Zips Open Indoor Campaign at Jim Green Invitational

Friday, January 11

Lexington, Ky.

University of Akron

Jim Green Invitational

Zips Open Indoor Campaign at Jim Green Invitational

January 10 | Track & Field

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MEET INFORMATION | MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE VIDEO (SAT) ($) | LIVE STATS

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams is set to open their 2019 campaign this weekend traveling to Lexington, Ky., to participate in the Jim Green Invitational hosted by Kentucky.

UP NEXT: The two-day meet will commence at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11 with the men's weight throw competition. The meet will conclude on Saturday, Jan. 12, with action in the men's long jump getting underway at 11 a.m. before running events are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. with the men's 60-meter hurdles.

The Zips will go against a 20-team field which includes; Akron, Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Ball State, Bellarmine, Berea, Butler, Cincinnati, Cumberland, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana, IUPUI, Kentucky, Lindsey Wilson, Miami University, Ohio State, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Tennessee Tech and Xavier.

QUOTING HEAD COACH DENNIS MITCHELL: "We finally get to start competing, which all our athletes are looking forward to it. The coaches can't wait to see what our athletes do compared to what has been observed in training. Kentucky is the right kind of starter meet to challenge ourselves and begin the season. We are ready to see the new stars for 2019."

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams garnered recognition for their efforts in 2018 as the Zips are ranked 34th and 44th, respectively, in the 2019 preseason United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings released on Thursday, Jan. 10.

THREE ZIPS' FACTS: Akron is one of only 10 programs nationally since 2014 to have scored in both the men's and women's team competitions at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Zips are the lone non-Power-5 Conference institution included on that list.

Collectively, the Zips established four school records on the women's side during the 2018 indoor campaign.

Overall during the 2018 Indoor and Outdoor campaigns, the Zips combined to boast 10 first- or second-team All-America citations.

A YEAR AGO: University of Akron men's senior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) won the men's pole vault, while redshirt senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia) placed second in the women's 3,000 meters to direct the Zips' track and field team to nine top-five performances at the Kentucky Invitational on Jan. 13, 2018 in Lexington, Ky.

In a battle of the top-two finishers at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men's pole vault, Ludwig again bested Cincinnati's Adrian Valles on the strength of a then career-best indoor clearance of 18-3.25 (5.57m).

In her opening performance of the indoor campaign, Andrews finished second in the women's 3,000 meters crossing the line in 9:44.17. Her effort also represented a then career-best time.

Recording the fourth-best time in indoor program history in the men's 60 meters was Kwadarrius Smith, who crossed the line third in a career-best time of 6.72.

On the strength of a registering the fifth-fastest time in indoor program history in the men's 3,000 meters, redshirt sophomore Marc Migliozzi (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned a second-place finish.

Junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) garnered a second-place showing in the women's pole vault eclipsing 13-9.25 (4.20m).

Finishing fifth for the Akron's men's team in the 200 meters was sophomore Noah Williams (Hilton, N.Y.) in 21.69, while junior Marcques Gibbs (Darby, Ohio) was fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 46-10.25 (14.28m).

Placing fifth in the women's triple jump was Ariadna Ramos Gandia with a jump of 38-11.75 (11.88m).

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