The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Faces Busy Weekend Competing in Trio of Meets
April 22 | Track & Field
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ASHLAND ALUMNI OPEN - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
LSU ALUMNI GOLD INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS
REDHAWK INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team will be challenged by a trio of meets this weekend as the Zips are scheduled to compete at the Ashland Alumni Open on Friday, April 23, as well as the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational and RedHawk Invitational on Saturday, April 24.
UP NEXT: The Ashland Alumni Open is a two-day event on Friday and Saturday, April 23-24. The Zips will send a contingent of hammer throwers to participate in the meet on Friday. The men's hammer is slated to begin at 11 a.m. followed the by women's hammer and the elite divisions for both men and women.
Live stats for the Ashland Alumni Open will be available at GoZips.com.
Akron then travels to Oxford, Ohio to compete at the RedHawk Invitational on Saturday, April 24.
The meet will open with men's javelin and women's hammer and high jump at 11 a.m. Action on the track heats up with the women's 5,000 meters at noon before the meet draws to a close with the running of the men's 4x400 relay at 4:40 p.m.
Live stats for the RedHawk Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.
The LSU Alumni Gold Invitational is set for Saturday with the women's discus kicking off competition at 11 a.m. ET, before the meet concludes with the men's 4x400 relay at 6 p.m. ET.
In a highly competitive meet, Akron is joined in the men's field by No. 1 LSU, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 22 Auburn, No. 24 Houston, Baylor and Colorado. The women's draw includes Akron, No. 1 LSU, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Alabama, No. 11 Auburn, No. 21 Kentucky, Baylor, Colorado and Houston.
Live stats for the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams has garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2021 outdoor season as the Zips are rated in the Event Squad rankings released on April 19, 2021 as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron ranked sixth nationally in the men's hammer and among the top 20 in two different events.
The Zips also rated 11th in the men's pole vault.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2021 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron has a trio of student-athletes ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) during the 2021 outdoor campaign, including, sophomore William Gross (Newfane, N.Y.), who is 16th in the nation in the men's hammer (221-6/67.52m).
Also rated among the top-25 is redshirt junior Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio) (18th in the women's pole vault – 13-9.25 (4.20m) and freshman Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) (19th in the men's pole vault – 17-6.50 (5.35m).
AKRON DUO EARNS ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: Akron's Hunter Garretson earned first-team All-America accolades with his eighth-place performance in the men's pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas on March 13 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Garretson faced some early adversity in the competition as it came down to his third and final attempt to clear the opening bar at 17-4.50 (5.30m).
He successfully eclipsed the next bar of 17-8.50 (5.40m) on his opening run at the height, before coming up shy of establish a new career-best with a clearance of the ensuing mark of 18-0.50 (5.50m).
On the strength of Garretson's performance, the Zips extended their men's team scoring streak at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to eight consecutive championships, the 13th-longest streak in the NCAA. Additionally, Akron now owns the 10th-longest men's scoring streak at the combined indoor and outdoor championships.
On the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior Nuh Andu (Doha, Qatar) earned All-America honors for the first time in his decorated Zips' career finishing 11th in the men's field with a mark of 6-11.75 (2.13m).
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: William Gross set a school-record mark with a throw of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer at the Roadrunner Invitational on April 16 to lead a pair of Zips registering top-five program marks a week ago.
Junior Jacqueline Pokuaah (Akron, Ohio) recorded the fifth-best mark in outdoor program history in the long jump soaring 20-3 (6.17m) at the Roadrunner Invitational on April 17.
A WEEK AGO: William Gross registered a school-record mark of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer to lead the Zips' efforts at the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday, April 16.
Gross bested his own school record in the men's hammer unleashing a throw of 221-6 (67.52m), the No. 16 mark in the NCAA this season, to win the event. His effort was the best by a Mid-American Conference performer since the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Gross was followed by mark of 192-3 (58.61m) from redshirt junior Milton Wilson (Streetsboro, Ohio) to place fourth, while junior Jacob Hutcherson (Uniontown, Ohio) registered a career-best mark of 179-11 (54.84m) to finish seventh.
Redshirt sophomore Laurel Bristow (Pittsburgh, Pa.) placed second in the women's javelin with a season-best mark of 145-2 (44.25m).
Sophomore Robert Artrip (Independence, Ohio) earned a third-place effort in the men's javelin with a career-best mark of 158-2 (48.20m), while senior Malik Hudson (Cleveland, Ohio) placed fourth with a throw of 139-7 (42.56m).
Senior Emily Taylor (Mount Perry, Ohio) finished fourth in the women's hammer with a mark of 174-3 (53.11m).
