Akron Set to Host Third Annual Haynes Lancaster Open

Friday, December 12

Akron, Ohio

4:00 PM

University of Akron

Third Annual Haynes Lancaster Open

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Akron Set to Host Third Annual Haynes Lancaster Open

December 11 | 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 the home portion of its 2025-26 indoor campaign hosting the third annual Haynes Lancaster Open on Friday (Dec. 12) 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 Lots 1 (Corner of Carroll and Spicer Streets), 6, 9 and 10 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, Hillsdale, Roberts Wesleyan, Slippery Rock and Walsh to the Stile Athletics Field House for the meet on Friday (Dec. 12).

The 28-event meet will commence with the men's long jump and weight throw and women's pole vault, high jump, long jump 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.

A WEEK AGO:
The University of Akron track and field team opened its 2026 indoor campaign competing at the YSU Icebreaker and the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Youngstown State and Boston University, respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Junior Megan Hipple (Warren, Ohio) ran a school-record time of 16:15.66 in the women's 5,000 meters to highlight the efforts of the Zips at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Boston University on Saturday (Dec. 6).
• Hipple's effort stands as the top-rated time in the Mid-American Conference this season, while sophomore Mercy Jebitok (Kapsabet, Kenya) crossed the line in a season-best time of 16:45.78.
• Junior Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya) posted a season-best time of 8:05.95 in the men's 3,000 meters.
• Redshirt senior Brook Boes (Tiffin, Ohio) won the women's discus with a meet- and facility record mark of 164-5 (50.13m) at the YSU Icebreaker on Dec. 4, while redshirt senior Owen Wendl (Medina, Ohio) was Akron's top men's finisher in the discus with a mark of 176-9 (53.88m).
• Registering marks of 140-0 (42.67m), 135-1 (41.17m) and 130-3 (39.71m) to place second, third and fourth, respectively, in the women's discus was sophomores Sloane Sypolt (Louisville, Ohio) and Bridget Bergen (Avon, Ohio) and junior La'Kasja Edwards (Alliance, Ohio).
• Posting throws of 157-7 (48.05m), 145-5 (44.32m) and 134-6 (41.01m), respectively, were juniors Ryan Kamperman (Salem, Ohio), Christopher Vance (Parma, Ohio) and junior Olin Frank (Chagrin Falls, Ohio).

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2025 outdoor season as the Zips were rated among the Top 30 in the Event Squad rankings for six events released on May 20, 2025, 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 ninth nationally in the men's pole vault, 13th in the men's shot put, 17th in the men's hammer and women's hammer, 21st in the men's discus and 22nd in the women's discus.

ZIPS RANKED AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2025 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron have four individual student-athletes ranked in the Top 50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2025 outdoor campaign as sophomore Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) was rated eighth in the nation in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:27.51).

Additionally, Hunter Garretson was 11th in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-1.75/5.53m), Owen Wendl was 13th in the men's discus (200-11/61.23m) and junior Mason Birch (Strongsville, Ohio) was 48th in the men's high jump (7-0.25/2.14m).

GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2025 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.

Garretson, who majored in mathematics, boasted a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 14.

Winning the honor for the third consecutive season, Garretson became the first three-time recipient of the award in Division I track and field and ninth overall three-time honoree across all sports in Division I.

The honor was the fourth 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 28 overall top five performances and five school records in program history to the record book during the 2025 outdoor campaign.

