The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
ZIPS INVITATIONAL
Zips Invitational Final MAC Tune-Up For Akron Track and Field
February 16 | Track & Field
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ZIPS INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (PDF) | LIVE STATS
AKRON, Ohio - In its final preparation for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Championship, Feb. 24-25, the Akron men's and women's track and field teams return to the track at the Stile Athletics Field House this Friday, Feb. 17, to host the Zips Invitational.
Akron will welcome competitors from Buffalo and Youngstown State. The first of 28 events gets underway with the women's pole vault at 6:30 p.m. and runs through the men's and women's 4x400 relays that are scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door for $10 (cash only). Akron students with valid ID will be admitted free of charge. All fans should enter through the Akron student recreation center main entrance.
Live stats of the Akron Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.
"The Zips Invitational is an excellent tune-up for the team to get us ready for the MAC Championships," Akron head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell commented. "We are having to rest some athletes, while others, however, are ready to put in some very good marks at this meet."
With the Akron men's basketball team hosting Kent State at 7 p.m. and a swim meet being held the Ocasek Natatorium, parking will be at a premium. Fans attending the Zips Invitational are asked to park in Lots 6 and 9, which are adjacent to Infocision Stadium.
The Akron men's and women's squads are the highest-rated teams in the MAC in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings released on Monday, Feb. 13. The Zips' men's team are rated No. 35, while the Akron women check in at No. 40. In the Great Lakes Regional rankings, the Zips hold No. 4 and No. 5 ratings, respectively, in the men's and women's tabulations.
Akron men's and women's squads finished the indoor campaign ranked 11th and 13th, respectively, in the final men's and women's collegiate dual meet rankings of 2017, as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News.
The Zips have 17 men and four women ranked among the top-50 nationally in their respective events in the latest Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) ratings released this week.
Junior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) leads Akron's efforts owning the fourth-best mark (25-10.75) in the men's long jump, while freshman Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) maintains the seventh-best mark in the country in the women's pole vault (14-2.50).
Other top-50 performances include; junior Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) – 5th in the pentathlon (4,204) and 49th in the women's long jump (19-8.25); sophomore Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) – 7th in the men's pole vault (18-0.50); senior Nikki Manson (Glasgow, Scotland) – 12th in the women's high jump (6-0.50); sophomore Curtis Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) – 20th in the men's high jump (7-1); sophomore Cody Stine (Shelby, Ohio) – 20th in the men's high jump (7-1); senior Mike Ohiembor (Dayton, Ohio) – 23rd in the men's triple jump (51-5.50); senior Matt Rowland (Bellevue, Ohio) – 25th in the men's pole vault (17-6.25); redshirt sophomore Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) – 29th in men's long jump (24-10.50); senior Patricia Ortega (Logrono, Spain) – 30th in the pentathlon (3,823); senior Ariadna Ramos Gandia (Barcelona, Spain) – 34th in the women's triple jump (41-7.25); senior Hakeem Lawrence (Miamia, Fla.) – 39th in the 60 meters (6.72); senior Miles Baldwin (Cincinnati, Ohio) – 41st in the 400 meters (47.14); senior Daniella Johnson (Gahanna, Ohio) – 42nd in the women's long jump (19-11.50); senior Becky Szabo (North Olmsted, Ohio) – 42nd in women's pole vault (13-4.25); and redshirt junior Rebecca Pietsch (Dusseldorf, Germany) – 44th in women's pole vault (13-3.50).
Players Mentioned