Akron junior Amya Clarke (Christ Church, St. Kitts and Nevis) captured the women's 100 and 200 meters crossing the line in 11.50 and 24.18, respectively, to headline the Zips' efforts on the final day of the Roadrunner Invitational on Saturday, April 17.
On the day, the Zips registered five victories as part of 19 overall top-five performances.
Junior Amir Willis (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished first in the men's 100 meters in a time of 10.18.
Freshman Fegor Clifford (Delta State, Nigeria) won the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 60.09, while junior Sara Foster (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) placed second in 62.18.
The men's 4x400 relay team of redshirt sophomore Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio), Willis and freshmen Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) and Taron Austin (Twinsburg, Ohio) bested the field in a time of 3:14.02.
Abby Helminiak finished second in the women's pole vault eclipsing 13.350 (4.05m).
Hunter Garretson was the top-collegiate finisher in the men's pole vault surpassing 17-0.75 (5.20m).
Nuh Andu placed second in the men's high jump with a mark of 7-0.25 (2.14m).
Akron registered five victories as part of nine over top-three performances at the UB Invitational hosted by Buffalo on Saturday, April 17.
Sophomore Blake Lucius (Crestline, Ohio) captured the men's 400 meters in a time of 50.48, while senior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 800 meters crossing the line in 1:54.46.
Junior Kyra Keurentjes (Wehl, The Netherlands) posted a time of 2:10.47 to triumph in the women's 800 meters.
Senior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio) triumphed in the women's 5,000 meters in a time of 16:58.67, while junior Lizzy Gurko (Northfield, Ohio) edged the field in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:48.04.
AKRON DUO EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS: Amir Willis and William Gross were recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, April 21.
Gross and Willis are the second and third Zips to earn weekly league honors during the outdoor campaign in 2021.
Willis finished first in the men's 100 meters at the Roadrunner Invitational on Saturday, April 17, in a time of 10.18 (W). Additionally, he ran the second leg of the winning 4x400 relay in a time of 3:14.02.
Willis' time is the fastest in the MAC this season, while the Zips registered the top 4x400 relay effort in the league this spring.
Gross recorded a school-record mark of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer at the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday, April 16.
Gross registered the best mark in the MAC in six years, since Matthias Tayala of Kent State posted a throw of 234-9 (71.56m) at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Gross bested his own school record in the men's hammer unleashing a throw of 221-6 (67.52m), the No. 16 mark in the NCAA this season, to win the event. His effort is tops in the MAC this season.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
ASHLAND ALUMNI OPEN - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
LSU ALUMNI GOLD INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS
REDHAWK INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team will be challenged by a trio of meets this weekend as the Zips are scheduled to compete at the Ashland Alumni Open on Friday, April 23, as well as the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational and RedHawk Invitational on Saturday, April 24.
UP NEXT: The Ashland Alumni Open is a two-day event on Friday and Saturday, April 23-24. The Zips will send a contingent of hammer throwers to participate in the meet on Friday. The men's hammer is slated to begin at 11 a.m. followed the by women's hammer and the elite divisions for both men and women.
Live stats for the Ashland Alumni Open will be available at GoZips.com.
Akron then travels to Oxford, Ohio to compete at the RedHawk Invitational on Saturday, April 24.
The meet will open with men's javelin and women's hammer and high jump at 11 a.m. Action on the track heats up with the women's 5,000 meters at noon before the meet draws to a close with the running of the men's 4x400 relay at 4:40 p.m.
Live stats for the RedHawk Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.
The LSU Alumni Gold Invitational is set for Saturday with the women's discus kicking off competition at 11 a.m. ET, before the meet concludes with the men's 4x400 relay at 6 p.m. ET.
In a highly competitive meet, Akron is joined in the men's field by No. 1 LSU, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 22 Auburn, No. 24 Houston, Baylor and Colorado. The women's draw includes Akron, No. 1 LSU, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Alabama, No. 11 Auburn, No. 21 Kentucky, Baylor, Colorado and Houston.
Live stats for the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams has garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2021 outdoor season as the Zips are rated in the Event Squad rankings released on April 19, 2021 as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron ranked sixth nationally in the men's hammer and among the top 20 in two different events.
The Zips also rated 11th in the men's pole vault.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2021 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron has a trio of student-athletes ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) during the 2021 outdoor campaign, including, sophomore William Gross (Newfane, N.Y.), who is 16th in the nation in the men's hammer (221-6/67.52m).
Also rated among the top-25 is redshirt junior Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio) (18th in the women's pole vault – 13-9.25 (4.20m) and freshman Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) (19th in the men's pole vault – 17-6.50 (5.35m).
AKRON DUO EARNS ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: Akron's Hunter Garretson earned first-team All-America accolades with his eighth-place performance in the men's pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas on March 13 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Garretson faced some early adversity in the competition as it came down to his third and final attempt to clear the opening bar at 17-4.50 (5.30m).
