Akron earns four NCAA Championship bids in second-day action at NCAA East Preliminary Round

Friday, May 29

University of Akron

NCAA East Preliminary Round

Akron earns four NCAA Championship bids in second-day action at NCAA East Preliminary Round

May 29 | Track & Field

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of Akron track and field team garnered four bids to the NCAA Championship on Friday, May 29, as a quartet of Zips posted qualifying marks at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, hosted by the University of North Florida.

Senior Alexis Cooks (Colorado Springs, Colo.) punched her second ticket to Eugene, Ore., in as many days, finishing ninth in the discus with a throw of 173-4. On Thursday, she also qualified in the women's shot put.

Sparked by a school-record throw of 188-1, sophomore Phil Jagers (Solon, Ohio) garnered his first-ever NCAA Championship appearance earning the 12th and final berth in the men's discus. Jagers posted the record mark on his first throw of the flight.

Junior Shawn Barber (Kingwood, Texas) has been a headliner for the Zips in every meet he has competed in this season. His bid to qualify for the nationals was challenged this week as more than half of his poles broke en route to Jacksonville, Fla. Despite the adversity, he persevered using replacement poles to advance to the NCAA Championship in the men's pole vault finishing tied for first eclipsing 17-2.75.

For the second-consecutive evening, sophomore Clayton Murphy (New Paris, Ohio) registered the second-fastest time, 1:47.16, in program history en route to finishing second in the men's 800 to move onto the NCAA Championship. Earlier this season at the NCAA Indoor Championship, Murphy finished third in a school-record indoor time of 1:47.06.

Redshirt junior Brent Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio) turned in a school-record time in the quarterfinals of the men's 400 meters crossing the line in 46.40, but came up just short of the top-12 placing 16th.

Senior Kyle Walker (Cincinnati, Ohio) was tantalizingly close to moving into the quarterfinals of the 110-meter hurdles finishing two hundredths (.02) of a second out of the qualifying mark finishing in 14.08.

Barber, Cooks, Jagers and Murphy will join redshirt sophomore Caroline Hasse (Potsdam, Germany) and freshman Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) as Zips who have qualified for the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13.

Akron will look to add additional bids to the NCAA Championship on Saturday, May 30, as the Zips are in action in the men's 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Individually, redshirt junior Kyle Cochrun (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Cooks, redshirt junior Megan Dornisch (St. Mary's, Pa.), senior Claudia Garcia Jou (Barcelona, Spain), redshirt sophomore Weronika Gaudyn (Kracow, Poland), redshirt sophomore Mike Ohiembor (Dayton, Ohio) and senior Skyler Willis (Cincinnati, Ohio) eye championship berths in men's 5,000 meters, women's hammer, women's hammer, women's high jump, women's triple jump, men's triple jump and women's high jump, respectively.

Competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Round concludes on Saturday, May 30. The women's hammer will open action at 1:30 p.m. before the first round of the women's 4x100 relay begins running events at 6 p.m.

FRIDAY WOMEN'S RESULTS:

Opening Round: 100-Meter Hurdles: Skyler Willis (45th-13.88).

Finals: Discus: Alexis Cooks (ninth-173-4/52.85m); Long Jump: Jackie Siefring (19th-19-6.75).

THURSDAY WOMEN'S RESULTS:

Opening Round: 400-Meter Hurdles: Jackie Siefring (34th-59.94); 100 Meters: Rachel Christian (45th-12.06).

Finals: Javelin: Jess Delic (47th-116-2/35.40m); Shot Put: Alexis Cooks (11th-52-7.50/16.04m); Pole Vault: Caroline Hasse (fourth-13-8.50/4.18m), Becky Szabo (19th-13-4.50/4.08m), Claire Lucas (21st-13-4.50/4.08m).

FRIDAY MEN'S RESULTS:

Opening Round: 110-Meter Hurdles: Kyle Walker (27th-14.08); 200 Meters: Alante Oliver (25th-21.24), Miles Baldwin (43rd-21.74).

Finals: 400 Meters: Brent Gray (16th-46.40); 800 Meters: Clayton Murphy (second-1:47.16); 3,000-Meter Steeplechase: Dan Zupan (19th-9:00.70); Javelin: Bryce Lemon (38th-196-0/59.74m); Discus: Phil Jagers (12th-188-1/57.33m), Maurice Harris (46th-162-10/49.63m); Pole Vault: Shawn Barber (first-17-2.75/5.25m), Matt Rowland (18th-16-4.75/5.00m); High Jump: Mitch Cavalier (43rd-6-6.25/1.99m)

THURSDAY MEN'S RESULTS:

Opening Round: 100 Meters: D.J. Williamson (33rd-10.62), Bryce Cheek (37th-10.67); 400 Meters: Brent Gray (17th-46.64), Miles Baldwin (32nd-47.22); 800 Meters: Clayton Murphy (1st-1:47.66).

Finals: Long Jump: Jordan Latimer (fifth-25-7.50/7.81m), Terrell McClain (14th-24-6.50/7.48m), Joe Oduho (33rd-23-5.50/7.12m), Jamir Coleman (36th-23-2.75/7.08m).