Busy Week Ahead for Akron Track and Field

Wednesday, April 24

North Canton, Ohio

All Day

University of Akron

Walsh Tune-Up

April 23 | Track & Field

GRAND VALLEY STATE EXTRA WEEKEND MEET: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
LEN PADDOCK INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS
WALSH TUNE-UP: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE STATS

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field team will compete in a trio of meets this upcoming week as the Zips travel to the Walsh Tune-Up (April 24-25), Grand Valley State Extra Weekend Meet (April 25) and the Len Paddock Invitational (April 27) hosted by Michigan.

UP NEXT: Akron is sending competitors to the Walsh Tune-Up in North Canton, Grand Valley State Extra Weekend Meet in Allendale, Mich., as well as the Len Paddock Invitational hosted by Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Zips will compete at Walsh on Wednesday and Thursday (April 24-25), Grand Valley State on Thursday (April 25) and at Michigan on Saturday (April 27).

Live stats and video (where available) will be available at GoZips.com.

A WEEK AGO: The University of Akron track and field team garnered four victories as part of 16 overall top-five performances at a trio of meets a week ago.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Junior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) broke her own school-record time in the women's 400 meters crossing the line in a career-best time of 53.53 to place third at the Jim Green Invitational.
• Redshirt senior Charles Sanders (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a time of 46.97 to win the men's 400 meters.
• The men's 4x100 relay team of redshirt senior Quentin Woodall (Cleveland, Ohio), freshman AJ Jordan (Columbus, Ohio), sophomore Tysean Baronette (Middletown, Dela.) and freshman Andrew Styles (Freeport, The Bahamas) bested the field in 39.97, a time that is two one-hundredths of second off the school record.
• The men's 4x400 relay team of freshman Braylyn Farrington (Alabaster, Ala.), Sanders, Styles and redshirt junior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) crossed the line in a season-best time 3:10.12 to place first.
• Harkelroad also won the men's 400-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 51.12.
• Redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Griffiths (Fort Worth, Texas) earned a runner-up finish in the women's hammer with a mark of 174-4 (53.14m).
• Nwokike placed third in the women's 200 meters in a career-best time of 23.44, the third-fastest time in outdoor program history.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2024 outdoor season as the Zips are rated among the top-30 in the Event Squad rankings released on April 23, 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 is ranked 14th nationally in the men's hammer as well as 24th in the men's shot put and 26th in the men's discus.

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

Additionally, sophomore Brian Masai (Kitale, Kenya) is ranked 16th in the men's 5,000 meters (13:34.26) and Jimmy Harkelroad is rated 33rd in the men's 400-meter hurdles (51.12).

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 is 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.

GARRETSON AND MASAI NAMED MAC MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS: Hunter Garretson and Brian Masai were honored by the Mid-American Conference as its 2024 Indoor Track and Field Men's Most Outstanding Track and Field Performers of the Year, the league unveiled on Feb. 28.

Garretson captured his sixth career MAC title besting the field in the men's pole vault with a mark of 18-2 (5.53m). He owns the No. 2 mark in the NCAA this season in the pole vault with a mark of 18-9.25 (5.72m) set at the Al Campbell Invitational on Feb. 16.

Masai claimed a pair of league titles winning the men's mile and 3,000 meters in times of 4:07.77 and 8:12.57, respectively, while running the anchor leg of the fourth-place distance medley relay squad. He set a school-record time of 8:02.50 in the 3,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 10.

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added nine overall top-five performance in program history to the record book during the 2024 outdoor campaign, including a trio of 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
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
Sharon Chepchirchir	Women's 5,000M – April 12	No. 3 – 16:34.80
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – April 20	No. 3 – 23.44
Lane Graham	Men's Hammer – March 30	No. 5 – 206-5 (62.92m)

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