Zips to Partake in Trio of Weekend Track and Field Meets

Friday, January 18

Youngstown, Ohio

University of Akron

YSU College Invitational

Zips to Partake in Trio of Weekend Track and Field Meets

January 17 | Track & Field

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NATIONAL POLE VAULT SUMMIT: MEET INFORMATION

HOKIE INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS

YSU INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | HEAT SHEETS (PDF) | LIVE STATS

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams continue their indoor campaign this weekend with athletes competing in a trio of meets.

The Zips will participate in the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev., on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-19, as well as the Youngstown State and Hokie Invitationals hosted by Youngstown State and Virginia Tech, respectively, on Friday, Jan. 18.

UP NEXT: The two-day National Pole Vault Summit will commence at 9:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 18, with senior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) and junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) taking part in the men's and women's elite pole vault competitions. The elite competition will feature a United States versus the World format. Ludwig will be pitted against the likes of Mondo Duplantis of Louisiana State, who won the European Championships with top jump of the year 19-10.25 (6.05m), former Zips All-American and 2015 World Champion Shawn Barber and Scott Houston, the 2018 USATF Indoor Champion. Bryan will go up against Katarina Stefanidi the 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, Kate Nageotte the 2018 USATF Indoor National Champion as well as Arkansas seniors Alexis Jacobus and Victoria Hoggard, who own the No. 1 and 2 marks in the NCAA this season.

The meet will conclude on Saturday, Jan. 19, with senior Adam Alexander (Tiffin, Ohio), redshirt junior Tyler Fraker (Delta, Ohio), senior Eboni Hall (Pickerington, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio), junior Matt Keim (Bolivar, Ohio) and senior Cole Wigal (Belpre, Ohio) scheduled to compete in the men's and women's pole vault competition.

Traveling to Blacksburg, Va., to participate in the Hokie Invitational on Friday will be senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia) and junior Alyssa Thomas (Uniontown, Ohio).

Rounding out Akron's weekend action will be senior Dara Perry (Akron, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Patrick Kimball (Pittsburgh, Pa.) partaking in the hurdles at the YSU Invitational on Friday.

THIS WEEK IN AKRON TRACK AND FIELD WITH HEAD COACH DENNIS MITCHELL:

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 Jan. 10.

THREE ZIPS' FACTS: Following her school-record time of 9:28.39 to win the women's 3,000 meters at the Jim Green Invitational on Jan. 12, Mackenzie Andrews owns four school-record marks, including three (mile, 3,000 meters and distance medley relay) in the Zips' indoor record book.

Matt Ludwig has placed among the top-three finishers in the pole vault in 18 of 19 career indoor meets as a Zip, including posting 12 victories following his triumph at the Jim Green Invitational on Jan. 12.

Senior Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) has placed among the top-four finishers in the long jump in six of his last eight indoor meets dating back to the 2017 campaign, including posting a trio of triumphs in the event.

ZIPS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN LATEST TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron currently has nine 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 (18-1.25/5.52m).

Also rated among the top-25 is Mackenzie Andrews (fifth in women's 3,000 meters – 9:28.39), Jordan Latimer (fifth in men's long jump – 25-7.25/7.80m), Lucy Bryan (sixth in women's pole vault – 14-1.25/4.30m), Eboni Hall (11th in women's pole vault – 13-9.25/4.20m), senior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) (13th in men's long jump – 24-10.50/7.58m), Cole Wigal (13th in men's pole vault – 17-2.75/5.25m), Abby Helminiak (22nd in women's pole vault – 13-3.50/4.05m) and senior Curtis Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) (24th in men's high jump – 6-10.75/2.10m).

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips garnered a school record a week ago at the Jim Green Invitational as part of a pair overall top-five program marks.

Mackenzie Andrews established an indoor program record mark of 9:28.39 en route to winning the women's 3,000 meters at the Jim Green Invitational on Jan. 12.

Equally impressive in the women's triple jump was redshirt junior Maike Anstett (Karlsruhe, Germany), who turned in the fifth-longest jump in indoor program history in the women's triple jump, soaring 39-11.25 (12.17m) in her first competition as a Zip to place fourth.

A WEEK AGO: University of Akron track and field Mackenzie Andrews ran a school-record time of 9:28.39 to capture the women's 3,000 meters with the fifth-fastest time in the NCAA this season to spark the efforts of the Zips on the final day of the Jim Green Invitational hosted by Kentucky on Jan. 12.

Akron finished the day posting four individual victories as part of 14 overall top-five and 26 top-10 performances.

The Zips garnered first-, second- and fourth-place performances in the men's long jump with seniors Jordan Latimer and Terrell McClain along with redshirt sophomore Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) recording marks of 25-7.25 (7.80m), 24-10.50 (7.58m) and 24-2.50 (7.38m), respectively.

The Zips dominated the women's pole vault as Lucy Bryan, Eboni Hall and Abby Helminiak finished 1-2-3 eclipsing 14-1.25 (4.30m), 13-9.25 (4.20m) and 13-3.50 (4.05m), respectively.

Matt Ludwig captured the men's pole vault with a winning clearance of 18-1.25 (5.52m), while Cole Wigal finished fourth with a mark of 17-2.75 (5.25m).

Making her Akron debut, Maike Anstett soared 39-11.25 (12.17m) in the women's triple jump, to garner the fifth-best mark in indoor program history finishing fourth.

In the men's 3,000 meters, redshirt sophomore Marc Migliozzi (Pittsburgh, Pa.) crossed the line in 8:19.20 to place third.

Junior Marcques Gibbs (Darby, Pa.) and Eldesouky placed third and fourth in the men's triple jump posting marks of 48-10 (14.88m) and 48-8.75 (14.85m).

The women's 4x400 relay team of freshman Sara Foster (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), juniors Victoria Stachowski (Waterford, Mich.) and Iman Batiste (Dublin, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Summer Ellis (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) turned in a fifth-place performance with a time of 3:56.25.

AKRON TRIO EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS: University of Akron track and field seniors Mackenzie Andrews and Matt Ludwig along with junior Lucy Bryan were recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its Track and Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Andrews and Bryan were tabbed the Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, while Ludwig was selected as the Men's Field Athlete of the Week.

ANDREWS NAMED AKRON SUMMA HEALTH STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: On the strength of establishing a school-record time in the women's 3,000 meters at the Jim Green Invitational on Jan. 12, senior Mackenzie Andrews was chosen as the Akron Summa Health Student-Athlete of the Week.

LUDWIG TABBED AS MAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Maintaining a 3.873 GPA in biomedical engineering, Akron senior Matt Ludwig was named the Mid-American Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

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