Track and Field Readies for 2016-17 Season
12/6/2016 2:16:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
KENT, Ohio- Kent State's men's and women's track and field programs are making their final preparations for the 2016-17 season which gets underway this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10 as they host the Golden Flashes Gala at the Kent State Field House.
Golden Flashes Gala Meet Information
Golden Flashes Gala Meet Schedule
Golden Flashes Gala Heat Sheets
"We're really excited to kick-off the season this coming weekend with Golden Flashes Gala. I feel as if we are a much more cohesive and complete team than a year ago," said director of track and field/cross country Bill Lawson. "We're strong in the throws, we're strong in the sprints, jumps and hurdles. We need to improve in some areas but we have enough energy in those areas to make a great effort to get back in the championship circle with the men's and women's teams."
The indoor portion of Kent State's schedule is composed of seven regular-season meets leading up to the MAC Indoor Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25. Following this weekend's Golden Flashes Gala, Kent State will have nearly a month off before returning to the Kent State Field House on Saturday, Jan. 14 for the annual Doug Raymond Invitational.
The Golden Flashes will travel to rival Akron for two of their next three meets (Akron Dual and Akron Invitational) with a trip to Ypsilanti, Mich. in between for the Eastern Michigan Quad. After the EMU Quad, the Golden Flashes will return to the familiar Spire Invitational in Geneva, Ohio and then make their final MAC Championship preparations with the Kent State Tune Up.
Student-athletes that qualify for the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships will compete in College Station, Texas, at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Stadium on Friday and Saturday, March 10-11.
The Golden Flashes will head south to open the outdoor portion of their schedule as they compete at the Raleigh Relays on March 24 and 25. To close out the month of March and begin April, Kent State will send its multi-event athletes and pole vaulters to the Texas Relays while sending its throwers to the Ohio Cherry Blossom Open. Kent State will compete in five meets for the remainder of April, including trips to Miami (Fla.), Akron, and Ohio State in consecutive weeks, followed by the teams splitting up to compete in the Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa) and the Hillsdale College Gina Relays (Hillsdale, Mich.) to close-out the month. The Golden Flashes will return to Akron on May 5-6 for Campbell-Wright Open to finish up regular season.
This year's Outdoor MAC Championship will be held at Western Michigan's Kanley Track and Field Complex May 11-13. NCAA East Regional qualifiers for Kent State will compete in Lexington, Ky. at the University of Kentucky May 25-27 with hopes of qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Outdoor National Championships which will be held at the University of Oregon June 7-10.
Returning from Kent State track and field's 2015-16 campaigns are nine All-MAC selections, 22 Academic All-MAC selections and one All-American. Kent State welcomes 13 freshmen (seven women and six men) to the program as well as several student-athletes who red-shirted a season ago and will look to contribute in a multitude of events.
"We have a lot moving parts in track and field and that's why we have to have good event coaches. We're very excited for the prospects for both our men's and women's teams," Lawson went on to say.
A key returner for the men's program is Reggie Jagers III (Solon, Ohio), who is coming off an outdoor season in which he earned All-America First Team status with a seventh place finish in the discus at 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2016-17 Jagers, who is Kent State's only All-American in the discus, looks to return the NCAA Championships for a fourth time in five years.
The women's program welcomes back 2016 Olympian Danniel Thomas (Westmoreland, Jamaica), who redshirted during the 2015-16 season. Thomas, a seven-time All-American and six-time MAC Champion, competed in the shot put for Jamaica in 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Thomas captured 25th place in the Olympics with a mark of 16.99m (55' 9").
For updates throughout season regarding Kent State track and field, follow kentstatesports.com or follow the Golden Flashes on Twitter @KentStTrackXC.
Players Mentioned
