Kent State University
Kent State Tune Up
Kent State Tune Up Saturday Concludes Regular Season for Indoor Track and Field
2/16/2018 4:56:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Meet Schedule • Heat Sheets • Live Results
Kent State will host a National Qualifier meet featuring some of the top track and field program in the regional at the Kent State Field House on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Competition begins at 10 a.m. with the women's weight throw and women's long jump. The women's 5,000-meter run will kick off action on the track at 11 a.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for youth and seniors.
THE FIELD
Athletes from 30 schools will compete at the meet, including several of the top NCAA Division II programs in the nation.
Three top-10 men's teams will be in action in No. 2 Tiffin, No. 6 Ashland and No. 9 Findlay. On the women's side, Walsh State is No. 11 and Ursuline is No. 19.
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 are the MAC's top team, coming in at No. 5 in the Great Lakes Region. The Golden Flashes have 210.75 points and are behind only Eastern Michigan among MAC teams. On the women's side, Kent State is No. 13 in the Great Lakes Region with 76.35 points.
The latest Collegiate Indoor Dual Meet Rankings as compiled by Jesse Squire for Track and Field News has Kent State No. 16 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, seven Flashes are ranked among the top-25 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 point, while Craig Stevens, Jr. (53'-00.75") is seventh in the triple jump. Samory Fraga's school-record mark of 25'-04.5" in the long jump ranks 20th. Rounding out the men's competitors is Riak Reese, who ranks 25th in the 200-meter dash (20.99).
Gabrielle Figueroa leads the women's team with a No. 15 ranking in the weight throw (68'09.25"). Sam Tollerud (13'-08.50") and Maria Horrigan (13'-08.25") rank 21st and 23rd, respectively, in the pole vault.
PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
On the men's side, 27 Golden Flashes are scheduled for competition, including four ranked in the top 3 in the conference. Jake Wickey is the conference leader in weight throw (66'-3.00"), and Christian Champen ranks second in pole vault (16'-9.50"). Brad Jones and David Paliscak are ranked third in their respective events. Jones has cleared 6'-10.75" in the high jump and Paliscak has a top mark of 57'-0.75" in the shot put. Walter Petzel, Douglas Moorer, Jr. and Trevor Detillion join Paliscak to give the Flashes four athletes among the top-10 in the conference in shot put.
The women's team will also have 40 athletes in action, including four ranked in the top 4 in the conference. Gabrielle Figueroa leads the MAC in weight throw (68'09.25"). Sam Tollerud (13'-8.5") and Maria Horrigan (13'-8.25") are No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, in pole vault. Alyssa Matheny is third in the high jump with a best height of 5'-7.75".
NEXT UP FOR KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes will compete at the 2018 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 23-24 in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Players Mentioned
