The University of Akron Athletics
Stage Set for Five Zips at NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
March 07 | Track & Field
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MEET INFORMATION | MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | ESPN3 BROADCAST (6:30 PM ET-FRI) | ESPN3 BROADCAST (5 PM ET-SAT) | LIVE STATS | MEN'S DAY ONE START LISTS (PDF) | WOMEN'S DAY ONE START LISTS (PDF) | MEN'S DAY TWO START LISTS (PDF) | WOMEN'S DAY TWO START LISTS (PDF)
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team is sending five athletes to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham this Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, as senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia), junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England), redshirt sophomore Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) and seniors Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) and Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) have traveled to Birmingham, Ala., to vie for national titles.
UP NEXT: The NCAA Indoor Championships, which is being held at the Birmingham CrossPlex, features the top-16 athletes in each event and top-12 relay teams in the country.
ESPN3/Watch ESPN app will have coverage of the meet beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday and 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Live stats of the NCAA Championships will be available at GoZips.com.
THIS WEEK IN AKRON TRACK AND FIELD WITH HEAD COACH DENNIS MITCHELL:
NCAA CHAMPIONS: Akron's entries will be looking to add to the tradition of the Zips' track and field program, which already includes nine individual national champions. Christi Smith made history in 2000 when she became the first national champion in school history, capturing gold in the heptathlon. Stevi Large was the next to accomplish the feat, winning the women's hammer throw in 2009. Annika Roloff captured the women's pole vault in 2014. Shawn Barber became the school's first male champion claiming the indoor pole vault title in 2014 before again earning the crown at the 2015 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Clayton Murphy became Akron's first-ever NCAA champion in a running event winning the indoor 800 meters and outdoor 1,500 meters in 2016. In 2017, Matt Ludwig claimed the national title in the men's pole vault.
NCAA PEDIGREE: By virtue of its performances at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which included a trio of first-team All-America honorees, 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 since 2014. The Zips are the lone non Power-5 Conference institution included on that list.
Akron joined 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.
Over the past six campaigns, the Zips have seen 33 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Zips' sustained dominance under 24th-year head coach Dennis Mitchell is even more impressive over the past five seasons as Akron has won seven of the program's nine national titles en route to earning 24 indoor and 45 outdoor All-America awards.
THE CONTENDERS: Mackenzie Andrews will be making her first NCAA Championships appearance in the women's mile when the semifinal round is contested at 6:35 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8.
She qualified for the event after capturing titles in the mile, 3,000 meters and distance medley relay at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships en route to being tabbed the Women's Most Valuable Performer of the Meet. Andrews will be seeded 12th in the event on the strength of running a career-best time of 4:35.63 in the mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 8. The finals of the event are slated for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9.
Lucy Bryan will be making her fourth NCAA Championship appearance in the women's pole vault at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, after earning first-team All-America accolades a year ago on the strength of a seventh-place effort at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where she eclipsed eclipsed 14-3.50 (4.36m). A three-time first-team All-America honoree, she will be seeded sixth in the event after registering a season-best mark of 14-6.25 (4.43m) at the MAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 22).
Making his NCAA Championship debut in the men's triple jump at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9, will be Hesham Eldesouky, who garnered his first-ever MAC Championship soaring a school-record mark of 52-6 (16.00m) to win the event. Eldesouky entered the finals of the triple jump on Feb. 23 in fifth place before registering his winning mark on his next-to-last jump of the competition.
A four-time All-America honoree in the men's long jump, Jordan Latimer will be making his third career appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. He placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the event with marks of 24-10.50/7.58m and 24-9.75 (7.56m) as a redshirt junior in 2018 and as a freshman in 2015. He is seeded eighth in the competition based on his school-record mark of 26-0.25 (7.93m) set at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 2).
The 2017 NCAA Outdoor champion and five-time All-America honoree in the men's pole vault, Ludwig enters this year's championship meet owning the second-best jump in the country surpassing 19-1.50 (5.83m) at the Akron-Kent State Dual (Jan. 25).
A season ago, Ludwig garnered first-team All-America accolades after placing fourth in the pole vault at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships with a jump of 18-2.50 (5.55m).
He will be matched up against top-seeded Mondo Duplantis of Louisiana State, who jumped a collegiate record 19-5 (5.92m) at the Southeastern Conference Championships, when the competition commences at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron men's track and field squad stands at No. 30 in the Pre-NCAA Championship United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Division I Men's Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index released this week.
The Zips' men's squad is rated sixth in the most-current Great Lakes Regional ratings, while the women's team checks in at No. 8.
The Zips are the top-rated Mid-American Conference team ranked in the men's national poll.
In the Event Squad rankings released on Feb. 26, Akron is ranked third nationally in the men's long jump and men's pole vault and among the top 15 in five different events.
Akron is also rated fourth in the women's pole vault, 11th in the men's high jump and 12th in the men's heptathlon. Additionally, the Zips are ranked 25th in the women's triple jump.
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 nation in the men's pole vault (19-1.50/5.83m).
