Kent State University
Akron Invitational
Track and Field Set for Competition at Akron Invitational
2/1/2018 5:57:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Meet Schedule • Accepted Entries • Live Results
The Kent State track and field program is scheduled to compete in its final road meet prior to the 2018 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at the Akron Invitational. The three-day meet runs Thursday, Feb. 1 through Saturday, Feb. 3. at the Stile Athletics Field House.
The large majority of events are scheduled for the final two days with men's, women's and mixed divisions of the discus throw are the only events set for Thursday evening.
Field events begin action on Friday with the men's and women's blue pole vault competitions as well as the men's blue long jump scheduled for 4 p.m. Running events start at 8 p.m. with the men's distance medley relay.
The meet's final day will consist of two sessions. The morning session begins at 10 a.m. and features blue division competitions, while gold division events will take place during the afternoon session slated for 3 p.m. The men's and women's 4x400 relay races will conclude running events at approximately 5:40 p.m.
Admission is $10 with only cash being accepted. All fans should enter through the Akron student recreation center main entrance. A separate ticket is required for both the Friday and/or Saturday sessions, but tickets purchased for Saturday grants admission to both the Blue Section and Gold Invitational.
THE FIELD
Athletes from 23 schools are registered to compete at the meet. These schools include: Akron, Ashland, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cedarville, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Indiana Tech, IUPUI, Malone, Michigan State, Mount St. Mary's, Penn, Saint Francis, South Florida, Tiffin, University of Windsor, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Xavier.
KENT STATE IN THE RANKINGS
Both the men's and women's teams are receiving recognition from various track and field rankings. In the most recent United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Indoor Track and Field Regional Index, the men's team is No. 5 in the Great Lakes Region. The Golden Flashes have 240.87 points and are behind only Eastern Michigan among MAC teams. On the women's side, Kent State is No. 12 in the Great Lakes Region with 86.32 points.
The latest Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News has Kent State No. 12 in the men's poll and No. 24 in the women's poll. The men are 1-0 with a dual victory over Akron, while the women are 4-0 in dual meets.
Individually, six Flashes are ranked among the top-20 nationally in events according to the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). The top 16 athletes in each event will earn an invitation to the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships from March 9-10 in College Station, Texas.
TJ Lawson is the highest-ranked Kent State athlete at No. 5 in the heptathlon with a school-record 5,865 points. Samory Fraga's school-record mark of 25'-04.5" in the long jump ranks 11th. Craig Stevens, Jr. (51'-07.00") is 17th in the triple jump. Rounding out the men's competitors is Riak Reese, who ranks 18th in the 200-meter dash (21.11).
Gabrielle Figueroa leads the women's team with a No. 12 ranking in the weight throw (68'09.25"). Maria Horrigan sits at No. 16 in the pole vault with a top clearance of 13'-08.25".
PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
On the men's side, 36 Golden Flashes are scheduled for competition, including eight top-5 MAC rankings. Riak Reese has run the conference's fastest 200-meter dash (21.31) and is third in the 60-meter dash (6.76). While Kent State owns the top 3 spots in the heptathlon, conference leader TJ Lawson will only be competing in the 60-meter hurdles and pole vault. Ryan Looser (5,063 points) and Jacob Mally (4,993 points) will compete in the multis competition. Christian Champen and Anthony Milliner are ranked second in their respective events. Champen has cleared 16'-9.75" in the pole vault and Milliner has a top mark of 49'-3.00" in the triple jump. Brad Jones ranks fourth in the high jump (6'-10.75") and Dairius Ragland ranks fifth in the 60-meter hurdles.
The women's team will have 40 athletes in action, including four ranked in the top 5 in the conference. Maria Horrigan (13'-08.25") and Sam Tollerud (13'2.50") are second and fourth, respectively, in pole vault. Cayla Carey and Alyssa Matheny are ranked third in their respective events. Carey has a top mark of 6'-10.75" in the long jump and Matheny has cleared 5'-7.75" in the high jump.
NEXT UP FOR KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes will host the first of two meets to conclude the regular with the Kent State National Qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Kent State Field House.
Players Mentioned
