Spring Break
Column: No rest for weary track and field teams
Neil Schneider / Staff Reporter
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Sports
What was supposed to be a final tune-up for next week's Ohio Valley Conference Championships turned out to be a successful day for the Eastern men's and women's track and field teams.
Eastern finished with eight top-three performances in individual events and posted a top-three finish in a relay event at Saturday's Southern Illinois Edwardsville Twilight meet.
So much for taking it easy before the big OVC Championship.
Top performers for the Panthers included junior Ian Winston, who posted a second place finish in the high jump, with a jump of 6 feet, 9 inches. Fellow junior, pole-vaulter Dorrian White, also had a strong performance for the team as he posted a new season-best pole vault of 15 feet, 7 inches.
Continuing the success for the men was freshman Sean Wiggan, who placed second in the 800-meter with a time of 1 minute, 54.68 seconds. Junior runner Aaron Iaun also placed second in the steeplechase with a final time of 9:57.66.
Sophomores Ryan Hoklas and Preston Smith also had strong performances at the meet. Hoklas was awarded the bronze medal in the 5,000-meter with a final time of 15:55.11. Smith also received a bronze medal with a time of 52.84 in the 400-meter hurdles event.
As a team, the Eastern men placed second in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:16.72.
On the women's side, senior Nicole Walcott finished third in the shot put with a throw of 45 feet, 2.25 inches, which was the only top three field event posted by Eastern. Walcott was the lone female winner for Eastern.
Many of the Eastern men and women track and field team members did not participate in the event at SIU-Edwardsville, with notable athletes such as red-shirt freshman Zye Boey, freshman DeMarcus Brooks and junior Chandra Golden participating in the Drake Relays.
The interesting thing about the event was not only the success of the Eastern athletes that participated, but also the fact that not all of all of them were together.
This should be an important sign of things to come at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships this weekend in Richmond, Ky.
Neil Schneider can be reached at 581-7944 or at jnschneider@eiu.edu.
Eastern finished with eight top-three performances in individual events and posted a top-three finish in a relay event at Saturday's Southern Illinois Edwardsville Twilight meet.
So much for taking it easy before the big OVC Championship.
Top performers for the Panthers included junior Ian Winston, who posted a second place finish in the high jump, with a jump of 6 feet, 9 inches. Fellow junior, pole-vaulter Dorrian White, also had a strong performance for the team as he posted a new season-best pole vault of 15 feet, 7 inches.
Continuing the success for the men was freshman Sean Wiggan, who placed second in the 800-meter with a time of 1 minute, 54.68 seconds. Junior runner Aaron Iaun also placed second in the steeplechase with a final time of 9:57.66.
Sophomores Ryan Hoklas and Preston Smith also had strong performances at the meet. Hoklas was awarded the bronze medal in the 5,000-meter with a final time of 15:55.11. Smith also received a bronze medal with a time of 52.84 in the 400-meter hurdles event.
As a team, the Eastern men placed second in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:16.72.
On the women's side, senior Nicole Walcott finished third in the shot put with a throw of 45 feet, 2.25 inches, which was the only top three field event posted by Eastern. Walcott was the lone female winner for Eastern.
Many of the Eastern men and women track and field team members did not participate in the event at SIU-Edwardsville, with notable athletes such as red-shirt freshman Zye Boey, freshman DeMarcus Brooks and junior Chandra Golden participating in the Drake Relays.
The interesting thing about the event was not only the success of the Eastern athletes that participated, but also the fact that not all of all of them were together.
This should be an important sign of things to come at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships this weekend in Richmond, Ky.
Neil Schneider can be reached at 581-7944 or at jnschneider@eiu.edu.
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