The staff at Stile Athletic Field House will have to make room for a new MAC championship trophy, as The University of Akron men’s indoor track and field team has captured their first MAC title in school history. The piece of hardware marks the school’s first MAC championship of 2011, after Akron edged out Kent State by 17 points in Bowling Green Saturday.
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The staff at Stile Athletic Field House will have to make room for a new MAC championship trophy, as The University of Akron men’s indoor track and field team has captured their first MAC title in school history. The piece of hardware marks the school’s first MAC championship of 2011, after Akron edged out Kent State by 17 points in Bowling Green Saturday.
It was a collective effort, and we all put our hearts on the line, said sprinter Phil Ferguson. The standout junior provided one of the many clutch performances for the Zips Saturday afternoon.
Despite leading for most of the day, Akron found itself trailing Kent State 134-129 with just two events to go. The drama turned in favor of the Zips, as a trio of pole vaulters made the most clutch performance of the weekend. Mike Uhle, Joe Wesley and Dan Garrett swept the top three spots in the event to spring the Zips to a 161-144 victory over Kent and the rest of the Mid-American Conference.
Everyone just fought for the team. There are a lot of guys on this team that are heroes, said Ferguson, who won the 200 and placed second in the 400 despite an injured foot.
The Zips got another great performance from senior Mike McCall, who won his third consecutive MAC championship in the high jump. Sophomore Willie Brown won his first conference title in the 800, providing a key 10 points for the team.
Collister Fahie was the Zips’ top point performer on the day after a set of career performances. A personal best came up just five thousandths of a second short of gold in the 60-meter dash, and with the second-best jump in school history finished second in the triple jump.
Akron also saw big contributions from junior Tyshaun Peoples, who won the long jump on Friday and finished second in the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday.
Mile-runner Max Hitner finished second, as did the 4×400 relay team, in the last event of the day.
Akron defined the word team on Saturday, which scored in all 13 events on the afternoon. The team picked up points in 16 of the total 17 events held over the course of the weekend at Perry Field House.
UA Head Coach Dennis Mitchell was heavily rewarded for his team’s effort, as he was named MAC Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year.
Mitchell was not the only Zip getting honors, as all first-place finishers received All-MAC First Team honors, and all second-place finishers were named to the All-MAC Second Team.
The team will now look to replicate its indoor season with a conference championship in the outdoor season.
Outdoor is our bread and butter. We are definitely the favorite going in, and we have a great chance of winning the MAC, said Ferguson.
The outdoor season begins March 25 when the Zips travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the LSU Relays.
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” #1.2044334:3333224123.jpg:Akron Zips MAC Champs:The men’s track team won their first indoor MAC Championship Saturday at Perry Field House in Bowling Green, Ohio. Following the performance, UA head coach Dennis Mitchell was named MAC Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year:gozips.com”