Men's, women's teams OVC champions once again

Kevin Murphy / Sports Editor

Sophomore pole vaulter Joe Noonan makes his approach during the pole vault event at the OVC Indoor Track Championships on Saturday afternoon in Lantz Fieldhouse. (Photos by Erin Matheny / The Daily Eastern News)

Junior sprinter Crystal Jones competes in the first heat of the women's 400-meter finals.

The Eastern men's and women's track and field teams took two different routes to claim the team titles at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships on Friday and Saturday in Lantz Fieldhouse.

The men's squad domisteeplewebd the field on the second day and finished with 199 points compared to runner-up Southeast Missouri, which only had 140 points.

The men's team boasted nine conference champions.

The women's squad finished with 146 points, while SEMO was also second with 108.5 points. The women's team only had three conference championships, but picked up points in almost every event.

Junior thrower Kandace Arnold led the women's squad with victories in the 20-pound weight throw and the shot put. Senior sprinter Shawana Smith won the 200-meter dash.

The women's squad won its second title in three years, and it is only its second indoor title in program history.

"It feels good," said junior hurdler Chandra Golden. "We had to bounce back from last year. We pulled it out and pulled together as a team. It feels really good."

Golden said everyone pushes each other and wants to win the title every year.

And the women's squad did it as a team.

"They battled," said Eastern head coach Tom Akers. "They really had to work a lot harder than the men did, but came out on top and really deserved to be there."

Golden finished second in both the 60-meter hurdles and in the 60-meter dash. Smith also finished fourth in the 60-meter dash.

Golden and senior Violet Nwordu finished fourth and fifth in the 200-meter dash, respectively. Freshman Bridget Sanchez finished fourth in the 400-meter dash, along with Nwordu finishing fifth and senior Samantha Manto finishing sixth. Sophomore Megan Gingerich finished second in the 800-meter run and tied for second in the high jump with senior Nicole Walcott. Gingerich also helped the distance medley relay team to a second-place finish. Walcott also finished fourth in the weight throw and the shot put.

Sophomore Caitlin Napoleoni finished fourth in the 3,000-meter run and fifth in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Jenna Uhe finished third in the long jump, and freshman Queenie Adeboyej finished third in the triple jump.

The men's squad domisteeplewebd most of the events to win its 11th indoor conference title.

"It hurt last year when we came in second," said senior distance runner David Holm said. "It's a real good feeling. We got it done today."

Freshman Tyler Carter won the 60-meter hurdles, while three other Panthers finished third through fifth.

Red-shirt freshman Zye Boey won the 60-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and was part of the winning 1,600-meter relay team. He was named the OVC Athlete of the Championships.

"Track is my life," Boey said. "My ultimate goal was for the team to get a ring."

The Panthers also won the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, the high jump, the pole vault and the 35-pound weight throw.


MEN'S TEAM RESULTS

1. Eastern Illinois — 199
2. Southeast Missouri — 140
3. Eastern Kentucky — 105
4. Tennessee State — 39

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS

1. Eastern Illinois — 146
2. Southeast Missouri — 108.50
3. Murray State — 86.0
4. Tennessee State — 77.50
5. Eastern Kentucky — 71
6. Austin Peay — 55
7. Jacksonville State — 42
8. Tennessee Tech — 37