EIU on Mark to Host OVC Indoor Championships

2015 OVC Indoor Track & Field Championship Site | Meet Program
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CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's and women's track & field are set to finish up the indoor regular-season this Friday-Saturday (Feb. 27-28) as the Panthers host the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Championships inside their own Lantz Fieldhouse.

Action gets underway at 9 a.m. on Friday with Pentathlon and four of the seven Heptathlon events.  Official field events then begin at 2:30 p.m., with racing competition to follow at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday slate again starts at 9 a.m. with the completion of the Heptathlon, with an 11 a.m. start for field competition and track events commencing at 1:30 p.m.

QUOTING TOM AKERS, DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD
"On the guys side, SEMO is the returning champ and look very strong to repeat according to the OVC top performance lists," Akers said.  "We have had a very good season thus far and hope to make the meet an interesting one and put a little heat on returning champions.
 
"Our short and long sprinters have had an excellent year and hopefully will continue to perform well this weekend, while SEMO is very strong in the field events and that is where we need to step up our performances.  The performance list doesn't guarantee anything to anyone, so we have to be ready to perform this weekend.  I expect a exciting meet."

"On paper, 31 points currently separates the top five teams on the women's side," Akers added.  "The top five teams appear to be Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, Austin Peay, Tennessee State, and our own squad.  The events are so competitive that it really could be any of those top five teams trophy to take.
 
"We have an interesting mix of performers across the board who should have very solid performances in almost every event. With a competitive meet like this, if one team stumbles a little bit, it could change the whole complexity of the rankings by allowing another team to pick up some extra points.
 
"Overall, hopefully performing at home will be an advantage for us, but nothing is given when we are talking about a championship meet."

PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP THOUGHTS FROM JESSICA SOMMERFELD, ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
"This year's indoor championships will be a tough battle on both sides," Sommerfeld said.  "The men will obviously be battling defending champ SEMO for the title, with the field events key to the team points, so our men need to step up and shake up the points.  The first day is always an important one for qualifying, so we must qualify as many as we can in order to give us the best chance to win.
 
"The women, meanwhile, will most likely battle TSU, EKU, APSU, and SEMO for the title, as we have potential to score in nearly every event area, while the other schools each have specific areas where they shine.  We will have to be at the top of our game in all areas so it will definitely take a total team effort this weekend."
 
"We would love to bring the championship trophies back to EIU, especially since it is at our facility," she added.  "It would mean a lot to the entire team, especially to our seniors.  Jordan Wallace will be finishing up her eligibility this indoor season so hopefully she can leave here with a great championship memory and some hardware."

NORVEL MOHAMMED EARNS OVC CO-MALE TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
EIU redshirt-junior Norvel Mohammed has has been tabbed with Co-Male Track Athlete of the Year honors, as announced by the league office today (Feb. 26) in anticipation to the conference meet.

The Sun Prairie, Wis. native currently sports the top season time in both the 200-Meter and 400-Meter Dashes off respective finishes of 21.23 and 47.05, which also rank 5th and 2nd in the EIU Record books.

The Lincoln College transfer previously secured OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week honors a week ago on Feb. 18, as he has also competed in the 60-Meter Dash and the 4x400-Meter Relay during the currently indoor season.

Mohammed's honor marks the 12th time since EIU joined the OVC back that at least one Panther athlete has earned one of the top track or field awards, as Calvin Edwards last picked up Male Track Athlete of the Year kudos just last season.

INDOOR EIU RECORDS CONTINUE TO FALL
Thus far this indoor season, the two Eastern squads have combined for 37 new or improved EIU Top 10 marks, including an impressive 30 such performances on the women's side.

New school marks earned thus far during the indoor season include Ephraim Dorsey in the 600-Meter Run for the guys, while Nyjah Lane in the 60-Meter Dash, Dhiaa Dean in the 600-Meter Run, Jordan Wallace in the 3000-Meter Run, and the Distance Medley Relay squad have all set new EIU records.

PANTHER HISTORY IN THE OVC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Since joining the league prior to 1996-97, the EIU men have nearly dominated the indoor competition, as the Panthers have won all but three years.  Their 17 team titles, which includes having won seven consecutive from 2001-07, naturally paces the entire OVC field.  The Redhawks of Southeast Missouri, meanwhile, are the current defending champion from the 2014 season.

On the women's side, the Panthers have also been successful as of late, as the EIU ladies earned the team trophy four straight years from 2009-12, in addition to a 2007 first place finish.  The Tigerbelles of TSU are the defending champs, while SEMO won the team title the year before in 2013.

PANTHERS RANKED IN THE OVC TOP 10
Heading into the league championship, the Panthers currently sport over 65 marks in the OVC Top 10.

Of those ranks, Eastern owns nine top marks this season.  The guys are led by Norvel Mohammed's first place 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.  While on the ladies' side, Haleigh Knapp paces the OVC in the High Jump and Annemarie Reid is first in the Pole Vault, plus the women's foursome sits first in the Distance Medley Relay.  
 
UP NEXT ON THE INDOOR SLATE
Following the OVC championship, the indoor NCAA Championship are slated for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.