Panthers to host Friday Night Special

Besides the host Panthers, other teams expected to participate include Indiana State, Murray State, Southern Illinois, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lincoln College, Millikin, Rend Lake, Serena, Vincennes, Illinois Track & Field Club, New York Athletic Club, NYAC, and a few additional unattached competitors.

INDOOR EIU RECORDS CONTINUE TO FALL
Thus far this indoor season, the two Eastern squads have combined for 35 new or improved EIU Top 10 marks, including an impressive 29 such performances on the women's side.

Recent highlights from last weekend's action at the Grand Valley State Big Meet included Jordan Wallace shattering the EIU school mark in the 3000-Meter Run 9:43.13, which was more than eight seconds faster than previous time.  In the same event, Emily Brelsfoard improved her #10 EIU mark with a finish of 10:08.60.  Dhiaa Dean won the women's 400-Meter Dash with a personal best 55.28, to move her to #2 in the EIU record book.

Amina Jackson also came in second in the 600-Meter Run with a new personal best 1:34.88 time, which places her third best in EIU record book.  Kristen Paris won her heat in the Mile Run with a new personal best time of 4:57.06, improving her EIU Top 10 mark to fifth best as Julie James added her own Top 10 mark in same event with a time of 5:01.70 for a new ninth place rank.
 
Maria Baldwin ran a personal best 17:33.87 in the 5000-Meter Run, which places her #4 in the EIU record books, as Ivy Handley also added her name to the Top 10 in the same event with a 17:44.25 mark to now sit #7 all-time.

Ephraim Dorsey also earned runner-up honors in the 800-Meter Run with a personal best time of 1:49.00 that also moved him to #3 in the EIU Top 10, while tying for 22nd in the nation.  Riley McInerney placed second overall in the Mile Run with a new personal best 4:05.93 mark, which adds name to the career list at #5.

Plus reigning OVC Co-Male Track Athlete of the Week -- Norvel Mohammed -- shined last week, as he out-ran 51 competitors to finish first in the 200-Meter Dash with a new personal best 21.23 time, which now ranks No. 5 in the EIU record book.

PANTHERS RANKED IN THE OVC TOP 10
With the indoor league championship on the horizon, the Panthers currently sport an astonishing 65 marks in the OVC Top 10.

Of those 65 ranks, Eastern owns nine top marks.  They include Nyjah Lane in the 60-Meter Dash, Haleigh Knapp in the High Jump, Annemarie Reid in the Pole Vault for the ladies, plus the addition of the women's foursome in the Distance Medley Relay.  While on the men's side, Norvel Mohammed owns the fastest times in both the 200-Meter and 400-Meter Dashes, Ephraim Dorsey in the 800-Meter Run, Riley McInerney in the Mile Run, in addition to the men's 4x400-Meter Relay.
 
LAST YEAR'S FRIDAY NIGHT MEET
Last season, the men's and women's squads posted 14 first place finishes as each unit won the 2014 EIU Friday Night Special, with NCAA Division I squads from Indiana State and Southern Illinois also scoring team points.

UP NEXT ON THE INDOOR SLATE
Next weekend (Feb. 27-28), both EIU squads will prepare to entertain the rest of the league in the two-day Ohio Valley Conference Championship in the Panthers' own Lantz Fieldhouse.