Also rated among the top-25 is Lucy Bryan (sixth in women's pole vault – 14-6.25/4.43m) Jordan Latimer (eighth in men's long jump – 26-0.25/7.93m), Hesham Eldesouky (16th in men's triple jump – 52-6/16.00m), senior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) (17th in men's long jump – 25-7.75/7.80m), Mackenzie Andrews (19th in the women's mile – 4:35.63) and senior Curtis Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) (24th in the men's high jump – 7-1.75/2.18m).
The Akron men's and women's teams are ranked No. 11 and No. 17, respectively, in the final Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips posted a pair of school records as part of four overall top-five performances in program history at the MAC Championships, Feb. 22-23.
Hesham Eldesouky garnered his first-ever MAC Championship soaring a school-record mark of 52-6 (16.00m) to win the event
The women's distance medley relay team of sophomore Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio), juniors Iman Batiste (Dublin, Ohio) and Victoria Stachowski (Waterford, Mich.) and Mackenzie Andrews ran a school-record time of 11:37.61 to earn Akron's second-ever title in the event, and first since 2005.
Turning in arguably his greatest performance as a Zip in the men's 5,000 meters was redshirt junior Tevin Brown (Toledo, Ohio), who claimed his first career league championship crossing the line first in a career-best time of 14:35.04. His effort stands as the second-best performance in indoor program history. He joins former Zip Kyle Cochrun, who owns the school record in the race, as the only indoor winners in the event for Akron.
Taking home his first-ever MAC title in the men's 60-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 7.97 was redshirt sophomore Patrick Kimball (Pittsburgh, Pa.). His performance stands as the third-fastest in indoor program history.
A YEAR AGO: Lucy Bryan garnered first-team All-America accolades earning a seventh-place finish eclipsing 14-3.50 (4.36m) in the women's pole vault on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Texas A&M University at Gilliam Indoor Stadium on March 10, 2018 in College Station, Texas.
As a team, the Akron women's squad finished tied for 32nd with seven points, while the men's team placed 42nd with five points.
Jackie Siefring and Matt Ludwig each registered fourth-place performances, while Jordan Latimer finished ninth, to highlight the Zips' efforts on the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Texas A&M University on March 9, 2018.
Garnering All-America accolades for the fifth time in her decorated Zips' career, Siefring earned indoor first-team honors for the initial time placing fourth in the women's pentathlon with a school-record score of 4,365.
The 2017 NCAA Outdoor champion in the men's pole vault, Ludwig recorded a mark of 18-2.50 (5.55m) to finish fourth, while Latimer garnered All-America accolades for the third time placing ninth in the men's long with a mark of 24-10.50 (7.58m).
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
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Akron Women
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MEET INFORMATION | MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | ESPN3 BROADCAST (6:30 PM ET-FRI) | ESPN3 BROADCAST (5 PM ET-SAT) | LIVE STATS | MEN'S DAY ONE START LISTS (PDF) | WOMEN'S DAY ONE START LISTS (PDF) | MEN'S DAY TWO START LISTS (PDF) | WOMEN'S DAY TWO START LISTS (PDF)
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team is sending five athletes to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham this Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, as senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia), junior Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England), redshirt sophomore Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) and seniors Jordan Latimer (Huber Heights, Ohio) and Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) have traveled to Birmingham, Ala., to vie for national titles.
UP NEXT: The NCAA Indoor Championships, which is being held at the Birmingham CrossPlex, features the top-16 athletes in each event and top-12 relay teams in the country.
ESPN3/Watch ESPN app will have coverage of the meet beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday and 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Live stats of the NCAA Championships will be available at GoZips.com.
THIS WEEK IN AKRON TRACK AND FIELD WITH HEAD COACH DENNIS MITCHELL:
NCAA CHAMPIONS: Akron's entries will be looking to add to the tradition of the Zips' track and field program, which already includes nine individual national champions. Christi Smith made history in 2000 when she became the first national champion in school history, capturing gold in the heptathlon. Stevi Large was the next to accomplish the feat, winning the women's hammer throw in 2009. Annika Roloff captured the women's pole vault in 2014. Shawn Barber became the school's first male champion claiming the indoor pole vault title in 2014 before again earning the crown at the 2015 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Clayton Murphy became Akron's first-ever NCAA champion in a running event winning the indoor 800 meters and outdoor 1,500 meters in 2016. In 2017, Matt Ludwig claimed the national title in the men's pole vault.
NCAA PEDIGREE: By virtue of its performances at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which included a trio of first-team All-America honorees, 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 since 2014. The Zips are the lone non Power-5 Conference institution included on that list.
Akron joined 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.
Over the past six campaigns, the Zips have seen 33 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Zips' sustained dominance under 24th-year head coach Dennis Mitchell is even more impressive over the past five seasons as Akron has won seven of the program's nine national titles en route to earning 24 indoor and 45 outdoor All-America awards.
THE CONTENDERS: Mackenzie Andrews will be making her first NCAA Championships appearance in the women's mile when the semifinal round is contested at 6:35 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8.
She qualified for the event after capturing titles in the mile, 3,000 meters and distance medley relay at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships en route to being tabbed the Women's Most Valuable Performer of the Meet. Andrews will be seeded 12th in the event on the strength of running a career-best time of 4:35.63 in the mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 8. The finals of the event are slated for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9.
