The Kent State men’s and women’s track and field teams each finished second in the Northeast Ohio Invitational Saturday behind host and cross-town rival Akron.

The men’s team recorded a composite score of 139 points behind the Zips’ 219 points, while the women’s team tallied 148 points behind Akron’s 217 points.

Sophomore Nick Ivancic led the men’s team in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing second and registering regional qualifying and personal-best score of 52.35.

Also leading on the track was freshman Tony Jordanek, who placed first in the 800-meter run with a personal-best 1 minute 53.55 seconds. The men’s 4×400-relay team also took first place with a time of 3:16.77.

On the field, junior Phil Rickaby took first in the javelin with regional qualifying 206-3 throw. Senior Brent Shelby finished second in the shot put and discus with regionally qualifying scores of 59-10.25 and 170-7, respectively.

The women’s team also had strong performances on the track, as senior Dominika Stowkowska grabbed first place in the 400-meter hurdles with a regional qualifying score of 1:00.01. Finishing behind Stowkowska was senior Jenny Fascione with a time of 1:01.84.

Also leading the women’s team was junior Stephanie Hunt as she placed first in the 400-meter dash with a season-best 54.82. Fascione nabbed first in the 1,500-meter run with a personal-best 4:31.66, while senior Molly Hammer placed second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:15.93.

Like the men, the women’s 4×400-relay team was first with 3:46.20.

Sophomore LeVania Henderson led the women on the field with her first-place finish in the shot put with a 49-7 3/4 regional qualifying score.

The Flashes will compete Thursday and Friday in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., in one of their last opportunities to tune-up for the Mid-American Conference Championships.

“It is important that we maintain our focus in doing well at the MAC Championship and the regional meet,” Kent State coach Bill Lawson said in an online press release. “We pushed the athletes really hard this week, never letting up. This meet was a step in the right direction.”

— Amanda Vasil