Akron Looks to Defend League Titles at MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships

Friday, February 23

Bowling Green, Ohio

University of Akron

Mid-American Conference Championships

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

Akron Looks to Defend League Titles at MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships

February 21 | Track & Field

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MAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | VIDEO PREVIEW | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | HEAT SHEETS (PDF) | ACCEPTED ENTRIES (PDF)

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team will join the rest of their Mid-American Conference members this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, to compete at the league's Indoor Championships, as Bowling Green hosts the two-day event at Perry Fieldhouse in Bowling Green, Ohio.

UP NEXT: In all, the championship meet will feature men's teams from Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Kent State, while all 12 league members will be gunning for the title on the women's side.

Live stats of the MAC Championships will be available at GoZips.com.

Akron under the leadership of 23rd-year head coach Dennis Mitchell figures to be in the running for team titles on both the men's and women's sides again this year.

The Zips' men squad has won six of the last seven indoor team titles and 10 of the last 13 MAC championships overall and will be looking to capture their fifth consecutive indoor title.

On the women's side, the Zips are seeking their seventh indoor championship after capturing their first league crown since 2009 a year ago.

In addition to a pair of MAC Championships on the line, the Zips will be competing against Kent State in the final standings for two points in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge. Akron leads 4.0-2.0 in the current standings.

DEFENDING THEIR TITLES: The Zips have three student-athletes seeking to repeat as conference champions this season.

Senior Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) eyes her third consecutive women's pentathlon title after winning the crown in 2017 with a five-event cumulative score of 4,041.

Junior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) is in search of his second straight indoor men's pole vault and third consecutive league title (indoor and outdoor) after eclipsing 17-1.50 (5.22) to take top honors a year ago.

Senior Ariadna Ramos Gandia (Barcelona, Spain) returns as the defending champion in the women's triple jump after registering a winning mark of 41-11.25 (12.78m) last season. She has won four straight MAC triple jump titles (indoor and outdoor).

Additionally, senior Garrett Crichlow (Twinsburg, Ohio) was a member of the winning distance medley relay squad that crossed the line in 9:55.84.

The Zips men have three athletes leading their respective events heading into the conference meet, including redshirt junior Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) in the long jump (25-7.50/7.81m), Ludwig in the pole vault (18-6.75/5.66m) and junior Cody Stine (Shelby, Ohio) in the high jump (7-1/2.16m).

On the women's side, three Akron student-athletes enter the meet as the top seed – including sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) in the pole vault (14-8/4.47m), junior Dara Perry (Akron, Ohio) in the 60-meter hurdles (8.38) and Siefring in the pentathlon (4,308).

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have continued to garner recognition for their efforts this season as the Zips' women's squad is ranked 29th and the men 36th, respectively, in the 2018 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings released on Feb. 19.

The Zips' men's and women's squads are the highest-rated teams in the Mid-American Conference, while the men's and women's squads are ranked No. 20 and No. 25, respectively, in the final Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News. The Akron women and men are also ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Great Lakes Regional polls.

ZIPS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN LATEST TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron currently has seven student-athletes ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), including Matt Ludwig, who is second in the men's pole vault (18-6.75/5.66m).

Also rated among the top-25 is Jackie Siefring (third in women's pentathlon – 4,308 and 17th in the long jump – 20-3.50/6.18m), Lucy Bryan (fourth in the women's pole vault – 14-8/4.47m), Jordan Latimer (12th in men's long jump – 25-7.50/7.81m), senior Patricia Ortega (Logrono, Spain) (15th in the women's pentathlon – 4,008) and freshman Jenna Frantz (Versailles, Ohio) (21st in the women's pole vault – 13-8.50/4.18m).

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: Senior Taron Slone (Columbus, Ohio) registered the fourth-fastest time in indoor program history en route to winning the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.34 at the Zips Invitational on Feb. 16.

A YEAR AGO: For the first time in program history, the University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams won both the Men's and Women's Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 25, 2017 in Ypsilanti, Mich.

The Zips' men's squad won its fourth consecutive and sixth overall (2011, '12, '14, '15, '16, '17) indoor title, while the women's team won its sixth indoor crown (2005, '06, '07, '08,'09) and first since 2009.

Akron edged Eastern Michigan by 30.5 points to win the men's championship, while the Zips' women's team bested Eastern Michigan by six points.

Akron held a two-point lead over Eastern Michigan in the women's race entering the final race of the day, the 4x400 relay. The Eagles won the race and appeared destined to take the team title before a protest was filed on an exchange and later upheld causing the Eastern Michigan squad to be disqualified, which resulted in a team championship for the Zips.

On the strength of the program's 11th and 12th overall indoor titles, Akron head coach Dennis Mitchell was tabbed as the MAC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year.

Additionally, Lucy Bryan was selected as the MAC Women's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.

The Zips turned in six conference-winning performances in final-day action to finish the two-day championship with 10 MAC titles. Additionally, Akron boasted 13 second-place efforts on the weekend.

Daniella Johnson captured her second league title of the meet winning the 60 meters in 7.48. Senior Daziah Green (Canton, Ohio) collected second-team All-MAC honors placing second in the 60 meters in 7.54 before finishing second in the 200 meters crossing the line in 24.60.

Ariadna Ramos Gandia won her second straight championship in the women's triple jump with a mark of 41-11 (12.78m), while Weronika Gaudyn took home second-team All-MAC laurels placing second with a jump of 40-11.25 (12.48m).

Securing her first-ever league title in the women's high jump was Nikki Manson eclipsing 5-11.25 (1.81m).

