Flashes Prepare for Battle With Rival Zips
1/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
With Northeast Ohio bragging rights on the line, the Kent State Golden Flashes take on the rival Akron Zips Friday night (Jan. 22) at the KSU Fieldhouse.
Last season in Akron, the KSU men outlasted the Zips 76-75
while the KSU women fell 87-62. To read more on last season's results. click here.
Hometown Rivalry for Curtis Eaton Jr.
In the sport of track and field at the collegiate level, it is rare for two teams to compete against each other in a dual. That is exactly what happens when rivals Kent State and Akron square off against each other at the KSU Field House Friday night (Jan. 22).
For senior Curtis Eaton Jr., the dual even holds another level importance.
"This is a special meet to me because it gives me an opportunity to perform in front of my hometown crowd," stated Curtis, a high school graduate of Akron Buchtel. "I was recruited by Akron, but I choose to come to Kent State for various reasons. It was a combination of the true campus life feeling and my affiliation with the KSU upward bound program in high school.
"The Kent State vs. Akron rivalry is huge, it is really intense because we are both top team in the MAC. It's definitely something I look forward to," said Curtis.
What was the Zips loss was certainly the Golden Flashes gain. He is a six-time Mid-American Conference champion. He won the Outdoor 400 meters as a freshman in 2007 and the indoor 400 meters as a sophomore in 2008.
The early success was a sign of things to come for Curtis. In his junior year in 2009, he claimed four conference titles: the indoor 400 meters, the outdoor 200 and 400 meters and was a member of the winning indoor 4x400 meter relay team. He was also named the MAC Men's Indoor Most Outstanding Track Performer and the MAC Men's Outdoor Most Outstanding Performer.
The Kent State men's track and field team also captured its first indoor team championship.
Despite all his success in choosing a rival university 15 miles down the road over the hometown school, Curtis still keeps in touch with athletes on the Akron Track and Field Teams.
"I'm friends with quite a few of the Akron runners. They kid me about being from Akron and running for Kent State, but they do understand why I chose Kent State over Akron," said Curtis.
Top Times in the MAC
Four current men's track and field athletes have the current top times or marks in their respective events in the Mid-American Conference. Sophomore Dean Wood currently leads the MAC with a provisional qualifying mark of 7"-00.25" (2.14 meters), two inches higher than his nearest competitor. Junior Destin Heasley owns the top time for the 800 meters in the MAC with a time of 1:50.59, more than a second faster than the next best time.
To round out the individuals, senior Aiman Scullion, fifth-year senior Andrew Carnes and redshirt freshman Michael Heller own the top three spots in the 5,000 meters with times of 14:33.19, 14:37.61 and 15:07.91, respectively.
The men's 4x400 meter relay also leads the conference with a time of 3:13.92, only two seconds from provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Trio Win Conference Awards
After a successful opening weekend at the Golden Flash Gala (Dec. 11-12), Kent State received the MAC Men's Runner of the week and both the men's and women's MAC Field Athlete of the Week.
Junior Destin Heasley won Men's Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 800 meters with a season-best time of 1:50.59. That mark is still tops in the MAC this season. He was also was a member of the 4x400 meter relay team that won with a time of 3:15.99.
Sophomore Dean Wood won Man's Field Athlete of the Week for his provisional-qualifying mark of 7"-00.25" (2.14 meters) in the high jump. It was a personal best for Wood in the United States.
Finally, sophomore Diana Dumitrescu was named Women's Field Athlete of the Week for her success in the long and high jumps. She won the long jump with a distance of 19'-00.25" (5.80 meters) and took third in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5'-07" (1.70 meters).
Next Up:
The Kent State men's and women's track and field teams will preview the indoor championship course next Sat. (Jan. 30) when they travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take part in the Chippewa Invitational with Eastern Michigan.
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