Kent State University
Kent State Tune Up
Golden Flashes Wrap Up Indoor Regular Season at Kent State Tune Up
2/15/2019 2:07:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Meet Schedule (PDF) | Heat Sheets (PDF) | Live Results
KENT, Ohio – Kent State will host its annual Kent State Tune Up Saturday, Feb. 16 to close out the regular season before hosting the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships next week, Feb. 22-23.
Competition begins at 10:00 a.m. with the women's long jump and weight throw. Track events are also scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. with the women's 5,000-meter.
Admission is $5 for all fans.
THE FIELD
Athletes from 38 schools will compete at the meet, including several of the top NCAA Division II programs in the nation.
Three top-10 men's team will be in action including No. 2 Ashland, No. 4 Tiffin, and No. 7 Findlay. On the women's side, Ashland is ranked No. 9.
KENT STATE IN THE RANKINGS
The Kent State men's team is receiving recognition in the most recent regional rankings, sitting at No. 8 in the Great Lakes Region. The men's team has 118.01 points and follows only Akron and Eastern Michigan from the Mid-American Conference in the regional rankings.
Individually, four Flashes from the men's side 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 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships from March 8-9 in Birmingham, Ala.
Jacob Mally is the highest-ranked Kent State athlete, standing at No. 16 in the heptathlon with his performance at the Akron Invitational (5,351 points), which ranks seventh in Kent State history. Christian Champen's school-record mark of 17'-05.75" in the pole vault from the Akron Invitational is tied for 20th nationally. Samory Fraga's school-record leap in the long jump last weekend ranks 20th nationally and earned MAC Field Athlete of the Week honors, as announced by the conference Tuesday morning. Craig Stevens, Jr. ranks 25th in the nation in the triple jump, with his season-best mark at the Doug Raymond National Qualifier (51'-08.25").
On the women's side, three athletes are ranked nationally. Grace Tennant and Gabby Bailey are ranked 44th and 69th in the shot put, respectively from their marks at the Doug Raymond National Qualifier last weekend. Alyssa Matheny is tied for 49th in the high jump, reaching 5'-08.75" at the Wolverine Invitational in January.
PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
On the men's side, 20 Golden Flashes are scheduled for competition, including three ranked in the top-5 in the conference. Jake Wickey is the conference leader in the weight throw (66'-06.00"), Champen is second in the pole vault (17'-05.75"), and Walter Petzel is third in the shot put (56'-0.0").
The women's team will have 27 athletes in action, including four ranked in the top-10 in the conference. Tennant and Bailey are slated to compete in the shot put, and are ranked third and fourth in the MAC, respectively. In the pole vault, Maria Horrigan and Ally Thompson are tied for sixth in the conference (12'-06.75").
NEXT UP FOR KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes will host the 2019 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 22-23 in the Kent State Field House.
Players Mentioned
