Track Set For Split Squad Action

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois will split its outdoor track and field squads this weekend with the Panthers sending a handful of athletes to the Drake Relays and the remaining members to the SIU-Edwardsville Twilight on Saturday.

 

 

EIU will send five men’s track team members to the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.  Senior Obe Eruteya will compete in the triple jump while David Holm, Justin Helpingstine, Wes Sheldon and Chris Wesson will compete in the 4x800 and distance medley relays.

 

Eruteya is looking to qualify for the NCAA regionals with the qualifying standard set at 49’02.50”.  Eruteya’s career best is 51’00.25” which ranks 4th all time at EIU. His best mark this season is 48’00.50” set at the EIU Invite.

 

Holm is coming off a week in which he ran the third fastest 800 meters in EIU school history.  He won the Vanderbilt Invitational with a personal best of 1:50.76 just missing the NCAA regional standard of 1:50.40.

 

At last year’s Drake Relays the 4x800 relay team consisting of Holm, Wesson, Sheldon and Brad Runnion set the school record with a time of 7:29.43.

 

Junior Jenna Uhe will be the lone female Panther competitor at this week’s Drake Relays.  Uhe will compete in the long jump and triple jump.  She currently ranks in the EIU career top ten in both categories.  The NCAA regional standard is 40’05.00” in the triple jump and 19’0.25” in the long jump.  

 

The remaining EIU competitors will head to the SIU-Edwardsville Twilight on Saturday.  That contingent is led by sophomore thrower Kandace Arnold who was named the OVC Female Field Athlete of the Week following her efforts at Vanderbilt.  Arnold moved into the top three at EIU in both the shot put and discus at Vanderbilt.  Her career best effort in the shot put was 46’04.75” which is less than seven inches off the NCAA regional standard of 46’11”.

 

 

Following this week’s competition both the men’s and women’s teams will travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo., on May 2-3 for the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track Championships.  EIU is the defending champion for both the men and women.