Dedicated to greatness

Zye Boey, a red-shirt junior sprinter, beat his own 200-meter dash school record at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational meet over the weekend. He ran the dash in a time of 20.89 seconds. (Jordan Boner | The Daily Eastern News)

Red-shirt junior sprinter Zye Boey first re-wrote the Eastern record books as a freshman. As a junior, he looks to improve those records while still recovering from a knee injury.

He set the 200-meter dash record in 2009 with a time of 20.91 seconds. He also ran a 6.66 second 60-meter dash, another Eastern record. 

"It feels good to be in the record books," Boey said. "Hopefully, I can continue to lower my times and be in the record books for the next 20 to 30 years."

Boey broke his own 200-meter record and won the race last week at the Notre Dame Meyo Invite with a time of 20.89 seconds. He also came in second place in the 60-meter dash with a 6.75 second time. Boey is currently ranked third in the NCAA for the 200-meter dash and 25th for the 60-meter dash; and for the fourth time this indoor season he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week.

While he missed his 2010 indoor season because of a knee injury, Boey has not let it slow him down. 

"I had a partial tear in my right patella tendon. I've been rehabbing it since the surgery." 

When asked if he feels any lingering effects of that injury, he said he still feels pain in his right knee, but it is manageable.

"It bothers me every day, but it doesn't bother me to the point where I can't compete," he said. "I've just got to keep continuing rehabbing it and getting it stronger."

Tom Akers has 24 years of experience coaching Eastern track and has spent the past 16 as the head coach.

He says Boey ranks right up there with some of the best track athletes he has coached at Eastern, including the Panthers' first NCAA Division-I men's track national champion Jim Maton, former Olympic bronze medalist Dan Steele, and former Division-I All-Americans Ron White and Gabe Spezia. 

"While a number of athletes have come through this program with just as much God-given talent, Zye maximizes his potential with good old-fashioned hard work," Akers said.

Akers said Boey has the right attitude to succeed. 

"Zye pays attention to details. This includes the little things at practice and away from practice. He takes care of his body and gets treatment to keep his injuries at a minimum and he does his work over the vacation periods, and works hard on his grades."

Coach Akers is convinced that Boey could also break his 60-meter record. 

"Those short races are determined by hundredths and even thousandths of seconds. He hasn't really nailed a start yet this year, he has been relying too much on his raw power, so when he hits the good start, watch out!"


Joe Long can be reached at 581-7944 or jmlong@eiu.edu.