Kent State women’s track and field wins first MAC championship since 2014

Mason Lawlor Sports Reporter

The Kent State track and field team competed in day two of the outdoor MAC Championships on Saturday afternoon. 

The women’s team won the Mid-American Conference championship, with head coach Bill Lawson being named MAC Coach of the Year. On the men’s side, several Flashes finished with solid showings on the day, pushing Kent to fourth place with 113 points.  

The women’s team edged out second-place Eastern Michigan University as the Flashes dominated in the shot put and discus throw matches. Junior Gabby Bailey took shot put title, throwing a 55’-1”, and then a 183’-5” to win two gold medals.  

On the track, junior Ruby Greenwood ran 53.88 seconds in the 400-meter dash, good enough for second place. She contributed another eight points to Kent’s final score.

Miami University firmly out-paced the field in the men’s championships with 161 points. Seven Flashes made the All-MAC First Team, including standout junior Asa Hodrick who helped earn second place in the final 4×400-meter relay race of the day.  

In the 4×100-meter relay, the Flashes’ men’s team of Hodrick, Dejon Manning, Xavier Williams and Jaheim Jones took first place in just over 40 seconds to start off the contest.  

Hodrick also finished runner-up in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, setting a new personal record at 10.56 seconds in the former.  

Other players also had a chance to shine on Saturday. Senior Anthony Milliner and sophomore Scott Benco both won titles in the triple jump and javelin throw, respectively.  

Moving forward, Kent State men’s and women’s will send a select few athletes to Jacksonville, Florida, from May 26-29.  They will compete in the NCAA East Preliminary tournament following a to-be-determined event next weekend.

Mason Lawlor is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected].