The University of Akron Athletics
Friday, April 9
Athens, Ga.
University of Akron
vs
Spec Towns Invitational
Akron Travels to Compete at Spec Towns Invitational
April 08 | Track & Field
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SPEC TOWNS INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM (FRIDAY) | LIVE STREAM (SATURDAY) | PREVIEW
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team continues its outdoor campaign this weekend traveling to Athens, Ga., to compete at the Spec Towns Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia on Friday and Saturday, April 9-10.
UP NEXT: The Spec Towns Invitational, hosted by Georgia, will commence at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9 with the opening event of the men's decathlon, the 100 meters. The women's heptathlon will start with the 100-meter hurdles at 11:45 am.
Running events will kick off with the women's 4x100 relay at 12:10 p.m. before field events get underway with the men's pole vault at 2 p.m.
Second-day competition begins with the 110-meter hurdles as part of the men's decathlon at 10:30 a.m. The final three events of the women's heptathlon start at 12 p.m. with the long jump, while field events commence with the women's shot put at 11 a.m. On the track, the women's 100-meter hurdles are the first of 11 events on the day.
The Zips will go against a four-team field which includes Akron, Arkansas State, Eastern Michigan and Georgia.
Live stats of the Spec Towns Invitational will be available at GoZips.com while the SEC Network + (subscription may be required) will broadcast Friday (click here) and Saturday's (click here) events.
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 5, 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 eighth nationally in the men's pole vault and among the top 20 in two different events.
The Zips also rated 15th in the men's hammer.
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, redshirt junior Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio), who is 12th in the nation in the women's pole vault (13-9.25/4.20m).
Also rated among the top-25 was freshman Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) (19th in the men's pole vault – 17-6.50 (5.35m) and sophomore William Gross (Newfane, N.Y.) (25th in the men's hammer – 212-7/64.80m).
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: The Zips posted a pair of marks during the opening weekend of the outdoor campaign that rank among the top-five performances all-time in Akron outdoor track and field program history.
William Gross established a school-record mark of 212-7 in the men's hammer at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2. Gross set a then record throw of 210-3 (64.08m) on his second attempt of the preliminary round of the men's hammer. His effort bested Eric Hubbard, who set the previous record mark of 207-4 on May 25, 2012. Gross bettered his own record on his final throw of the competition with a mark of 212-7 (64.80m).
Hunter Garretson recorded the No. 4 mark in outdoor program history in the men's pole vault at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2 eclipsing 17-6.50 (5.35m) to take top honors with the No. 19 mark in the NCAA this season.
A WEEK AGO: Sparked by a school-record mark in the men's hammer by William Gross, the University of Akron track and field team captured 13 victories at the Northeast Ohio Quad hosted by Youngstown State on April 2.
Gross established a school-record mark of 210-3 (64.08m) on his second attempt of the preliminary round of the men's hammer. His effort bested Eric Hubbard, who set the previous record mark of 207-4 on May 25, 2012. Gross bettered his own record on his final throw of the competition with a mark of 212-7 (64.80m), the No. 25 mark in the NCAA this season.
Hunter Garretson recorded the No. 4 mark in outdoor program history in the men's pole vault eclipsing 17-6.50 (5.35m) to take top honors with the No. 19 mark in the NCAA this season.
Junior Amya Clarke (Christ Church, St. Kitts and Nevis) captured both the women's 100 and 200 meters, crossing the line in career-best times of 12.01 and 25.32, respectively.
Abby Helminiak eclipsed a career-best 13-9.25 (4.20m) to triumph in the women's pole vault with the No. 12 mark in the NCAA this season.
Senior Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) narrowly missed besting his own school-record mark in the men's triple jump posting a winning effort of 52-4.75 (15.97m).
Senior Andre Bollam-Godbott (Brunswick, Ohio) and junior Oliver Huffman (Augusta, Ga.) finished one-two in the men's 1,500 meters crossing the line in 3:57.61 and 3:59.63, respectively.
Junior Lizzy Gurko (Northfield, Ohio) won the women's 1,500 meters in a career-best time of 4:38.59
Redshirt sophomore Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio) won the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.80.
Sophomore Makenna Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio) and senior Hannah Long (Pacific, Mo.) went one-two in the women's 800 meters posting career-low times of 2:17.47 and 2:18.44.
Senior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 800 meters with a career-best time of 1:54.84.
Senior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio) won the women's 5,000 meters in a time of 17:37.46.
Freshman Fegor Clifford (Delta State, Nigeria) finished first in the women's long jump with a career-best mark of 19-6.25 (5.95m).
The men's 4x100 relay squad of senior Jayce Shaffer (Lawrenceville, Ga.), junior Amir Willis (Cincinnati, Ohio), senior Tyler Grine (Fremont, Ohio) and sophomore Zarik Brown (Dayton, Ohio) captured the event for the Zips.
Clifford capped a successful start to the opening weekend of the Zips' outdoor track and field campaign winning the women's triple at the Dave Labor Invitational hosted by Slippery Rock University on Saturday, April 3.
A day after capturing the women's long jump at the Northeast Ohio Quad, Clifford posted a career-best mark of 40-1.50 (12.23m) to win the women's triple jump.
HELMINIAK EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS: Akron's Abby Helminiak was recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its Women's Field Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, April 7.
Helminiak is the first Zip to earn weekly league honors during the outdoor campaign in 2021.
Helminiak eclipsed a career-best 13-9.25 (4.20m) to triumph in the women's pole vault at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2 with the No. 12 mark in the NCAA this season.
She cleared her first four bars on her opening attempt before eclipsing 13-5.25 (4.10m) on her final run at the height. She followed by surpassing her winning mark of 13.9.25 (4.20m) on her first attempt.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
SPEC TOWNS INVITATIONAL - MEET SCHEDULE (PDF) | LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM (FRIDAY) | LIVE STREAM (SATURDAY) | PREVIEW
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team continues its outdoor campaign this weekend traveling to Athens, Ga., to compete at the Spec Towns Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia on Friday and Saturday, April 9-10.
UP NEXT: The Spec Towns Invitational, hosted by Georgia, will commence at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9 with the opening event of the men's decathlon, the 100 meters. The women's heptathlon will start with the 100-meter hurdles at 11:45 am.
Running events will kick off with the women's 4x100 relay at 12:10 p.m. before field events get underway with the men's pole vault at 2 p.m.
Second-day competition begins with the 110-meter hurdles as part of the men's decathlon at 10:30 a.m. The final three events of the women's heptathlon start at 12 p.m. with the long jump, while field events commence with the women's shot put at 11 a.m. On the track, the women's 100-meter hurdles are the first of 11 events on the day.
The Zips will go against a four-team field which includes Akron, Arkansas State, Eastern Michigan and Georgia.
Live stats of the Spec Towns Invitational will be available at GoZips.com while the SEC Network + (subscription may be required) will broadcast Friday (click here) and Saturday's (click here) events.
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 5, 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 eighth nationally in the men's pole vault and among the top 20 in two different events.
The Zips also rated 15th in the men's hammer.
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, redshirt junior Abby Helminiak (Toledo, Ohio), who is 12th in the nation in the women's pole vault (13-9.25/4.20m).
Also rated among the top-25 was freshman Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) (19th in the men's pole vault – 17-6.50 (5.35m) and sophomore William Gross (Newfane, N.Y.) (25th in the men's hammer – 212-7/64.80m).
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: The Zips posted a pair of marks during the opening weekend of the outdoor campaign that rank among the top-five performances all-time in Akron outdoor track and field program history.
William Gross established a school-record mark of 212-7 in the men's hammer at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2. Gross set a then record throw of 210-3 (64.08m) on his second attempt of the preliminary round of the men's hammer. His effort bested Eric Hubbard, who set the previous record mark of 207-4 on May 25, 2012. Gross bettered his own record on his final throw of the competition with a mark of 212-7 (64.80m).
Hunter Garretson recorded the No. 4 mark in outdoor program history in the men's pole vault at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2 eclipsing 17-6.50 (5.35m) to take top honors with the No. 19 mark in the NCAA this season.
A WEEK AGO: Sparked by a school-record mark in the men's hammer by William Gross, the University of Akron track and field team captured 13 victories at the Northeast Ohio Quad hosted by Youngstown State on April 2.
Gross established a school-record mark of 210-3 (64.08m) on his second attempt of the preliminary round of the men's hammer. His effort bested Eric Hubbard, who set the previous record mark of 207-4 on May 25, 2012. Gross bettered his own record on his final throw of the competition with a mark of 212-7 (64.80m), the No. 25 mark in the NCAA this season.
Hunter Garretson recorded the No. 4 mark in outdoor program history in the men's pole vault eclipsing 17-6.50 (5.35m) to take top honors with the No. 19 mark in the NCAA this season.
Junior Amya Clarke (Christ Church, St. Kitts and Nevis) captured both the women's 100 and 200 meters, crossing the line in career-best times of 12.01 and 25.32, respectively.
Abby Helminiak eclipsed a career-best 13-9.25 (4.20m) to triumph in the women's pole vault with the No. 12 mark in the NCAA this season.
Senior Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) narrowly missed besting his own school-record mark in the men's triple jump posting a winning effort of 52-4.75 (15.97m).
Senior Andre Bollam-Godbott (Brunswick, Ohio) and junior Oliver Huffman (Augusta, Ga.) finished one-two in the men's 1,500 meters crossing the line in 3:57.61 and 3:59.63, respectively.
Junior Lizzy Gurko (Northfield, Ohio) won the women's 1,500 meters in a career-best time of 4:38.59
Redshirt sophomore Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio) won the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.80.
Sophomore Makenna Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio) and senior Hannah Long (Pacific, Mo.) went one-two in the women's 800 meters posting career-low times of 2:17.47 and 2:18.44.
Senior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 800 meters with a career-best time of 1:54.84.
Senior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio) won the women's 5,000 meters in a time of 17:37.46.
Freshman Fegor Clifford (Delta State, Nigeria) finished first in the women's long jump with a career-best mark of 19-6.25 (5.95m).
The men's 4x100 relay squad of senior Jayce Shaffer (Lawrenceville, Ga.), junior Amir Willis (Cincinnati, Ohio), senior Tyler Grine (Fremont, Ohio) and sophomore Zarik Brown (Dayton, Ohio) captured the event for the Zips.
Clifford capped a successful start to the opening weekend of the Zips' outdoor track and field campaign winning the women's triple at the Dave Labor Invitational hosted by Slippery Rock University on Saturday, April 3.
A day after capturing the women's long jump at the Northeast Ohio Quad, Clifford posted a career-best mark of 40-1.50 (12.23m) to win the women's triple jump.
HELMINIAK EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS: Akron's Abby Helminiak was recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its Women's Field Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, April 7.
Helminiak is the first Zip to earn weekly league honors during the outdoor campaign in 2021.
Helminiak eclipsed a career-best 13-9.25 (4.20m) to triumph in the women's pole vault at the Northeast Ohio Quad on April 2 with the No. 12 mark in the NCAA this season.
She cleared her first four bars on her opening attempt before eclipsing 13-5.25 (4.10m) on her final run at the height. She followed by surpassing her winning mark of 13.9.25 (4.20m) on her first attempt.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
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