Eastern Illinois University announced on May 8 that its track and field team completed the regular season at the Indiana State Sycamore Open. The Panthers will compete in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship next week in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The meet featured several strong performances from Eastern Illinois athletes. Emily Sykes finished fourth in the women’s hammer throw with a mark of 180 feet, one inch, which is the third best throw in school history. Sykes was among thirteen Panthers who placed in the top five during the event.
Sebastian Meyer secured second place in the men’s 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:54.28, one of five second-place finishes for Eastern Illinois. Rachel Koon finished second in the women’s steeplechase at 12:30.25, while Phillip Canopy was runner-up in the men’s steeplechase with a time of 9:41.03.
In field events, Teegan Simmons earned second place in men’s discus with a throw of 159 feet; teammate Jacob Maxwell placed fourth with a mark of 154 feet. Nevaeh Bryant claimed second place in triple jump at 36 feet, seven and three-quarter inches; Takia Tiller followed closely behind with third place at just over thirty-six feet.
Kenyetietta Quinn had two top-five finishes—third place in the women’s 100-meter dash (12.02 seconds) and fourth place in high jump (5’1″). Carolyn Cronin also competed strongly, finishing fifth based on number of jumps cleared at five feet one inch.
The final top-five finisher for EIU women was Macie Russell, who placed fourth in the women’s 1,500-meter run (4:48.30). On the men’s side, Gavin Synder rounded out EIU’s leading performers by placing fifth overall in pole vault after clearing fifteen feet eleven and three-quarter inches.
The Panthers now turn their attention to preparing for next week’s conference championship meet.
