Back in the Groove, Kent State Shines at Doug Raymond
1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Eight Kent State individuals take first place in first meet of the 2012 season; Brown wins twice and finishes second in third event
KENT, Ohio - After a five-week hiatus from intercollegiate competition, the Kent State men's and women's indoor track and field team had a strong outing at the Doug Raymond Invitational at Kent State Field House. Kent state runners captured eight individual titles on the day.
"Coming off the winter break, we had a good start," said assistant coach Nathan Fanger. "There were some ups and downs, but overall I think we are happy with how we are progressing through the season."
Sophomore Laron Brown (Dayton, Ohio) had a strong meet, as the sprinter posted victories in the 400 meter dash and 200 meter dash while finishing second in the 60 meter dash. Brown captured the 400m title with a personal best 49.28, defeating the 39-runner field by one one-hundredth of a second. His 21.95 in the 200m and 6.96 in the 60m were also personal bests.
In the men's 1,000 meter run, Kent State finished first and second in the three-heat event. Sophomore Marteze Roper (Warren, Ohio) edged teammate junior Steve Fischer (Hudson, Ohio) by just over one tenth of a second with his time of 2:29.64.
In the men's 60 high hurdles, five Kent State competitors advanced to the final, where Mitchell Seawood (Warren, Ohio) took the title with an 8.21 time, besting teammate Marvin Logan (Warren, Ohio), who clocked an 8.40. Four Golden Flashes finished in the top seven in the event.
In the field, Aaron Crabtree (Lucasville, Ohio) and Bo Crabtree (Lucasville, Ohio) finished 2-3 in the men's weight throw, where Aaron got his 2012 season underway with a throw of 62-00.50.
In the high jump, both Kenneth Agee (Shaker Heights, Ohio) and Dean Wood (North Richmond, Australia) cleared 6-07.75, but Agee took second place with fewer misses. Wood placed fifth overall.
Freshman Chanitta Westbrooks (Cleveland, Ohio) was one of three winners on the women's side. She captured the 60 meter dash title with a 7.74, matching her career best time. All three Kent State participants in the 60m advanced to the final.
Newcomer Penina Acayo (Kampala, Uganda) bounded to a new personal best and improved her mark in Kent State ladders with a 40-06.25 mark in the triple jump to win the event; that jump ranks fifth in team history. Fellow Kent State jumper Keri Dantley (Imperial, Pa.) took second overall with a 38-08.25 effort.
Sophomore thrower Joh'vonnie Mosley (Youngstown, Ohio) fired a career-best 52-02.50 in the shot put to win the event; it also moved her to fifth place in Kent State records.
Despite not winning the women's weight throw, Lauren Noe (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) moved up in the Kent State record book with her second-place toss of 60-08.50, which solidifies her place as sixth-best in team history. Jacklyn Leppelmeier (McComb, Ohio) was fourth in both the weight throw and the shot put.
Although she placed fourth in the women's 400 meter dash, Shanequa Williams (Akron, Ohio) improved her career best to a 55.35, which moved her up the Kent State ladders with the third-best time in program history. Williams also finished fourth in the 200 meter dash.
Kent State returns to action Friday, Jan. 20 when the Golden Flashes entertain Mid-American Conference foe Akron for a dual starting at 6 p.m. at the Kent State Field House.
![Four Kent State track and field athletes pose together on the awards podium wearing light blue Under Armour uniforms and gold MAC Championship medals. Left to right: Chaz Sakala (bib 1196), Sean [last name partially visible] (bib 1157, holding a relay baton), Ryan Gross (bib 1167), and Jacob Stanley (bib 1192). The group smiles for the camera following their relay event at the MAC Outdoor Championships.](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fkentstatesports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F5%2F21%2FIMG_2657.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
