The University of Akron Athletics
Friday, February 7
Blacksburg, Va.
All Day
University of Akron
vs
Doc Hale Invitational
Trio of Meets on Deck for Akron Track and Field
February 06 | Track & Field
DOC HALE INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
MICHIGAN INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
SYKES AND SABOCK CHALLENGE: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team is set to compete in a trio of meets this weekend as the Zips participate in the Doc Hale Invitational hosted by Virginia Tech on Friday (Feb. 7) and the Michigan Invitational hosted by Michigan and the Sykes and Sabock Challenge hosted by Penn State on Saturday (Feb. 8).
UP NEXT: The bulk of Akron's squad will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to participate in the Michigan Invitational.
Redshirt senior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) is amongst the field in the pole vault at the Doc Hale Invitational on Friday (Feb. 7).
The Zips will send their throwing contingent to the Sykes and Sabock Challenge on Saturday (Jan. 25).
Live stats will be available at GoZips.com.
A WEEK AGO: Akron garnered 13 victories as part of 35 overall top three performances at the 21st annual Akron Invitational on Jan. 31 at the Stile Athletics Field House.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Redshirt senior Brook Boes (Tiffin, Ohio) took the title in the women's shot put with a mark of 45-3.75 (13.81m) before winning the weight throw with a mark of 64-1.75 (19.55m).
• Freshman Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) won the men's mile in 4:05.32, the fourth-fastest time in indoor program history.
• Junior Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany) triumphed in the women's 400 meters in a career-best time of 55.06.
• Redshirt senior Heriberto Alvarez (Oswego, Ill.) won the men's 5,000 meters in a career-best time of 15:25.77.
• Sophomore Andrew Styles (Freeport, Bahamas) captured the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.48.
• Senior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) won the women's 60 meters in a time of 7.47.
• Sophomore AJ Jordan (Columbus, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 200 meters in a time of 21.47.
• Freshman Rukia Omulisia (Nairobi, Kenya) won the women's 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.65.
• Redshirt senior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) eclipsed 18-4.50 (5.60m) to win the men's pole vault.
• Sophomore Mary Munga (Nyandarau, Kenya) posted a career-best time of 2:10.35 to finish first in the women's 800 meters.
• Senior Ruth Webb (Akron, Ohio) won the women's high jump with a career-best clearance of 5-7 (1.70m).
• The women's 4x400 relay team of Horn, senior Kaira Granger (Bedford, Ohio), Omulisia and Nwokike placed first in 3:48.20.
• In his final home meet, redshirt senior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) posted a career-best time of 47.49 to place second in the men's 400 meters.
STYLES NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Andrew Styles was tabbed by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday (Feb. 4).
Styles captured the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.48, the fastest time in the league this season.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2025 indoor season as the Zips are rated among the Top 30 in the Event Squad rankings for four events released on Feb. 4, 2025, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron is rated 15th nationally in the women's weight throw, 15th in the men's shot put, 28th in the men's 400 meters and in the men's weight throw.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2025 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron have one individual student-athlete ranked in the Top 50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2025 indoor campaign as Hunter Garretson is second in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-10.25/5.75m).
GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.
Garretson, who is majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 8.
Winning the honor for the second consecutive season, Garretson became only the third multiple-time recipient of the award in Division I men's track and field joining Cincinnati's Adrian Valles (2017-Indoor | 2018-Indoor) and Nebraska's John Welk (2013-Outdoor | 2014-Outdoor).
The honor was the third time a Zip has garnered the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added 13 overall top-five performances and one school record in program history to the record book during the 2025 indoor campaign.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
MICHIGAN INVITATIONAL: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
SYKES AND SABOCK CHALLENGE: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team is set to compete in a trio of meets this weekend as the Zips participate in the Doc Hale Invitational hosted by Virginia Tech on Friday (Feb. 7) and the Michigan Invitational hosted by Michigan and the Sykes and Sabock Challenge hosted by Penn State on Saturday (Feb. 8).
UP NEXT: The bulk of Akron's squad will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to participate in the Michigan Invitational.