Dara Perry established a then school record en route to finishing second in the 60-meters hurdles in 8.45.

Hakeem Lawrence earned his first-ever MAC title winning the 60 meters in 6.71.

Matt Ludwig captured the men's pole vault title surpassing 17-1.50 (5.22m), while Mike Ohiembor won his third overall MAC title soaring 50-10 (15.50m) to best the field.

Collecting second-team All-MAC accolades after finishing second in the 200- and 800-meter races as well as the men's high jump with marks of 21.91, 1:54.31 and 6-11.75 (2.13m), respectively, was Taron Slone, Zach Alexander and Cody Stine.

The Zips also benefitted from a second-place performance from Anthony Young, Slone, Alante Oliver and Miles Baldwin. The quartet crossed the line in 3:20.25.

On the opening day of the championships, Siefring won the women's pentathlon for the second consecutive campaign cultivating a five-event cumulative score of 4,041.

Siefring opened the competition placing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.66, before finishing fifth in the high jump eclipsing 5-4.50 (1.64m). She then closed the pentathlon with victories in the shot put (42-2.50/12.87) and long jump (18-11.75/5.79m) and placed second in the 800 meters (2:23.92) to earn All-MAC first-team accolades for the fourth time.

Senior Terrell McClain captured his first-ever league title winning the men's long jump with a leap of 25-4.25 (7.73m).

The men's distance medley relay of Garrett Crichlow and Ohiember, Alexander and Dan Zupan won the event for the second straight season crossing the line in a time of 9:55.84.

Johnson capped the day's efforts for Akron winning the women's long jump to take home first-team All-MAC accolades for the second time with a mark of 20-4.75 (6.22m), while Siefring finished second with a jump of 19-10.50 (6.06m).

ALL-MAC PERFORMERS (First-Team All-MAC/Second-Team All-MAC): Below is a listed on first- and second-place performances at the Mid-American Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the current members of the Zips' squad.

Jackie Siefring (5/5) - Indoor: Pentathlon – 2015 (2nd-3,796), 2016 (1st-4,215), 2017 (1st-4,041); Long Jump: 2017 (2nd-19-10.50/6.06m); Outdoor: 400M Hurdles – 2015 (2nd-59.69), 2016 (1st-58.66), 2017 (2nd-58.43); Heptathlon – 2015 (2nd-5,377), 2016 (1st-5,412), 2017 (1st-5,613); Ariadna Ramos Gandia (4/0) - Indoor: Triple Jump – 2016 (1st-42-3.25/12.88m), 2017 (1st-41-11/12.78m); Outdoor: Triple Jump – 2016 (1st-42-7.50/12.99m), 2017 (1st-42-0.50/12.82m); Taron Slone (3/4) - Indoor: 4x400 Relay – 2016 (1st-3:07.58), 2017 (2nd-3:20.25); DMR – 2016 (1st-9:45.38); 200 Meters – 2017 (2nd-21.91); Outdoor: 4x100 Relay - 2016 (2nd-40.42), 2017 (1st-40.36); 4x400 Relay – 2017 (2nd-3:12.85); Jordan Latimer (2/1) - Indoor: Long Jump - 2015 (2nd-24-7/7.49m); Outdoor: Long Jump - 2015 (1st-25-2.75/7.69m), 2017 (1st-25-2.25/7.68m); Terrell McClain (1/3) - Indoor: Long Jump - 2017 (1st-25-4.25/7.73m); Outdoor: Long Jump - 2015 (2nd-25-0.50/7.63m), 2016 (2nd-25-3.50/7.71m), 2017 (2nd-25-0.75/7.64m); Cody Stine (1/2) - Indoor: High Jump - 2016 (2nd-6-11.50/2.12m), 2017 (2nd-6-11.75/2.13m); Outdoor: High Jump - 2016 (1st-6-11/2.11m); Garrett Crichlow (2/0) - Indoor: DMR - 2016 (1st-9:45.38), 2017 (1st-9:55.84); Matt Ludwig (2/0) - Indoor: Pole Vault - 2017 (1st-17-1.50/5.22m); Outdoor: Pole Vault - 2017 (1st-17-2.50/5.25m); Joe Harrington (1/1) - Outdoor: 4x100 Relay - 2017 (1st-40.36); 400 Relay - 2017 (2nd-3:12.85); Dara Perry (1/1)- Indoor: 60M Hurdles - 2017 (2nd-8.45); Outdoor: 100M Hurdles - 2016 (1st-13.53); Curtis Richardson (1/0) - Outdoor: High Jump - 2017 (1st-6-11.75/2.13m); Abigale Wilson (1/0) - Outdoor: Discus - 2016 (1st-162-8/49.58m); Mackenzie Andrews (0/2) - Indoor: 800 Meters - 2017 (2nd-2:11.56); DMR – 2017 (2nd-11:42.83); Daziah Green (0/2) - Indoor: 60 Meters - 2017 (2nd-7.54); 200 Meters - 2017 (2nd-24.60); Ian Behm (0/1) - Outdoor: Javelin - 2016 (2nd-211-2.50/64.37m); Lucy Bryan (0/1) - Indoor: Pole Vault - 2017 (2nd-13-8/4.17m); Phil Jagers (0/1) - Outdoor: Discus – 2017 (2nd-197-4/60.15m); Bailey Lack (0/1) - Indoor: DMR - 2017 (2nd-11:42.83); Kwadarrius Smith (0/1) - Outdoor: 4x100 Relay - 2016 (2nd-40.42); Tara Snipes (0/1) - Indoor: DMR – 2017 (2nd-11:42.83)

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