Akron Track and Field Faces Challenging Weekend

Thursday, April 26

Hillsdale, Mich.

University of Akron

Hillsdale College Gina Relays

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

April 26 | Track & Field

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ASHLAND ALUMNI OPEN: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS

HILLSDALE COLLEGE GINA RELAYS: MEET INFORMATION | SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($)

LSU INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS | PERFORMANCE LIST (PDF)

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team will once again face a challenging week as the Zips will compete in a trio of meets this weekend participating in the Ashland Alumni Open, Hillsdale College Gina Relays and the LSU Invitational.

The majority of the Akron roster heads down I-71 for the Ashland Alumni Open, which kicks on with the men's and women's hammer starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 27. Competition resumes on Saturday, April 28, with the women's long jump at 10 a.m. before action on the track commences with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 12:15 p.m.

Members of the Zips' distance squad will venture to Hillsdale, Mich., to compete in the 52nd Annual Hillsdale College Gina Relays hosted by Hillsdale College. The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase which includes Akron freshman Whitney Wendling (Lexington, Ohio) starts action on the track at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, before redshirt sophomore Tevin Brown (Toledo, Ohio) runs in the first of six heats in the men's 5,000 meters at 8:30 p.m. Running events resume at 2 and 1 p.m., respectively, on Friday and Saturday, April 27-28.

The balance of the Zips' team will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the ultra-competitive eight-team LSU Invitational on Saturday. Joining 28th-ranked Akron in the men's field will be No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 6 Houston, No. 12 LSU, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 40 Auburn and North Carolina A&T. The women's draw will include 24th-rated Akron, No. 1 LSU, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 23 Alabama, No. 27 Auburn, Houston and North Carolina A&T.

The women's discus will begin field events at 10 a.m. ET before the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase starts action on the track at 11:45 a.m. ET. The men's 4x400 relay will draw the invitational to a close at 3:45 p.m. ET.

Live stats for each of the three meets will be available at GoZips.com as well as paid video options for the Hillsdale College Gina Relays.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron women's and men's track and field teams are ranked 24th and 28th, respectively, in the 2018 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings released on April 23.

The Zips are the highest-rated team in the Mid-American Conference in both polls, while the women are the No. 5 squad in the latest Great Lakes Regional poll and the men ninth.

In the Event Squad rankings released on April 23, Akron is ranked second nationally in the women's pole vault and among the top 15 in six different events.

Akron is rated second in women's pole vault, sixth in men's long jump, seventh in men's pole vault, ninth in women's discus, 10th in women's 400-meter hurdles and 15th in men's javelin.

NCAA PREDICTIONS: In the third edition of NCAA men's form chart unveiled by Track and Field News on April 24, junior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) and senior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) are predicted to finish second and fifth, respectively, in the men's pole vault and men's long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June in Eugene, Ore. In the women's field, Track and Field News projects junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) fourth in the women's pole vault and seniors Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio) and Patricia Ortega (Logrono, Spain) sixth and eighth, respectively, in the women's heptathlon.

ZIPS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN LATEST TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron currently has 11 student-athletes ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), including McClain, who owns the No. 1 mark nationally in the men's long jump (26-10/8.18m).

Also rated among the top-25 is Ludwig (third in the men's pole vault – 18-8.75/5.71m), Siefring (fifth in the women's heptathlon – 5,872), Bryan (seventh in women's pole vault – 14-3.25/4.35m), Ortega (seventh in the women's heptathlon – 5,782), freshman Jenna Frantz (Versailles, Ohio) (12th in women's pole vault – 13-11.25/4.25m), redshirt junior Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) (13th in the men's long jump – 25-10.25/7.88m), junior Abigale Wilson (Carrollton, Ohio) (13th in women's discus – 185-9/56.62m), redshirt sophomore Ian Behm (Volant, Pa.) (14th in the men's javelin – 231-7/70.59m), junior Dara Perry (Akron, Ohio) (17th in women's 100-meter hurdles – 13.11) and junior Eboni Hall (Pickerington, Ohio) (23rd in women's pole vault – 13-5.25/4.10m).

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips garnered 10 performances last weekend that rank among the top-five efforts in indoor program history.

The Zips are coming off an impressive weekend where Terrell McClain established a school record jump of 26-10 (8.18m) in the men's long jump at the Beach Invitational on Saturday, April 21, and redshirt junior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia) made a triumphant return from injury setting the school mark in the women's 1,500 meters crossing the line in 4:20.16 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday, April 20.

Matt Ludwig posted the second-best mark in the men's pole vault, 18-8.75 (5.71m), while Jordan Latimer recorded the fourth-longest mark (25-10.25/7.88m) in the men's long jump at the Beach Invitational on April 21.

Jackie Siefring and Patricia Ortega registered the second- and third-best women's heptathlon scores in outdoor program history at the Bryan Clay Invitational, April 18-19, with seven-event cumulative scores of 5,872 and 5,782. Ortega also added the third- and fourth-fastest times in the women's 100-meter (13.60) and 400-meter hurdles (60.45). Additionally, Lucy Bryan equaled her own No. 2 mark (14-3.25/4.35m) in the women's pole vault and Abigale Wilson tallied the fourth-longest throw in the women's discus at 185-9 (56.62m) at the Beach Invitational on April 21.

A YEAR AGO: The University of Akron track and field registered six first-place finishes and 31 top-five performances to headline the Zips' efforts on the final day of the Ashland Alumni Open on April 29, 2017.

Earning the triumph in the women's discus invitational with a mark of 167-10 (51.17m) was Abigale Wilson.

Ortega captured the women's 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.49, while sophomore Bailey Lack (Brunswick, Ohio) crossed the line first in the 400 meters in 57.66.

Michalla Gordon posted the victory in the women's 400-meter hurdles recording a time of 62.54, while senior Stephanie Hale (Cleveland, Ohio) won the 200 meters in 25.95.

Sophomore Nick Stricklen (Lexington, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 9:39.34.

Placing second in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 64.11 was sophomore Iman Batiste (Dublin, Ohio), while Ortega garnered runner-up honors in the high jump with a mark of 5-5.75 (1.67m).

The women's 4x400 relay team of Batiste, Hale, Gordon and Samia Bell finished second crossing the line in 3:54.29.

Tevin Brown placed second in the men's 5,000 meters with a career-best time of 15:01.32, while junior Ben Olewiler (Shiloh, Ohio) was runner-up in the high jump with a personal-best mark of 6-8.75 (2.05m).

Sophomore Haley Hess (Curtice, Ohio) registered a career-best time of 4:39.35 en route to a second-place finish in the 1,500 meters to direct the efforts of the Zips on the final day of the Hillsdale College Gina Relays on April 29, 2017.

Additionally, Mackenzie Andrews rounded out the performances for Akron crossing the line in 4:29.30 to finish 17th in the 1,500 meters invitational.

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