Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Sports

Freshman sprinter Zye Boey prepares for the 200-meter run on Feb. 28 during the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lantz Fieldhouse. Boey and other members of the track and field teams are traveling to Arkansas and Notre Dame to compete in "Last Chance." (Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern News)

Eastern senior David Holm is not nervous, nor is any other member of the Eastern men's and women's track and field teams.

"We know we can compete with anyone in the nation," Holm said.

Each athlete has an important opportunity this weekend at "Last Chance Meets" this weekend at Notre Dame and Arkansas.

Panther track and field athletes will travel to South Bend, Ind., and Fayetteville, Ark., Friday and Saturday and try to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The competition and the number of athletes that will compete at the national championships will depend on the number of provisional and automatic marks set by individuals. The NCAA Indoor Championships is March 13 and March 14 at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.The automatic mark set forth by the NCAA means that the athletes have a better chance of being selected to compete at the championships next weekend.

Red-shirt freshman Zye Boey and Holm are at the head of the group of athletes this weekend. Boey and Holm are both nationally ranked in events.

"I'm very excited," Holm said. "It'll be a very good opportunity."

Boey is ranked 15th in the 60-meter dash (6.66 seconds). The automatic time is 6.63 seconds. In the 200-meter dash, he is ranked 10th in 20.93 seconds. The automatic time is 20.83 seconds.

Holm is ranked ninth in the 800-meter run (1 minute, 48.86 seconds). The automatic time is 1:48.

Holm, Boey, senior Clint Coffey and junior Chandra Golden will all be competing at Arkansas. All running events begin at 3 p.m. Friday at the Randall Tyson Track Center.

Holm said his goal at the beginning of the season was trying to qualify for nationals.

Holm said he will not know until the end of Sunday if Boey or he will be at the national championships.

Coffey has the fifth-best 800-meter run time in program history (1:52.50).

"He's having a great season," Holm said. "He's the most focused that's he's ever been in his running career."

Boey already owns the school's indoor records for the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Boey also won both individual titles at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships on Saturday. Boey also helped the 1,600-meter relay team to a conference title.

"He's having a great year," Holm said. "I know he's fired up."

Junior thrower Kandace Arnold, senior Shawana Smith, freshman DeMarcus Brooks, senior Brenton Pegues, sophomore Marcus Williams and junior Ian Winston will all be competing at Notre Dame's Loftus Center on Friday and Saturday.

Brooks is ranked 30th in the 60-meter dash. Winston has the school's sixth-best mark in the high jump and won the OVC high jump on Friday.

Holm said the team has been successful this year because each team member is building of one another's performance.


Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.

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