“The University of Akron Track and Field team had last weekend off, but rest assured, the men and women have been busy. Coming off of an indoor season that saw the women’s team claim its third-consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship and the men placing third, the switch from indoor to outdoor leaves the track and field team wanting more.”
“

The University of Akron Track and Field team had last weekend off, but rest assured, the men and women have been busy.

Coming off of an indoor season that saw the women’s team claim its third-consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship and the men placing third, the switch from indoor to outdoor leaves the track and field team wanting more.

We want to not only win the women’s title, which we are ranked to win, but the season would not be complete without also winning the men’s team conference title, head coach Dennis Mitchell said.

The women’s team have a plethora of talent that includes four-time All-American high jumper Natalie Sako, star sprinters Brittany Hocker and Corrine Gavin-Hall and Stevi Large, the school record-holder in the hammer throw.

Large was selected as MAC Player of the Week March 28 for earning the school record in the hammer throw posting a mark that ranks 10th in the nation.

The men’s team is not short on talent either.

Randall Hafner was named MAC Player of the Week, alongside Large, for being the only athlete to have NCAA Regional standards for the shot put, hammer throw and discus. Austin Papay was the 2006 MAC champion in the discus throw. In 2006, Mike Meditz placed second in the 400-meter, Cadeau Kelley was second in the triple jump and AJ Oyer placed second in the 110-meter hurdles.

The Zips success begins where it left off not only in 2006, but also in the indoor season.

Ten athletes qualified for regionals in their outdoor debut at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Large (shot put), Hafner (hammer, discus and shot) Papay (shot put), Sako (high jump), Gavin-Hall (200), Kelley (long jump), Meditz (400-hurdles), Amy Lavalley (hammer), Crystal Goldsmith (pole vault) and Larisa Arcip (800) all qualified for the regional tournament at The University of Missouri May 25 and 26.

Each event has its own qualifications to qualify for Regionals. For example, a woman high jumper must clear 5-83/4 to qualify.

Mitchell said athletes must place in the top 5 at Regionals or get an at-large bid from the NCAA to go to the NCAA championships.

The early success for the Zips will not distract them from their overall goal of being MAC champions.

We teach them to have very high expectations for themselves, Mitchell said. We want them to shoot to be individual and team MAC Champs, national qualifiers and All-Americans.

Coaches and players alike know the potential that lies within their team and that has been rewarded with the preseason pick of MAC champs for the women, and 10 Regional qualifiers in their first outdoor meet.

How many regional qualifiers is a good indicator of how strong your team is overall, Mitchell said.

The Zips will travel to Texas this weekend for the Texas Relays in Austin.

“