Akron Set to Compete in Pair of Weekend Meets

Friday, February 9

Boston, Mass.

University of Akron

David Hemery Valentine Invitational

February 08 | Track & Field

TYSON INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS | FRIDAY LIVE STREAM ($) | SATURDAY LIVE STREAM ($)

DAVID HEMERY VALENTINE INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS | FRIDAY LIVE STREAM ($) | SATURDAY LIVE STREAM ($)

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams continue their preparations toward the upcoming Mid-American Conference Championships as the Zips will compete in a pair of meets this weekend.

UP NEXT: The bulk of the Akron squad will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to participate in the Tyson Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 9-10), while the balance of the team will compete at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 9-10).

The Tyson Invitational will commence at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday with the men's pole vault and weight throw, before running events get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET with qualifying for the women's 60 meters. Competition resumes at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday with the women's pole vault before the meet culminates with the men's 4x400 relay at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Set to compete for Akron at the Tyson Invitational are junior Cassidy Allen (Lakewood, N.Y.), redshirt senior Robert Artrip (Independence, Ohio), junior Nighyah Carthen (Twinsburg, Ohio), sophomores Jade Celestine (Ajax, Ontario) and Josiah Cox (New Franklin, Ohio), junior Jamari Davis (Ontario, Calif.), freshman Braylyn Farrington (Alabaster, Ala.), redshirt junior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio), junior Lane Graham (Killbuck, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Griffiths (Fort Worth, Texas), redshirt junior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio), sophomore Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany), freshman AJ Jordan (Columbus, Ohio), redshirt senior Jabari Neal-Jackson (Cincinnati, Ohio), senior Dimitrije Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia), juniors Adaeze Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) and Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria), redshirt senior Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio), freshman Andrew Styles (Freeport, Bahamas) and redshirt senior Quentin Woodall (Cleveland, Ohio).

The David Hemery Valentine Invitational kicks off and ends on Friday with the women's 5,000 meters before second-day competition starts and finishes with the men's 5,000 meters on Saturday.

Akron is slated to send a 13-member distance contingent to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Cambridge, Mass., including freshmen Majid Abuaun (Rocky River, Ohio), Sharon Chepchirchir (Kapsabet, Kenya) and Timothy Chesondin (Eldoret, Kenya), redshirt seniors Chase Easterling (Mt. Orab, Ohio), Maddie Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio) and Makenna Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio), freshman Megan Hipple (Warren, Ohio), redshirt junior Danielle Honaker (Ashland, Ohio), sophomore Brian Masai (Kitale, Kenya), freshman Mary Munga (Nyandarua, Kenya), junior Halle Sebest (Poland, Ohio), redshirt senior Kyle Stober (Mogadore, Ohio) and freshman Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya).

Live stats from the David Hemery Valentine Invitational and Tyson Invitational will be available at GoZips.com.

A WEEK AGO: The University of Akron track and field team posted 12 victories as part of 28 overall top-three performances at the 20th Annual Akron Invitational on Feb. 2 at the Stile Athletics Field House.

• Hunter Garretson eclipsed a career-best mark of18-5.25 (5.62m) to capture the men's pole vault.
• Joy Nwokike bested the field in the women's 400 meters in a career-best time of 55.83.
• Adaeze Nwokike captured the women's 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.84.
• Chase Easterling won the men's mile in a time of 4:15.33.
• Braylyn Farrington captured the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 48.64.
• Quentin Woodall took the title in the men's 60 meters in a time of 6.82.
• Dimitrije Novakovic won the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.69.
• Jabari Neal-Jackson won the men's weight throw with a mark of 63-11 (19.50m).
• Gabrielle Griffiths took the title in the women's weight throw with a career-best mark of 59-8 (18.20m).
• Jimmy Harkelroad won the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 1:55.21.
• Andrew Styles bested the field in the men's 200 meters in a career-best time of 21.45.
• The men's 4x400 relay team of Harkelroad, Harrington, sophomore Tysean Baronette (Middleton, Del.) and AJ Jordan crossed the line first in 3:16.32.

GARRETSON GARNERS MAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES: Hunter Garretson was honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Field Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

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 Feb. 5, 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 ranked 17th nationally in the men's shot put, 25th in the men's weight throw, 27th in the men's 400 meters, 28th in the women's 5,000 meters and 30th in the men's pole vault.

ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2024 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron has one student-athlete 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 (18-5.25/5.62m).

Additionally, the distance medley relay squad of Titus Kirui and Braylyn Farrington, redshirt junior Jean Dieuvil (North Miami Beach, Fla.) and Brian 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 – 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
Hunter Garretson	Pole Vault – Feb. 2	No. 3 – 18-5.25 (5.62m)