Kent State University
Akron Invitational
Track and Field Set for Competition at Akron Invitational
1/30/2019 6:34:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Meet Information (PDF) | Live Results
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State track and field program is scheduled to compete in its final regular season road meet prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend at the Akron Invitational. The three-day meet runs Thursday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Stile Athletics Field House.
The Large majority of events are scheduled for the final two days as the 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 in addition to the men's blue long jump scheduled for 4 p.m. Running events begin at 8 p.m. with the men's and women'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 set for 3 p.m. The men's and women's 4x400 relay races will conclude running events at approximately 5:40 p.m. A live stream will be available during the afternoon session on Saturday.
Athletes from 19 schools are registered to compete at the meet. These schools include: Akron, Ashland, Buffalo, Cleveland State, Dayton, Findlay, Indiana Tech, Malone, Marshall, Mount St. Mary's, Northern Kentucky, Ohio, Penn, Purdue Fort Wayne, Saint Francis (Pa.), Walsh, West Virginia, and Xavier.
Attendance on Thursday will be free. Fans attending the Akron Invitational are asked to enter the meet through the main entrance of the Stile Athletics Field House off of Union Street as Akron's Student Recreation and Wellness Center will be closed Thursday, Jan. 31.
Flashes in the Rankings
Individually, four Flashes between the men's and women's teams are ranked in the top-50 nationally in events according to the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Senior Samory Fraga ranks 25th in the men's long jump, leaping 7.64m (25'-0.75") last weekend at the Akron-Kent State Dual, while Stevens, Jr. sits in 29th in the men's triple jump with his performance last weekend. On the women's side, sophomore Alyssa Matheny ranks 35th in the high jump with her 1.75m (5'-8.75") mark from the Wolverine Invitational Jan. 12.
Previewing the Flashes
On the men's side, 29 Golden Flashes are scheduled for competition, including six top-5 Mid-American Conference rankings. Junior Walter Petzel's MAC auto mark in the shot put (56'-0.0") and sophomore Jake Wickey's MAC auto mark in the weight throw (63'-8.75") each rank third in the conference. Christian Champen's 16'-0.75" mark in the pole vault is the third best vault in the conference. Brandon Harris and Brandon Wilson are tied for fifth in the 200-meter and the 60-meter respectively. Freshman Asa Hodrick is ranked third in the 200-meter dash (21.71) and fourth in the 60-meter dash (6.90), however he will only be competing in the blue division 400-meter this weekend.
From the women's team, 29 Flashes are slated to compete, including eleven top-ten MAC rankings. Alyssa Matheny tops the conference in the high jump with a MAC auto mark of 5'-8.75." Grace Tennant ranks fourth and has reached a MAC auto mark in the shot put with her 49'-7.25" throw last weekend in the Akron-Kent State Dual. Nicole Yeargin ranks in the top-ten in three events (60-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter) and is scheduled to compete in both the 200-meter and 400-meter races in the gold division this weekend.
Following this weekend, the Flashes will host its final two meets of the regular season before hosting the MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 22-23 at the Kent State Field House.
Players Mentioned
