Golden Flashes Win Three Events on Day 1 at MAC Outdoor Championships
5/10/2013 12:00:00โฏAM | Track and Field, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Men in first, women one point off the lead as Golden Flashes sweep men's and women's javelin.
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AKRON, Ohio โ The Kent State track and field teams are in position to win dual titles following strong performances on the opening day of the 2013 Mid-American Conference's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by the University of Akron.
The men's team is tied for first overall through two events with 24 points, as the Golden Flashes are 10 points ahead of second-place Akron and Eastern Michigan. On the women's side, Kent State is in second place with 29 points, just one point out from a tie for the lead.
Thursday's opening day of competition featured finals in six events. Kent State was the only school to win more than one event with three individual titles.
The Golden Flashes boasted both the men's and the women's javelin champions, as seniors Brian Florek and Sara Oczypok won their respective events.
In the women's javelin, the Golden Flashes went 1-2 as Oczypok repeated as MAC champion in the event with a throw of 156-05, moving her up to eighth in Kent State records. The distance narrowly edged fellow senior C.J. Carlisle, who was runner-up with a mark of 155-11, which is ninth in school history.
Florek captured the MAC title with a throw of 223-05, moving her up to fourth in Kent State records with a winning margin of over four feet.
Senior Michael Heller captured the lone title for the Flashes on the track, crossing the finish line of the 10,000-meter run in a time of 30:52.64. Heller won his first MAC title by edging Eastern Michigan's Terefe Ejigu, the three-time defending conference champion in the event.
Through the first five events of the men's decathlon, senior Dexter Shreve is in second place with 3,751 points. Shreve won the 100-meter dash (11.02) and second in the 400-meter dash (48.80).
Senior Domenica Rossi sophomore Jackie Leppelmeier finished fourth in their respective events. Rossi cleared a personal-best 13-01.75 in the women's pole vault, which is tied for the second-best mark in Kent State history. Leppelmeier recorded a mark of 194-02 in the women's hammer throw.
Action resumes Friday at 10 a.m. with men's hammer throw. Track events are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. with the prelims of the men's 1,500-meter run.
Men's Team Standings Through Day 1 (2 Events Scored)
1. Kent State โ 24
T2. Akron โ 14
T2. Eastern Michigan โ 14
T4. Miami โ 12
T4. Buffalo โ 12
6. Central Michigan โ 2
Women's Team Standings Through Day 1 (4 Events Scored)
1. Akron โ 30
2. Kent State โ 29
3. Buffalo โ 21.5
4. Miami โ 19
5. Toledo โ 17
6. Eastern Michigan โ 14.5
7. Central Michigan โ 12
8. Bowling Green โ 10
9. Ohio โ 3
T10. Ball State โ 0
T10. Northern Illinois โ 0
T10. Western Michigan โ 0
