Kent State University
Doug Raymond National Qualifier
Kent State Track and Field Hosts Doug Raymond National Qualifier Meet Saturday
2/8/2019 9:26:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Meet Schedule (PDF) | Heat Sheets (PDF) | Live Results
KENT, Ohio – Kent State will host a National Qualifier meet featuring some of the top track and field programs in the region at the Kent State Field House on Saturday, Feb. 9.
The women's weight throw will kick off the field events at 12:00 p.m. with the women's 5,000-meter starting on the track at 1:00 p.m.
Admission is $5.
THE FIELD
Athletes from 16 schools are slated to compete at the meet. These schools include: Akron, Ashland, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Findlay, Louisville, Ohio, Pitt, Toledo, Windsor, and Youngstown State.
On the men's side, the University of Akron ranks No. 23 and Youngstown State ranks No. 47 nationally while Louisville's women's program ranks 35th nationally. In the most recent USTFCCCA Division I Indoor Track and Field Regional Index, Eastern Michigan and Akron rank No. 5 and No. 6 in the Great Lakes Region, respectively on the men's side. Youngstown State's men's team sits at No. 10 in the region. On the women's side, Central Michigan is ranked No. 7, while Akron is ranked No. 9 and Eastern Michigan comes in at No. 10.
KENT STATE IN THE RANKINGS
Individually, seven Flashes are ranked 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. 15 in the heptathlon with 5,351 points, which ranks seventh in Kent State history. Christian Champen's school-record mark of 17'-05.75" at the Akron Invitational last weekend is tied for 18th nationally. Jake Wickey is currently ranked 27th in the weight throw (66'-0.6.0"), Samory Fraga ranks 29th in the long jump (25'-0.75"), and Craig Stevens, Jr. is tied for 31st in the triple jump (50'-10.25") to round out the men's team.
On the women's side, Alyssa Matheny is tied for 39th in the high jump with her 5'-08.75" mark from the Wolverine Invitational in January. In her freshman campaign, Gabby Bailey is sitting in 65th in the shot put with her 49'-11.0" mark at Akron Invitational last weekend.
PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
The Flashes have 30 athletes from the men's team slated to compete on Saturday, including six in the top-5 of the MAC rankings. Stevens, Jr. has reached the conference's best mark in the triple jump, leaping 50'-10.25." Wickey also ranks at the top of the MAC in the weight throw with his 66'-06.0" mark that ranks in the top-10 of Kent State's indoor record books.
Champen sits in second in the conference with his Kent State record-setting mark in the pole vault. Fraga's 25'-0.75" mark ranks third in the long jump, while Walter Petzel is third in the shot put (56'-0.0"). Asa Hodrick ranks third in the 200-meter with his time from the Akron-Kent State Dual (21.71) and fourth in the 60-meter dash with his 6.90 time from the Wolverine Invitational.
From the women's team, 32 Flashes are scheduled to compete, including three athletes ranked in the top-5 in the conference. Matheny has reached the top mark in the high jump, while Nicole Yeargin has run the conference's second-fastest time in the 200-meter this season (24.25). Bailey's mark in the shot put ranks third in the MAC.
NEXT UP FOR KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes will conclude the regular season by hosting the Kent State Tune Up on Saturday, Feb. 16 before hosting the MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Feb. 22-23 at the Kent State Field House.
Players Mentioned
