Akron Track and Field Caps Remarkable Five-Year Run

Akron Track and Field Caps Remarkable Five-Year Run

June 12 | Track & Field

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AKRON TRACK AND FIELD FIVE-YEAR SUCCESS (PDF)

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron track and field program has capped a remarkable five-year run one that has taken the Zips to new heights across the NCAA and Mid-American Conference landscapes under the direction of head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell, who recently completed his 23rd season directing the Akron program.

Four Akron student-athletes have captured seven individual NCAA national titles over that span led by Shawn Barber, who won the men's pole vault at the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Indoor and 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Barber followed his successful Zips' career winning the 2015 IAAF World Outdoor Championship in the pole vault before reaching the finals of the 2016 Olympics as a member of Team Canada.

Equally impressive was the dominating run of performances from Clayton Murphy in 2016 as he garnered NCAA titles in the men's 800 and 1,500 meters at the 2016 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively.

Murphy continued his domination that summer winning the men's 800 meters at the United States Olympic Trials before chasing down the bronze medal over the final 100 meters at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the strength of the fifth-fastest time, 1:42.93, in American history. He became the first United States men's runner to win an Olympic 800-meter medal since Johnny Gray in Barcelona, Spain in 1992, three years before Murphy was born.

Annika Roloff won Akron's first-ever women's pole vault NCAA title at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships before going on to compete for her native Germany at the 2016 Olympic Games.

A year ago, Akron junior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) won the Zips most-recent national title besting the field in the men's pole vault at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

"This has been an extraordinary five-year run for the Zips," said Mitchell. "It is a period of time for the record books. The goal for the next five years is, as always, to beat the records of the past."

From 2014 through 2018, the Zips won 10 MAC team titles, including the men taking four of the last five indoor crowns, the women winning three of the previous four outdoor championships, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, and the men's and women's team winning both the indoor and outdoor titles in 2017. The success of the Zips resulted in Mitchell being honored as MAC Coach of the Year 10 times.

MAC Team Titles	Years
Indoor Men	2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Indoor Women	2017
Outdoor Men	2016, 2017
Outdoor Women	2015, 2017, 2018

Akron extended its streak as one of only 10 programs nationally to have scored in both the men's and women's team competitions at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships every year since 2014 by virtue of junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England), redshirt junior Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) and Ludwig earning points for the Zips in the women's pole vault, men's long jump and men's pole vault, respectively, at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Zips are the lone non-Power-5 Conference institution included on that list.

Akron is joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana State and Texas A&M from the Southeastern Conference, Oregon and Southern California from the Pac-12 Conference and Texas from the Big 12 Conference. Not represented on the list are schools from the Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences.

The Zips have earned a pair of top-10 team finishes in that span with men placing ninth with 16 points at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships on the strength of Barber's national title in the pole vault and Murphy placing third in the 800 meters.

The women's squad finished 10th with 20 points at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships with Roloff taking the women's pole vault crown and Alexis Cooks and Brittany Funk placing fourth in the women's discus and hammer, respectively.

Additionally, Akron has crafted nine top-20 team performances over the same span, including the Zips' men's squad placing in the top-20 in four of the last five outdoor championships.

Year	Men's Indoor	Women's Indoor	Men's Outdoor	Women's Outdoor
2014	16th – 13 points	33rd – 7 points	20th – 11 points	10th – 20 points
2015	9th – 16 points	18th – 12 points	12th – 16 points	32nd – 7 points
2016	20th – 10 points	36th – 5 points	23rd – 10 points	41st – 6.50 points
2017	27th – 9 points	39th – 5 points	17th – 15 points	32nd – 8 points
2018	42nd – 5 points	32nd – 7 points	16th – 16 points	46th – 3 points

The Zips have shined individually at the highest stage as Akron student-athletes have earned first- or second-team All-America accolades 57 times, including 37 first-team citations.

