Panthers Shine At Friday Night Special

CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois men’s and women’s track and field had an impressive night and stood out among the nearly 500 competitors as they hosted the Friday Night Special Track Meet at Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse.

Highlighting the women’s track was two-time winner Chandra Golden, as she took first place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.50 and the 60m dash at 7.60.   Her 60m dash time landed second on the all time EIU Top 10 list.

Panther runners swept the women's sprints by winning both the 200m and 400m runs. Shawana Smith won the 200m dash with a time of 25.19, and Bridget Sanchez narrowly beat out her teammate Violet Nwordu to win the 400m dash with a time of 59.74. The EIU women’s 4x400m relay team also capture first place with a time of 3:58.86.

Long distance runner Erin O’Grady won the women’s mile run with a time of 5:11.54.  In field events Aja Evans of Illinois set the fieldhouse record in the shot put with a distance of 53'11".  EIU's Kandace Arnold was second with a throw of 47'00.75".

On the men’s side of track, Zye Boey continued to impress in his freshman season as he too was a duel winner on Friday night. Boey won the 60m dash with a time of 6.71 and top the competition in the 200m dash at 21.61.  His 60m dash hit the NCAA provisional mark for the third time this season.  Teammates DeMarcus Brooks and Chevon Walker placed second and third.

Brenton Pegues finished first in the 400m dash with a time of 49.43. The men’s 4x400m relay team also won first place with a time of 3:18.70.  Marcus Williams placed second in the 400m.  Senior David Holm ran the 600m event with a second place time of 1:20.56 as he chased the school record.  Senior Clint Coffey was fourth.  

Freshman Tyler Carter placed second in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.14. 

Next up is the 2009 OVC Indoor Championships hosted by Eastern Illinois on February 27-28.