA's third representative ranked in the top 30. Cooks is ranked No. 23 in the discus (174-02) and No. 30 in the shot put (51-10.50).
Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State will play host to over 24 collegiate track and field programs, along with several other post-graduate and unattached competitors who have met the entry standards, for the 29th-annual Jesse Owens Track Classic Friday and Saturday.
The action will get underway Friday at 4 p.m. with the women's javelin and men's discus. The running events will open Friday with the women's 5,000 at 8 p.m. under the lights. Saturday's events will start at 10 a.m.
Like the Jesse Owens Classics of the past, the 2014 edition will serve as a stage for collegiate and post-collegiate athletes to perform at their highest levels in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. In its history, the Jesse Owens Track Classic has served as a top venue for many future and former Olympians.
Current and past record holders for the Jesse Owens Track Classic include Olympic medalists John Drummond, Michelle Finn, Allen Johnson, Edwin Moses, Dwight Stones and former Buckeyes Diane Dixon, Joe Greene and Butch Reynolds. Others of Olympic fame include Judi Brown, Roger Kingdom, Carl Lewis, Louise Ritter and Calvin Smith, as well as past Olympians Mark Croghan and Stephanie Hightower.
