Akron Commences Indoor Campaign Hosting Haynes Lancaster Open

Friday, December 6

Akron, Ohio

4:00 PM

University of Akron

Akron Haynes-Lancaster Open

Akron Commences Indoor Campaign Hosting Haynes Lancaster Open

December 05 | Track & Field

HAYNES LANCASTER OPEN: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | PRELIMINARY HEAT SHEETS (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team will commence its 2024-25 indoor campaign hosting the second annual Haynes Lancaster Open on Friday (Dec. 6) at the Stile Athletics Field House.

DIGITAL TICKETING: Mobile tickets are available for $10 at www.GoZips.com/tickets and must be purchased in advance. Mobile ticketing will be utilized for all home Akron track and field meets this season. Akron students with valid ID will be admitted free of charge. All fans should enter through the Akron student recreation center main entrance. Doors will open to the public at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

PARKING UPDATE: Akron track and field fans are encouraged to park in Lot 1 (Corner of Carroll and Spicer Streets) for track and field meets. Parking in other lots without appropriate UA permit is subject to ticketing by parking services.

UP NEXT: Akron welcomes Buffalo, Duquesne, Lake Erie, Ohio Wesleyan, Robert Morris, Roberts Wesleyan, Toledo and Walsh to the Stile Athletics Field House for the season-opening meet on Friday (Dec. 6).

The 28-event meet will commence with the men's high jump, long jump and weight throw and women's pole vault and shot put at 4 p.m. before the meet concludes with the men's 4x400 relay at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Live stats of the Haynes Lancaster Open will be available at GoZips.com.

Additionally, freshmen Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) and Moses Lekokei (Kilgoris, Kenya) and sophomore Mary Munga (Nyandarau, Kenya) will compete in the men's 5,000 meters and women's mile, respectively, at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Boston University on Saturday (Dec. 7) in Boston, Mass.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2024 outdoor season as the Zips were rated among the top-30 in the Event Squad rankings released on May 14, 2024, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index.

Akron was rated 19th nationally in the men's hammer and shot put, No. 23 in the men's 200 meters and No. 24 in the men's discus.

Additionally, the Zips were rated No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region in men's 200 meters, No.2 in men's discus, No. 3 in men's hammer and No. 4 in men's shot put.

ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2024 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron had four student-athletes ranked in the top-50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2024 outdoor campaign, including, redshirt senior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio), who was first in the nation in the men's pole vault (19-1.50/5.83m).

Additionally, Brian Masai was ranked 19th in the men's 5,000 meters (13:34.26), junior Tysean Baronette (Middleton, Dela.) was 31st in the men's 200 meters (20.46) and redshirt senior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) was rated 42nd in the men's 400-meter hurdles (50.78).

GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.

Garretson, who is majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 8.

Winning the honor for the second consecutive season, Garretson became only the third multiple-time recipient of the award in Division I men's track and field joining Cincinnati's Adrian Valles (2017-Indoor | 2018-Indoor) and Nebraska's John Welk (2013-Outdoor | 2014-Outdoor).

The honor was the third time a Zip has garnered the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips added 15 overall top-five performance in program history to the record book during the 2024 outdoor campaign, including five school-record efforts. Additionally, Akron posted 10 top-five marks during the indoor season.

Outdoor

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Brian Masai	Men's 5,000M – March 28	No. 1 – 13:34.26
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – March 30	No. 1 – 54.00
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – April 20	No. 1 – 53.53
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – May 11	No. 1 – 53.48
Vanessa Horn Jamari Davis Janay Bass Joy Nwokike	Women's 4x400 Relay – May 11	No. 1 – 3:39.10
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – March 30	No. 2 – 19-1.50 (5.83m)
Sharon Chepchirchir	Women's 10,000M – March 29	No. 2 – 35:05.70
Timothy Chesondin	Men's 10,000M – April 11	No. 2 – 29:40.36
Timothy Chesondin	Men's 10,000M – April 25	No. 2 – 29:30.20
Sharon Chepchirchir	Women's 5,000M – April 12	No. 3 – 16:34.80
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – April 20	No. 3 – 23.44
Tysean Baronette	Men's 200M – April 27	No. 3 – 20.46
Brian Masai	Men's 1,500M – April 25	No. 3 – 3:44.26
Lane Graham	Men's Hammer – March 30	No. 5 – 206-5 (62.92m)
Owen Wendl	Men's Discus – May 11	No. 5 – 180-9 (55.11m)

Indoor

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Jabari Neal-Jackson	Weight Throw – Jan. 19	No. 4 – 65-8 (20.03m)
Titus Kirui Braylyn Farrington Jean Dieuvil Brian Masai	Men's DMR – Jan. 27	No. 2 – 9:43.92
Vanessa Horn Jamari Davis Jade Celestine Adaeze Nwokike	Women's 4x400 Relay – Jan. 27	No. 3 – 3:44.78
Sharon Chepchirchir	Women's 5,000M – Jan. 27	No. 3 – 16:57.32
Hunter Garretson	Pole Vault – Feb. 16	No. 3 – 18-9.25 (5.72m)
Brian Masai	Men's 3,000M – Feb. 10	No. 1 – 4:02.50
Vanessa Horn Jamari Davis Jade Celestine Joy Nwokike	Women's 4x400 Relay – Feb. 10	No. 2 – 3:42.84
Charles Sanders Andrew Styles AJ Jordan Jimmy Harkelroad	Men's 4x400 Relay – Feb. 10	No. 5 – 3:11.34
Sharon Chepchirchir	Women's 5,000M – Feb. 23	No. 1 – 16:42.31
Joy Nwokike	Women's 60M – Feb. 24	No. 3 – 7.45