Courtesy of Mid-American Conference Sports Information Departments
Akron
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's and women's track and field teams will be in action for the first time in 2012 when they host the Akron Opener Friday at 7 p.m. at Stile Athletics Field House.
UA will compete against men's and women's teams from Eastern Michigan, Robert Morris and Youngstown State. The women's team from the University of Cincinnati will also make the trip.
Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-14). UA students with valid ID will be admitted free of charge. All fans should enter through the UA student recreation center main entrance. Doors will open to the public at 6 p.m.
The UA men's team enjoyed a banner year in 2011, sweeping the Mid-American Conference Indoor and Outdoor championships for the first time in program history. Overall, it was the first indoor title in school history and their third outdoor championship since 2008.
In all, the Zips men and women set eight school records, crowned 15 indoor and outdoor MAC individual champions and the league's indoor championship DMR relay team, and produced six NCAA final round qualifiers. Of those six qualifiers, five – Nick Banke (discus), Willie Brown (800m), Katherine Lee (pole vault), Bjorn Johansson (multis) and Valerie Wert (discus) – are back this winter.
Headlining the list of returners is Brown, who earned All-America First Team honors in 2011 after setting school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800m. The Cleveland native and graduate of John Adams High School swept the 800m at the MAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships and went on to qualify for the 2012 Olympic trials and the USA Track and Field Championships after running 1:45.91 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
On the women's side, Lee, who earned All-America second-team honors in 2011, leads the way for the returners. The pole vaulter and native of Alexandria, Va., placed 15th at the NCAA Championships after clearing 13-07.25 at the UCSD Triton Invitational last April.
Head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell, who is entering his 17th season at the helm, was named the MAC's Indoor and Outdoor Men's Coach of the Year in addition to earning Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors on the men's side in 2011.
Central Michigan
MOUNT PLEASANT - The men's and women's indoor track teams will compete in their first meet since early December, and their first this season as full teams, at the annual Chippewa Invitational on Friday, Jan. 13.
Following solid early-season performances turned in by the sprinters, vaulters and jumpers at the season-opening GVSU Laker Early Bird at Grand Valley on Dec. 2, 2011, the Chippewas return home to the Jack Skoog Indoor Track for the first of two home meets this season. The meet begins at 4 p.m.
Joining the Chippewas will be Detroit Mercy, Oakland and Macomb Community College.
The meet will serve as the season debut for the throwers and a majority of the long distance runners, neither of whom competed at Grand Valley.
Senior pole vaulter Josh Kettlewell, who vaulted a career-best 16-08.75 at Grand Valley, will look to improve upon his impressive start to the 2012 season. His mark still stands as the 12th best vault in the nation to this point in the season, according to TFRRS.com.
Freshman Lucas Bade won the 600m dash (1:21.29) in his first collegiate action, and currently holds the 10th best time in the nation. Fellow freshman Ravyn Baxter also won the 600m (1:37.03) in her collegiate debut and holds the 14th best time in the country. Both will look to continue their strong rookie campaigns at Friday's meet.
Senior David Ashcraft is also looking strong heading into the first action of 2012. His win in the 300m run (34.96) at Grand Valley stands as the 11th best time in the country. Though the 300m will not be run on Friday, he will look to transfer his momentum over to the 400m dash.
Fellow senior Stephanie Hurley is also looking to build upon her strong winning performance in the 300m dash (40.54) at Grand Valley, which is still good for 26th best in the nation. Like Ashcraft, she will also instead run the 400m dash. She will be joined by sophomore Shawntoreah Turk, who won the 400m dash (56.51) at Grand Valley and holds the 17th best time in the country.
In winning the 1600m relay at Grand Valley (3:16.93), CMU's team (Ashcraft, sophomore Clay Holman, sophomore Ross Parsons and senior Christopher Thomas) turned in the third best time in the country to this point. The women's 1600m relay team (Hurley, Turk, senior Christina Farrow and sophomore Megan Heffner) will also look to improve upon their fourth-ranked time from Grand Valley (3:53.55)
Both the men's and women's teams have enjoyed great success at the Chippewa Invitational since it was first held three years ago. The men have finished second of five both years, while the women have won the five-team meet both times.
In addition to looking forward to and building a foundation for the rest of this season, the track and field/cross country program will also take a look back and recognize the past by honoring the 2002 women's indoor track team, which won the MAC Championship. Track and field/cross country alumni and their families are invited to join in on festivities throughout the evening.
Eastern Michigan
Women's Preview
YPSILANTI, Mich. — After a long break, the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team will compete for the second time in the indoor season. EMU will travel to Akron, Ohio to take part in the Akron Opener.
2012 marks the first year that the women will compete in the Akron Opener. The Eagles will be opposed by four universities in the competition. Going up against Eastern will be Akron, Cincinnati, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
This is the first meet that the Green and White will have competed in since taking part in the Eagles/Rocket Holiday Meet, Dec. 9, 2011 when it topped both Detroit and Toledo. Senior, Angela Scarber (Waterford, Mich.-Kettering) was the top performer in the Holiday Meet by setting an EMU record by throwing a 17.38-meter toss in the weight throw. Friday's events are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Men's Preview
YPSILANTI, Mich. — After over three weeks off, the Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team will head into competition for the second time in the 2011-12 campaign. The Eagles travel to Akron, Ohio to participate in the Akron Opener.
This season's Akron Opener will be the first time that EMU will take part in the meet. The Eagles will be opposed by three different universities in the competition. Competing with the Eagles will be Akron, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
"Friday's scored quad with Akron, Robert Morris and Youngstown will provide us with an opportunity to see where we are at coming off the semester break,” said Head Coach John Goodridge.
This is the first meet that the Green and White have taken part in since Dec. 16, 2011 when it traveled to Allendale, Mich. to compete in the Grand Valley State University Open. Junior co-captain Jay Saunders (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Rochester) shined in the GVSU Open by placing in the top-five in a pair of events, including winning the 200-meter dash. This weekend's events are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Northern Illinois
DeKALB – The Northern Illinois track & field team will travel to Champaign, Ill., this Saturday, where they will compete in the Illini Open.
The meet gets underway at 10 a.m. with the men’s weight throw, while running events begin at noon inside the UI Armory. The Huskies will be one of four teams in a field that includes host Illinois, Saint Louis and Hannibal-LaGrange.
“With every competition, we really expect the girls to go out and compete,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “That’s the biggest thing for us. If the ladies continue to compete, we’ll see great performances. We want to see confidence and I think, with those things, we’ll have good places.”
The Huskies are coming off an excellent performance at Kansas’ Bill Easton Classic last weekend. Roneisha Frye (60 hurdles), Rebecca Cronin (600 yards) and Jamie Burr (1000 meters) all won their respective events. Burr, who was competing in the first collegiate meet of her career, eclipsed the NIU record in the 1000m, topping the previous record of 3:00.51, which was set by former Huskie great Alicia Czajka in 2005.
As a team, the Huskies collected 15 top-five finishes in Lawrence, Kan., including 10 in the sprint events alone. Burr’s record-breaking run was the third school record to fall this season.
Saturday’s meet will be the first of two straight meets at Illinois, as NIU will return to Champaign next weekend for the Illini Classic. By going to UI in consecutive weeks, Teaberry feels that it will give the Huskies an opportunity to see how they match up to the Fighting Illini and other programs in the Midwest.
“This kind of gives us a chance to see the competition that Illinois has, the athletes and what they’re doing,” Teaberry said. “It’s a good prelude into the meet next week, which is scored, so there will be a little more competition.”