Zips Host 20th Annual Akron Invitational

Friday, February 2

Akron, Ohio

4:00 PM

University of Akron

20th Annual Akron Invitational

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February 01 | Track & Field

AKRON INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field is set to host the 20th annual Akron Invitational on Friday (Feb. 2) 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.

UP NEXT: The Zips welcome Buffalo, Cleveland State, Detroit, Duquesne, Kent State, Mount Union, Ohio, Robert Morris, Roberts Wesleyan, Toledo and West Virginia State to the Stile Athletics Field House for the Akron Invitational on Friday (Feb. 3).

The 30-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. Competition concludes with the distance medley relay at 7:45 p.m.

Live stats of the Akron Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.

A WEEK AGO: Akron competed at the Penn State National in University Park, Pa., last Friday and Saturday (Jan. 26-27).

• Freshman Andrew Styles (Freeport, Bahamas) finished third in the men's 200 meters in a time of 21.76.
• Junior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) placed third in the women's 200-meter invitational in a career-best time of 24.30.
• Redshirt senior Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio) placed fifth in the men's 400-meter invitational in a time of 48.03.
• The men's distance medley relay team of freshmen Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya) and Braylyn Farrington (Alabaster, Ala.), redshirt junior Jean Dieuvil (North Miami Beach, Fla.) and sophomore Brian Masai (Kitale, Kenya) crossed the line fifth in a time of 9:43.92. The effort stands as the second-fastest time in indoor program history.
• The men's 4x400 relay team of Sanders, Styles, senior Jameel Williamson (Columbus, Ohio) and redshirt junior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) finished second in a time of 3:13.55.
• The women's 4x400 relay squad of sophomore Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany), junior Jamari Davis (Ontario, Calif.), sophomore Jade Celestine (Ajax, Ontario) and Nwokike crossed the line third in a time of 3:44.78, the third-fastest effort in indoor program history.
• Redshirt junior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) won the men's pole vault with a career-best clearance of 18-4.50 (5.60m). His performance is the No. 3 mark in indoor program history and third-best clearance in the NCAA this season.
• Freshman Sharon Chepchirchir (Kapsabet, Kenya) captured the women's 5,000 meters in a career-best time of 16:57.32. Her effort also stands as the No. 3 time in indoor program history.
• Redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Griffiths (Fort Worth, Texas) placed second in the women's weight throw with a career-best mark of 58-3.75 (17.77m).
• Redshirt senior Jabari Neal-Jackson (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished fourth in the men's weight throw with a mark of 64-10.75 (19.78m).

AKRON DUO EARNS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES: Hunter Garretson and Brian Masai were honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Masai was tabbed as the league's Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while Garretson was named the MAC's Men's Field Athlete of the Week.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2024 indoor season as the Zips are rated in the Event Squad rankings released on Jan. 29, 2024, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.

Akron is ranked 15th nationally in the men's shot put and 26th in the men's weight throw.

ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2024 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron has a pair of student-athletes ranked in the top-50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2024 indoor campaign, including, Hunter Garretson, who is third in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-4.50/5.60m).

Additionally, Charles Sanders is rated 40th in the men's 400 meters (47.21), while the distance medley relay squad of Titus Kirui and Braylyn Farrington, Jean Dieuvil and Masai is ranked seventh (9:43.92).

GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2023 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.

Garretson, majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA was presented with the award during the presentation. He became the second Zip to earn the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.

GARRETSON GARNERS ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES: Hunter Garretson garnered First-Team All-America accolades on the strength of a second-place showing (18-8.25/5.70m) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Texas on June 7. William Gross garnered Second-Team All-America honors placing 16th in the men's hammer (221-3/67.45m), while Charles Sanders and Brian Masai were named Honorable Mention All-America recipients in the men's 400 meters and 5,000 meters, respectively.

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added four overall top-five performance in program history to the record book during the 2024 indoor campaign.

Indoor

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Jabari Neal-Jackson	Weight Throw	No. 4 – 65-8 (20.03m)
Titus Kirui, Braylyn Farrington, Jean Dieuvil, Brian Masai	Men's DMR	No. 2 – 9:43.92
Vanessa Horn, Jamari Davis, Jade Celestine, Adaeze Nwokike	Women's 4x400 Relay	No. 3 – 3:44.78
Hunter Garretson	Pole Vault	No. 3 – 18-4.50 (5.60m)