Track and Field Prepares for Weekend at Penn State, Central Michigan
1/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The majority of the Kent State men's and women's track and field team will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and the Western Michigan women.
While the meet will be scored, winning is not necessarily the main objective, according to Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Bill Lawson.
"Our main goal is for our athletes to get a chance to compete in the venue where the MAC Championships will be held at the end of February," Lawson said. "It gives our athletes, like the throwers and the jumpers, an opportunity to be on those runways and in those rings. It gives the people doing lap races the feeling of the 200 meter track, the cut lines and just a sense and feel of the facilities.
"When we go back for the MAC Championships, it will be familiar to us as opposed to 'here's a venue we haven't been in," said Lawson.
Another bonus is the teams who will be competing in the meet. Usually, Kent State will only compete with Akron and maybe the other Ohio schools in the MAC during the indoor regular season. Lawson said he is excited about being able to get a preview of the Michigan conference schools before the MAC championships.
"This meet will be a good chance to see a host of good athletes from those schools. Against those teams, we will be able to gauge where we are in certain events," Lawson said.
Meanwhile, three KSU track and field athletes will head east to compete in the combined events at the Penn State National Friday and Saturday (Jan. 29-30) at the indoor facility in State College, Pa. Diana Dumitrescu will compete in the pentathlon while sophomore Ruben Belen and freshman Keith Hurst will contest the heptathlon.
The goal for Dumitrescu is plain and simple: qualify for the NCAA Championships.
"We have targeted this meet for Diana to go and try to get her national qualifying mark in the pentathlon," Lawson said. "The automatic mark is 4,075 and the provisional mark is 3,775. It is going to take a high 3,000 mark to qualify for nationals.
"We want to get that qualifying mark so we don't have to worry about it at the MAC Championships so she can compete in a variety of events."
Lawson feels Dumitrescu may improve her score as much as 100 points thanks to a competitive field.
"The women's pentathlon is loaded," Lawson said. "Diana can go and do very well, third or fourth place, and still get her qualifying mark. With the field being so deep, it pushes her."
While qualifying nationally is not necessarily on the agenda for Hurst and Belen, Lawson aims to have his pair of combined events guys post good marks against the field.
"It works out for the best on the men's side because it is not as loaded," Lawson said. "It will give our guys an opportunity to be in the mix and compete to better their scores in a year and improve their standing for the MAC Championships."
Anything You Can Do...
Entering the Akron Dual last Friday (Jan. 22), sophomore Dean Wood was the lone Kent State provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships. In the first meet of the year, he reached the provisional mark in the high jump, clearing the bar at 7'-0.25"
While Wood reached that mark again against Akron, freshman Kenneth Agee joined him. Agee won the event against the Zips, clearing the same height (7'00.25") as Wood.
Top Times in the MAC
Junior Destin Heasley currently holds the top time in the MAC in the 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 1:50.59 at the Golden Flash Gala Dec. 12. Senior Aiman Scullion, fifth-year senior Andrew Carnes and redshirt freshman Michael Heller are the top three in the 5,000 meters with times of 14:33.19, 14:37.61 and 15:07.91, respectively at the Doug Raymond Invitational (Jan. 16).
The 4x400 relay team still holds the top time in the MAC (3:13.92) from the Doug Raymond Invite. At the Akron Dual Meet (Jan. 22), freshman Kenneth Agee tied sophomore Dean Wood for the best high jump mark (7'-0.25") while senior Anthony Connor set a new standard in the conference in the weight throw (63'-4.00").
Next Up
Kent State will return to action when it travels to South Bend, Ind. to participate in the Meyo Invite Feb. 5-6 hosted by Notre Dame.