Lucy Bryan will be making her fourth NCAA Championship appearance in the women's pole vault at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, after earning first-team All-America accolades a year ago on the strength of a seventh-place effort at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where she eclipsed eclipsed 14-3.50 (4.36m). A three-time first-team All-America honoree, she will be seeded sixth in the event after registering a season-best mark of 14-6.25 (4.43m) at the MAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 22).
Making his NCAA Championship debut in the men's triple jump at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9, will be Hesham Eldesouky, who garnered his first-ever MAC Championship soaring a school-record mark of 52-6 (16.00m) to win the event. Eldesouky entered the finals of the triple jump on Feb. 23 in fifth place before registering his winning mark on his next-to-last jump of the competition.
A four-time All-America honoree in the men's long jump, Jordan Latimer will be making his third career appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. He placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the event with marks of 24-10.50/7.58m and 24-9.75 (7.56m) as a redshirt junior in 2018 and as a freshman in 2015. He is seeded eighth in the competition based on his school-record mark of 26-0.25 (7.93m) set at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 2).
The 2017 NCAA Outdoor champion and five-time All-America honoree in the men's pole vault, Ludwig enters this year's championship meet owning the second-best jump in the country surpassing 19-1.50 (5.83m) at the Akron-Kent State Dual (Jan. 25).
A season ago, Ludwig garnered first-team All-America accolades after placing fourth in the pole vault at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships with a jump of 18-2.50 (5.55m).
He will be matched up against top-seeded Mondo Duplantis of Louisiana State, who jumped a collegiate record 19-5 (5.92m) at the Southeastern Conference Championships, when the competition commences at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron men's track and field squad stands at No. 30 in the Pre-NCAA Championship United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Division I Men's Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index released this week.
The Zips' men's squad is rated sixth in the most-current Great Lakes Regional ratings, while the women's team checks in at No. 8.
The Zips are the top-rated Mid-American Conference team ranked in the men's national poll.
In the Event Squad rankings released on Feb. 26, Akron is ranked third nationally in the men's long jump and men's pole vault and among the top 15 in five different events.
Akron is also rated fourth in the women's pole vault, 11th in the men's high jump and 12th in the men's heptathlon. Additionally, the Zips are ranked 25th in the women's triple jump.
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 nation in the men's pole vault (19-1.50/5.83m).
Also rated among the top-25 is Lucy Bryan (sixth in women's pole vault – 14-6.25/4.43m) Jordan Latimer (eighth in men's long jump – 26-0.25/7.93m), Hesham Eldesouky (16th in men's triple jump – 52-6/16.00m), senior Terrell McClain (Youngstown, Ohio) (17th in men's long jump – 25-7.75/7.80m), Mackenzie Andrews (19th in the women's mile – 4:35.63) and senior Curtis Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) (24th in the men's high jump – 7-1.75/2.18m).
The Akron men's and women's teams are ranked No. 11 and No. 17, respectively, in the final Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips posted a pair of school records as part of four overall top-five performances in program history at the MAC Championships, Feb. 22-23.
Hesham Eldesouky garnered his first-ever MAC Championship soaring a school-record mark of 52-6 (16.00m) to win the event
The women's distance medley relay team of sophomore Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio), juniors Iman Batiste (Dublin, Ohio) and Victoria Stachowski (Waterford, Mich.) and Mackenzie Andrews ran a school-record time of 11:37.61 to earn Akron's second-ever title in the event, and first since 2005.
Turning in arguably his greatest performance as a Zip in the men's 5,000 meters was redshirt junior Tevin Brown (Toledo, Ohio), who claimed his first career league championship crossing the line first in a career-best time of 14:35.04. His effort stands as the second-best performance in indoor program history. He joins former Zip Kyle Cochrun, who owns the school record in the race, as the only indoor winners in the event for Akron.
Taking home his first-ever MAC title in the men's 60-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 7.97 was redshirt sophomore Patrick Kimball (Pittsburgh, Pa.). His performance stands as the third-fastest in indoor program history.
A YEAR AGO: Lucy Bryan garnered first-team All-America accolades earning a seventh-place finish eclipsing 14-3.50 (4.36m) in the women's pole vault on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Texas A&M University at Gilliam Indoor Stadium on March 10, 2018 in College Station, Texas.
As a team, the Akron women's squad finished tied for 32nd with seven points, while the men's team placed 42nd with five points.
Jackie Siefring and Matt Ludwig each registered fourth-place performances, while Jordan Latimer finished ninth, to highlight the Zips' efforts on the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Texas A&M University on March 9, 2018.
Garnering All-America accolades for the fifth time in her decorated Zips' career, Siefring earned indoor first-team honors for the initial time placing fourth in the women's pentathlon with a school-record score of 4,365.
The 2017 NCAA Outdoor champion in the men's pole vault, Ludwig recorded a mark of 18-2.50 (5.55m) to finish fourth, while Latimer garnered All-America accolades for the third time placing ninth in the men's long with a mark of 24-10.50 (7.58m).
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
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Akron Women
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