Redshirt senior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) is amongst the field in the pole vault at the Doc Hale Invitational on Friday (Feb. 7).
The Zips will send their throwing contingent to the Sykes and Sabock Challenge on Saturday (Jan. 25).
Live stats will be available at GoZips.com.
A WEEK AGO: Akron garnered 13 victories as part of 35 overall top three performances at the 21st annual Akron Invitational on Jan. 31 at the Stile Athletics Field House.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Redshirt senior Brook Boes (Tiffin, Ohio) took the title in the women's shot put with a mark of 45-3.75 (13.81m) before winning the weight throw with a mark of 64-1.75 (19.55m).
• Freshman Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) won the men's mile in 4:05.32, the fourth-fastest time in indoor program history.
• Junior Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany) triumphed in the women's 400 meters in a career-best time of 55.06.
• Redshirt senior Heriberto Alvarez (Oswego, Ill.) won the men's 5,000 meters in a career-best time of 15:25.77.
• Sophomore Andrew Styles (Freeport, Bahamas) captured the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.48.
• Senior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) won the women's 60 meters in a time of 7.47.
• Sophomore AJ Jordan (Columbus, Ohio) bested the field in the men's 200 meters in a time of 21.47.
• Freshman Rukia Omulisia (Nairobi, Kenya) won the women's 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.65.
• Redshirt senior Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) eclipsed 18-4.50 (5.60m) to win the men's pole vault.
• Sophomore Mary Munga (Nyandarau, Kenya) posted a career-best time of 2:10.35 to finish first in the women's 800 meters.
• Senior Ruth Webb (Akron, Ohio) won the women's high jump with a career-best clearance of 5-7 (1.70m).
• The women's 4x400 relay team of Horn, senior Kaira Granger (Bedford, Ohio), Omulisia and Nwokike placed first in 3:48.20.
• In his final home meet, redshirt senior Jimmy Harkelroad (Huron, Ohio) posted a career-best time of 47.49 to place second in the men's 400 meters.
STYLES NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Andrew Styles was tabbed by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday (Feb. 4).
Styles captured the men's 400 meters in a career-best time of 47.48, the fastest time in the league this season.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2025 indoor season as the Zips are rated among the Top 30 in the Event Squad rankings for four events released on Feb. 4, 2025, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron is rated 15th nationally in the women's weight throw, 15th in the men's shot put, 28th in the men's 400 meters and in the men's weight throw.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2025 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron have one individual student-athlete ranked in the Top 50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2025 indoor campaign as Hunter Garretson is second in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-10.25/5.75m).
GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.
Garretson, who is majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 8.
Winning the honor for the second consecutive season, Garretson became only the third multiple-time recipient of the award in Division I men's track and field joining Cincinnati's Adrian Valles (2017-Indoor | 2018-Indoor) and Nebraska's John Welk (2013-Outdoor | 2014-Outdoor).
The honor was the third time a Zip has garnered the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added 13 overall top-five performances and one school record in program history to the record book during the 2025 indoor campaign.
| NAME | EVENT/DATE | RANK – MARK |
| Keegan Digby | Shot Put – Dec. 6 | No. 5 – 57-6.25 (17.53m) |
| Brook Boes | Weight Throw – Dec. 6 | No. 5 – 64-7 (19.68m) |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Dec. 6 | No. 3 – 54.97 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Dec. 6 | No. 4 – 24.09 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Jan. 10 | No. 2 – 23.94 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Jan. 11 | No. 3 – 54.56 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Jan. 17 | No. 1 – 23.79 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Jan. 17 | No. 3 – 54.46 |
| Bismack Kipchirchir | Men's 3,000M – Jan. 17 | No. 4 – 8:08.57 |
| Hunter Garretson | Men's Pole Vault – Jan. 17 | No. 3 – 18-10.50 (5.75m) |
| Keegan Digby | Men's Shot Put – Jan. 17 | No. 5 – 58-3.25 (17.76m) |
| Mary Munga | Women's Mile – Jan. 25 | No. 5 – 4:50.08 |
| Bismack Kipchirchir | Men's Mile – Jan. 31 | No. 4 – 4:05.32 |
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
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