Kent State track and field finishes strong in invitational finals

It was evident the Kent State men’s and women’s track team performance in day one of the Gladstein Invitational on Friday was no fluke.

The team continued its strong performance on Saturday, the final day of the event at Gladstein Fieldhouse in Indiana.

Junior William Barnes followed up securing a spot in nationals with a victory in the men’s 200-meter dash. Barnes finished with a time of 21.65 seconds. Sophomore Matthew Tobin came in third in the event with a time of 21.99 seconds.

Barnes also scored a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.01 seconds.

Junior Danny Young registered a fourth-place finish in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:22.92.

Junior Grant Onken finished a solid second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:53.99.

Junior Jacob Swords also finished fourth in the 800-meter run invitational with a total time of 1:51.91.

Tobin, Swords, sophomore Andrew O’Leary and senior Miles Dunlap also led the men’s team to a third-place run in the 4×400-meter relay with a total score of 3:15.38.

The women’s side also stepped up their game on day two.

The team took home the 4×800-meter relay event with a top score time of 8:54.93.

The group was made up of senior Tabitha Jacofsky, sophomore Lauren Burnett and juniors Hannah Fleck and Taylor Wickey.

The women’s team also won the 4×400-meter relay. Junior Taylor Farquhar, freshman Tyler Williams and sophomores Jorian Ordway and Chelsea Laury completed the run in 3:47.01.

Ordway came home in second spot in the 200-meter dash invitational with a time of 24.79 seconds.

Fleck won the 800-meter run invitational, beating out five other competitors with a time of 2:13.65. Jacofsky also finished fourth in the invitational with a time of 2:15.57.

Freshman Jennilyn Krumpe finished in seventh out of 25 competitors in the 600-meter run, clocking in at 1:36.10.

Throwers will travel to Findlay next Friday for the Findlay Open, and the teams will split up to compete in the Akron Invitational and in the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Indiana from Feb. 6 to 7.

Contact Andrew Bugel at [email protected]