Kent State Track & Field was in action this past weekend at the MAC championship in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the campus of Eastern Michigan this weekend. The weekend proved to be a fruitful one for some members of the team, as four Flashes finished in first place in their respective events and 30 members of the team finished in the top five of their events.

The first day of the tournament was Saturday, a day in which the Flashes had two participants come in first place in their events. Danniel Thomas continued her storybook season by finishing in first in shot put with a throw of 18.08m, a throw that was 1.11m further than the second-place finisher.

Sam Tollerud was the other Flash to finish in first place on the first day, as she finished with a mark of 4.17m on the pole vault, a mark that not only gave the junior her seventh MAC championship, but also broke the championship meet record of 17.71, a figure that she set in 2015.

The tournament ended Sunday, with two more Flashes taking home individual medals, both of which were throwing events. Gabrielle Figueroa was the individual winner in the women’s weight throw, while Reggie Jagers III captured the men’s weight throw.

Jager’s captured the men’s weight throw championship with a throw of 22.01m, a throw that is not only a personal-record mark, but also ranks fourth in Kent State history. The throw also qualified Jagers for the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Figueroa secured her first-ever MAC Championship with a mark of 19.58m, a throw that secured 10 points for the Flashes.

As a team, Kent State came in third in the women’s events and fourth in the men’s events with scores of 60 and 66.50, respectively. Akron secured overall wins in both men’s and women’s events with scores of 160.50 and 145, respectively.

Three Flashes were awarded for their stellar seasons Sunday, as Jagers won MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and Thomas won MAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, while TJ Lawson won MAC Man’s Freshman of the Year. 

Lawson finished second in the men’s Heptathlon with a score of 5,411.

If any members of the Kent State finish in the top 16 of the national rankings, they will be eligible to qualify for the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place March 10-11 in College Station, Texas on Texas A&M’s campus. 

Henry Palattella is the sports editor, contact him at [email protected].