Garretson Set to Represent Akron at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS: CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | MEET SCHEDULE | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

AKRON, Ohio - University of Akron freshman pole vaulter Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) is set to represent the Zips' track and field program at this week's NCAA Outdoor Championships this Wednesday, June 8, through Saturday, June 11, in Eugene, Ore.

The meet welcomes the top-12 qualifiers (24 in all) from both the NCAA East and West Preliminary Rounds to Hayward Field for the semifinal and championship rounds of competition.

Coverage of the meet will be available on Wednesday from 7:30-11 p.m. ET on ESPNU, Thursday from 8:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET on ESPNU, 9-11:30 p.m. ET on Friday on ESPN2, before ESPN will round out coverage from 5:30-8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

In addition, live field event coverage will be provided on ESPN3 each of the four days of competition.

The NCAA will continue the format that debuted in 2015 that will showcase both the men's and women's competitions on alternating days.

UP NEXT: The Zips will be represented by Garretson at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. He will compete in the men's pole vault at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

AKRON MEN'S QUALIFIERS (Qualifying Rank-Qualifying Mark):
Pole Vault: Hunter Garretson (17-4.25/5.29m)

For the complete list of entries, please log on to NCAA.com

NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS MEET SCHEDULE: The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet begins at 3:30 p.m. ET at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, June 8, with the start of the men's decathlon. Field events start with the men's hammer at 5 p.m. ET before running events kick off with the men's 4x100 relay semifinals at 7:32 p.m. ET, and conclude with the running of the men's 4x400 relay at 10:48 p.m. ET.

The second day opens with the men's 110-meter hurdles as part of the decathlon at 2:30 p.m. ET. Field events start with the women's hammer at 6 p.m. ET, before running events begin with the semifinal round of the women's 4x100 relay at 8:32 p.m. ET. The semifinals of the women's 4x400 relay closes out the day's action at 11:48 p.m. ET.

Third-day competition commences on Friday with the women's 100-meter hurdles as part of the heptathlon at 4 p.m. ET. The women's high jumps kick off field events at 8:30 p.m. ET, before the running events take the track with the final of the men's 4x100 relay at 9:02 p.m. ET. The men's 4x400 relay final will conclude the men's portion of the championship at 11:21 p.m. ET.

The final day of the championship kicks off with the women's long jump for the heptathlon at 1:30 p.m. ET. The women's high jump starts field events at 5 p.m. ET, before the final of the women's 4x100 relay is slated to begin at 5:32 p.m. ET. The women's 4x400 relay final will conclude the women's portion of the championship at 7:51 p.m. ET.

For a complete schedule of events, log on to NCAA.com. Live results (click here) will be available throughout the meet as well as live video (click here).

The tentative schedule of events for the Zips at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are as follows;

Wednesday, June 8
8 p.m. - Hunter Garretson (Men's Pole Vault)

A LOOK AHEAD: Making his NCAA Outdoor Championship debut in the men's pole vault will be Hunter Garretson, who punched his ticket to national placing with a qualifying mark of 17-4.25 (5.29m) at the NCAA East Preliminary Round on May 24.

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, Ludwig claimed the national title in the men's pole vault.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2022 outdoor season as the Zips are rated in the Event Squad rankings released on May 16, 2022, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index.

Akron is ranked 10th nationally in the men's hammer as well as rating among the top 30 in six different events.

The Zips also rate 14th in the men's long jump, 21st in the women's 400-meter hurdles, 24th in the men's pole vault, 27th in men's 400-meter hurdles and 29th in the women's long jump.

The Akron men and women are both ranked ninth in the latest Great Lakes Regional polls.

ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2022 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron has four student-athletes currently ranked in the top-30 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) during the 2022 outdoor campaign, led by Hunter Garretson, who is fifth in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-4.75/5.61m).

Additionally, junior Jacqueline Pokuaah (Kumasi, Ghana), is 12th in the nation in the women's triple jump (44-4.75/13.53m), freshman Fegor Clifford (Delta State, Nigeria) is 19th in the women's 400-meter hurdles (57.41) and senior Hesham Eldesouky (Nasr City, Egypt) is 24th in the men's triple jump (52-4.75/15.97m).

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have posted 26 marks that rank among the top-five performances in program history this season.

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Jacqueline Pokuaah	Women's Triple Jump – March 25	No. 1 – 44-4.75 (13.53m)
Alyssa Thomas	Women's 5,000 Meters – March 24	No. 3 – 16:45.37
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – March 24	No. 4 – 17-6.50 (5.35m)
Jacob Ondash	Men's 1,500 Meters – March 24	No. 5 – 3:47.83
Zarik Brown	Men's 400 Meters – April 2	No. 5 – 46.85
Fegor Clifford	Women's 400M Hurdles – April 16	No. 1 – 57.41
Jimmy Harkelroad	Men's 400M Hurdles – April 16	No. 1 – 51.14
Alyssa Thomas	Women's 5,000 Meters – April 14	No. 2 – 16:28.99
Blake Lucius	Men's 800 Meters – April 14	No. 3 – 1:48.69
Jacob Ondash	Men's 1,500 Meters – April 15	No. 3 – 3:45.72
Caleb Mabins	Men's Triple Jump – April 16	No. 4 – 50-0 (15.24m)
Jacqueline Pokuaah	Women's Long Jump – April 15	No. 4 – 20-3.75 (6.19m)
Kyra Keurentjes	Women's 800 Meters – April 14	No. 5 – 2:07.50
Milton Wilson	Men's Hammer – April 14	No. 5 – 202-07 (61.76m)
Alyssa Thomas	Women's 10,000 Meters – April 22	No. 2 – 35:48.21
Jacob Ondash	Men's 1,500 Meters – April 22	No. 3 – 3:44.94
Fegor Clifford	Women's 400 Meters – April 23	No. 4 – 54.70
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – April 23	No. 4 – 17-11.25 (5.47m)
Laurel Bristow	Women's Javelin – April 30	No. 2 – 164-1 (50.02m)
Jabari Neal-Jackson	Men's Hammer – April 29	No. 2 – 208-4 (63.49m)
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – April 30	No. 3 – 18-4.75 (5.61m)
Dimitrije Novakovic	Men's Triple Jump – April 30	No. 3 – 51-0.25 (15.55m)
Adaeze Nwokike	Women's 100M Hurdles – April 30	No. 4 – 13.71
Amya Clarke	Women's 100 Meters – May 14	No. 1 – 11.41
Alyssa Thomas	Women's 10,000 Meters – May 12	No. 2 – 35:26.40
Charles Sanders	Men's 400 Meters – May 14	No. 3 – 46.50

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Garretson Set to Represent Akron at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

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Players Mentioned

Laurel Bristow

Zarik Brown

Amya Clarke

Fegor Clifford

Hesham Eldesouky

Hunter Garretson

Jimmy Harkelroad

Kyra Keurentjes

Blake Lucius

Caleb Mabins

Jabari Neal-Jackson

Dimitrije Novakovic

Adaeze Nwokike

Jacob Ondash

Jacqueline Pokuaah

Charles Sanders

Alyssa Thomas

Milton Wilson

The University of Akron Athletics