Sports column: Bringing in the bling

By: Bob Shaughnessy/Staff Reporter

Posted: 2/4/10

The number of Ohio Valley Conference honors just keeps increasing for the Panthers.

In just three weeks of action, the men's and women's track teams have produced five athletes who have received OVC honors for their performances.

The five athletes have combined for eight total awards.
Last week, at the Illinois Intercollegiate meet, seniors Erin O'Grady and Kandace Arnold walked away with Ohio Valley Conference Female Track and Field Athletes of the Week.

Arnold received her third award of the season with her first place finishes in the weight throw and the shot put. O'Grady received her first by winning the mile and 1000-metter run.
The 1000m victory by O'Grady was impressive because it was her first time running the event.

She usually does not run that short of events, but obviously, it worked out for the best.

"It was just for fun," O'Grady said. "I had no idea what I was doing. I just went out there and tried to use my endurance against (their) speed. I made a move with 400 (meters) to go because I knew how short it was and it worked out."

O'Grady's time of five minutes and six seconds in the mile was an all-time best for her and put her seventh on the Eastern all-time list, but she still is setting her goals higher.

"I would love to break five (minutes) this year," said O'Grady, "I think if we go to a big meet with great competition that hopefully I will just get dragged to it."

One of the things the two women have in common is they are both great leaders who strive to be better.

While O'Grady is trying to decrease her mile time below five minutes, Arnold is trying to beat her longest weight throw of 59-9.75, an Eastern record that she hit at last seasons EIU Mega Meet. Arnold said she has a plan on how she is going to beat it.
"We only have three meets until conference," Arnold said. "So if I'm throwing 56 right now, then next time if I throw 57, then 58, then 59 and then I'm at 60 (for OVC Championships). That's all I need."

Other Panthers to win the award this year were red-shirt senior Chandra Golden, red-shirt senior Dorrian White and junior transfer Darren Patterson.

Patterson has earned two in his first three weeks as a Panther.
In a three-week span, Eastern has had an athlete in each of the four honorable mentioned spots.

If the Panthers continue their dominant performances, they may land all four spots in one week. Their first chance at accomplishing that task will be this weekend at the Notre Dame Meyo Invite.

Bob Shaughnessy can be reached at
581-7944 or
rrshaughnessy@eiu.edu

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