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 3,000M Steeplechase – March 27	No. 1 – 8:37.85
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – April 5	No. 1 – 52.90
Ayanna Stafford Joy Nwokike Rukia Omulisia Vanessa Horn	Women's 4x100 Relay – April 4	No. 1 – 45.19
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 3,000M Steeplechase – April 16	No. 1 – 8:27.51
Ayanna Stafford Joy Nwokike Rukia Omulisia Vanessa Horn	Women's 4x100 Relay – May 17	No. 1 – 44.51
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 5,000M – April 26	No. 2 – 13:53.02
Owen Wendl	Men's Discus – May 17	No. 2 – 200-11 (61.23m)
Owen Wendl	Men's Shot Put – May 16	No. 2 – 60-2.50 (18.35m)
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – May 17	No. 2 – 23.24
Rukia Omulisia	Women's 100MH – May 2	No. 2 – 13.24
Titus Kirui	Men's 5,000M – April 17	No. 3 – 14:12.75
Moses Lekokei	Men's 5,000M – April 26	No. 3 – 13:53.33
Rukia Omulisia	Women's 100MH – May 9	No. 3 – 13.57
Josiah Cox	Men's Shot Put – March 29	No. 4 – 58-7.25 (17.86m)
Christopher Vance	Men's Hammer – April 4	No. 4 – 206-11 (63.06m)
Megan Hipple	Women's 5,000M – April 17	No. 4 – 16:42.42
Lane Graham	Men's Hammer – April 25	No. 4 – 207-7 (63.29m)
Lane Graham	Men's Hammer – May 8	No. 4 – 209-0 (63.71m)
Joy Nwokike	Women's 100M – May 16	No.4 – 11.51
Titus Kirui	Men's 5,000M – March 27	No. 5 – 14:27.68
Owen Wendl	Men's Discus – April 13	No. 5 – 182-9 (55.72m)
Owen Wendl	Men's Shot Put – April 18	No. 5 – 58-1 (17.70m)
Ayanna Stafford Joy Nwokike Rukia Omulisia Victory George	Women's 4x100 Relay – April 19	No. 5 – 45.78
Brook Boes	Women's Discus – April 26	No. 5 – 168-10 (51.47m)
Gabrielle Griffiths	Women's Javelin – May 2	No. 5 – 146-0 (44.51m)
Christopher Vance	Men's Hammer – May 8	No. 5 – 207-5 (63.22m)
Gabrielle Griffiths	Women's Hammer – May 8	No. 5 – 193-5 (58.97m)
Braylyn Farrington Andrew Styles Jalen McCoy AJ Jordan	Men's 4x400 Relay – May 17	No. 5 – 3:09.36

CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips added 28 overall top five performances and five school records in program history to the record book during the 2025 indoor campaign.

NAME	EVENT/DATE	RANK – MARK
Keegan Digby	Shot Put – Dec. 6	No. 5 – 57-6.25 (17.53m)
Brook Boes	Weight Throw – Dec. 6	No. 5 – 64-7 (19.68m)
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – Dec. 6	No. 3 – 54.97
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – Dec. 6	No. 4 – 24.09
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – Jan. 10	No. 2 – 23.94
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – Jan. 11	No. 3 – 54.56
Joy Nwokike	Women's 200M – Jan. 17	No. 1 – 23.79
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – Jan. 17	No. 3 – 54.46
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 3,000M – Jan. 17	No. 4 – 8:08.57
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – Jan. 17	No. 3 – 18-10.50 (5.75m)
Keegan Digby	Men's Shot Put – Jan. 17	No. 5 – 58-3.25 (17.76m)
Mary Munga	Women's Mile – Jan. 25	No. 5 – 4:50.08
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's Mile – Jan. 31	No. 4 – 4:05.32
Hunter Garretson	Men's Pole Vault – Feb. 7	No. 3 – 18-10.75 (5.76m)
Mercy Jebitok	Women's 3,000M – Feb. 8	No. 5 – 9:45.11
Rukia Omulisia	Women's 60MH – Feb. 8	No. 4 – 8.48
Mercy Jebitok	Women's 5,000M – Feb. 15	No. 1 – 16:23.67
Braylyn Farrington Jimmy Harkelroad AJ Jordan Andrew Styles	Men's 4x400 Relay – Feb. 15	No. 4 – 3:11.12
Joy Nwokike	Women's 400M – Feb. 14	No. 1 – 53.29
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 3,000M – Feb. 14	No. 1 – 7:57.23
Moses Lekokei	Men's 5,000M – Feb. 14	No. 2 – 13:56.25
Vanessa Horn	Women's 400M – Feb. 14	No. 4 – 54.66
Bismack Kipchirchir	Men's 5,000M – Feb. 28	No. 5 – 14:29.74
Owen Wendl	Men's Shot Put – March 1	No. 5 – 58-9.50 (17.92m)
Joy Nwokike	Women's 60M – Feb. 28	No. 1 – 7.34
Rukia Omulisia	Women's 60MH – March 1	No. 2 – 8.38
Cassidy Allen	Women's Pole Vault – Feb. 28	No. 5 – 13.10 (4.22m)
Vanessa Horn Rukia Omulisia Eve Clark Joy Nwokike	Women's 4x400 Relay – March 1	No. 5 – 3:44.85