He successfully eclipsed the next bar of 17-8.50 (5.40m) on his opening run at the height, before coming up shy of establish a new career-best with a clearance of the ensuing mark of 18-0.50 (5.50m).
On the strength of Garretson's performance, the Zips extended their men's team scoring streak at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to eight consecutive championships, the 13th-longest streak in the NCAA. Additionally, Akron now owns the 10th-longest men's scoring streak at the combined indoor and outdoor championships.
On the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior Nuh Andu (Doha, Qatar) earned All-America honors for the first time in his decorated Zips' career finishing 11th in the men's field with a mark of 6-11.75 (2.13m).
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: William Gross set a school-record mark with a throw of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer at the Roadrunner Invitational on April 16 to lead a pair of Zips registering top-five program marks a week ago.
Junior Jacqueline Pokuaah (Akron, Ohio) recorded the fifth-best mark in outdoor program history in the long jump soaring 20-3 (6.17m) at the Roadrunner Invitational on April 17.
A WEEK AGO: William Gross registered a school-record mark of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer to lead the Zips' efforts at the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday, April 16.
Gross bested his own school record in the men's hammer unleashing a throw of 221-6 (67.52m), the No. 16 mark in the NCAA this season, to win the event. His effort was the best by a Mid-American Conference performer since the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Gross was followed by mark of 192-3 (58.61m) from redshirt junior Milton Wilson (Streetsboro, Ohio) to place fourth, while junior Jacob Hutcherson (Uniontown, Ohio) registered a career-best mark of 179-11 (54.84m) to finish seventh.
Redshirt sophomore Laurel Bristow (Pittsburgh, Pa.) placed second in the women's javelin with a season-best mark of 145-2 (44.25m).
Sophomore Robert Artrip (Independence, Ohio) earned a third-place effort in the men's javelin with a career-best mark of 158-2 (48.20m), while senior Malik Hudson (Cleveland, Ohio) placed fourth with a throw of 139-7 (42.56m).
Senior Emily Taylor (Mount Perry, Ohio) finished fourth in the women's hammer with a mark of 174-3 (53.11m).
Akron junior Amya Clarke (Christ Church, St. Kitts and Nevis) captured the women's 100 and 200 meters crossing the line in 11.50 and 24.18, respectively, to headline the Zips' efforts on the final day of the Roadrunner Invitational on Saturday, April 17.
On the day, the Zips registered five victories as part of 19 overall top-five performances.
Junior Amir Willis (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished first in the men's 100 meters in a time of 10.18.
Freshman Fegor Clifford (Delta State, Nigeria) won the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 60.09, while junior Sara Foster (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) placed second in 62.18.
The men's 4x400 relay team of redshirt sophomore Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio), Willis and freshmen Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) and Taron Austin (Twinsburg, Ohio) bested the field in a time of 3:14.02.
Abby Helminiak finished second in the women's pole vault eclipsing 13.350 (4.05m).
Hunter Garretson was the top-collegiate finisher in the men's pole vault surpassing 17-0.75 (5.20m).
Nuh Andu placed second in the men's high jump with a mark of 7-0.25 (2.14m).
Akron registered five victories as part of nine over top-three performances at the UB Invitational hosted by Buffalo on Saturday, April 17.
Sophomore Blake Lucius (Crestline, Ohio) captured the men's 400 meters in a time of 50.48, while senior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 800 meters crossing the line in 1:54.46.
Junior Kyra Keurentjes (Wehl, The Netherlands) posted a time of 2:10.47 to triumph in the women's 800 meters.
Senior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio) triumphed in the women's 5,000 meters in a time of 16:58.67, while junior Lizzy Gurko (Northfield, Ohio) edged the field in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:48.04.
AKRON DUO EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS: Amir Willis and William Gross were recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, April 21.
Gross and Willis are the second and third Zips to earn weekly league honors during the outdoor campaign in 2021.
Willis finished first in the men's 100 meters at the Roadrunner Invitational on Saturday, April 17, in a time of 10.18 (W). Additionally, he ran the second leg of the winning 4x400 relay in a time of 3:14.02.
Willis' time is the fastest in the MAC this season, while the Zips registered the top 4x400 relay effort in the league this spring.
Gross recorded a school-record mark of 221-6 (67.52m) to capture the men's hammer at the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday, April 16.
Gross registered the best mark in the MAC in six years, since Matthias Tayala of Kent State posted a throw of 234-9 (71.56m) at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Gross bested his own school record in the men's hammer unleashing a throw of 221-6 (67.52m), the No. 16 mark in the NCAA this season, to win the event. His effort is tops in the MAC this season.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
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