Name	Year	Team	Event
Shawn Barber	2014 2014 2015 2015	First Team First Team First Team First Team	Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O) Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O)
Lucy Bryan	2017 2018 2018	First Team First Team First Team	Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O)
Alexis Cooks	2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016	First Team First Team First Team Second Team Second Team Second Team Second Team	Discus (O) Discus (O) Shot Put (O) Hammer (O) Weight Throw (I) Weight Throw (I) Shot Put (I)
Brittany Funk	2014 2014 2015	First Team First Team First Team	Weight Throw (I) Hammer (O) Weight Throw (I)
Weronika Gaudyn	2014	Second Team	Triple Jump (I)
Claudia Garcia Jou	2015 2015 2016 2016	First Team First Team First Team First Team	High Jump (I) High Jump (O) High Jump (I) High Jump (O)
Caroline Hasse	2015 2016	Second Team First Team	Pole Vault (O) Pole Vault (O)
Phil Jagers	2017	Second Team	Discus (O)
Jordan Latimer	2015 2018 2018	Second Team First Team Second Team	Long Jump (I) Long Jump (O) Long Jump (I)
Matt Ludwig	2017 2017 2018 2018	First Team First Team First Team First Team	Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O) Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O)
Nikki Manson	2017 2017	First Team Second Team	High Jump (O) High Jump (I)
Terrell McClain	2016 2017 2017 2018	Second Team First Team First Team Second Team	Long Jump (O) Long Jump (I) Long Jump (O) Long Jump (O)
Alex McCune	2014 2014 2016	First Team First Team Second Team	Heptathlon (I) Decathlon (O) Heptathlon (I)
Clayton Murphy	2015 2015 2016 2016	First Team First Team First Team First Team	800 Meters (I) 800 Meters (O) 800 Meters (I) 1,500 Meters (O)
Joe Oduho	2016	Second Team	Long Jump (O)
Patricia Ortega	2018	Second Team	Heptathlon (O)
Curtis Richardson	2016	Second Team	High Jump (O)
Annika Roloff	2014 2014	First Team First Team	Pole Vault (I) Pole Vault (O)
Jackie Siefring	2016 2016 2017 2017 2018 2018	First Team Second Team Second Team First Team First Team Second Team	Pentathlon (I) Heptathlon (O) Pentathlon (I) Heptathlon (O) Pentathlon (I) Heptathlon (O)
Cody Stine	2016	Second Team	High Jump (O)

Collecting first-team All-America recognition for the Zips at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships was Bryan, Latimer and Ludwig.

Earning second-team honors for Akron were seniors Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio), Patricia Ortega (Logrono, Spain) and Jackie Siefring (Covington, Ohio).

"Our athletes have kept up a tradition of scoring at an NCAA Championship both men and women together 11 championships straight," Mitchell commented. "What a great group of athletes this year. They were able compete so tough against not only the best in the nation, but some of the best in the world. They will cherish their All-America certificates the rest of their lives and they will be immortalized on the Akron Track and Field/Cross Country Hall of Honor."

The Zips' six first- or second-team selections equaled the number of total combined honorees for the same squads for the entire Mid-American Conference (men and women).

Overall during the 2017 Indoor and Outdoor campaigns, the Zips combined to boast 10 first- or second-team All-America citations.

Earlier this season, Akron garnered four All-America citations at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Bryan, Ludwig and Siefring earned first-team honors in the women's pole vault, men's pole vault and women's pentathlon, respectively, while Latimer was tabbed a second-team selection in the men's long jump.

The Zips entered the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships as one of five Division I schools to win an NCAA Outdoor Track and Field national title in each of the last four seasons (2014-17). The Zips joined Georgia, Florida, Oregon and Texas A&M. Akron narrowly missed extending its streak as Latimer and Ludwig each posted second-place performances in the men's long jump and pole vault, respectively.

In 2018, Akron tied for 16th in the men's outdoor competition with 16 points, while finishing tied for 46th place tallying three points in the women's field.

The Akron men's track and field team finished ahead of 11 teams ranked in the pre-NCAA Championship USTFCCCA top-25 poll including No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Brigham Young, No. 12 Texas, No. 15 Kansas, No. 18 Northern Arizona, No. 19 Illinois, No. 20 Nebraska, No. 22 Tennessee, No. 23 Penn State, No. 24 Indiana and No. 25 Southern Mississippi. Additionally, the Zips bettered the efforts of 24 other Power-5 conference schools in the final team standings.