East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) track and field team wrapped up its 2024 outdoor season at the NCAA East Prelims, held at the UK Track & Field Facility on the University of Kentucky campus from May 22 to May 25. A total of 11 EMU athletes participated in the event, vying for a spot in the national championship.

On the men's side, Almighty Williamson stood out by advancing to the quarterfinals in the 110m hurdles. He finished 19th with a time of 13.90 seconds in the semifinals, breaking his school record with a 13.65-second performance in the first round. However, he missed qualifying for further rounds by six spots after finishing 18th in the quarterfinals with a time of 13.87 seconds.

Freshman Kayenn Mabin also competed in the hurdles, placing 44th with a time of 14.44 seconds. In other events, Ryan Johnson and Jake McEachern participated in the hammer throw, finishing 27th and 33rd respectively. Formula Thompson exceeded expectations by placing higher than his seed rank in both long jump and triple jump events.

In distance races, Ronnie Brandal ran an impressive race to finish ahead of his seed rank in the men's 800m while Marcus Kemp competed in the men's 1,500m.

For EMU's women's team, Esme Davies surpassed her seeds by finishing better than expected in both her events: she placed 29th in the women's 10,000m and improved her ranking with a strong showing in the women's 5,000m run.

Miranda Cadwell achieved EMU's highest finish among women competitors by securing a place at number seventeen in hammer throw with her mark reaching just over fifty-nine meters.

Other notable performances included Kyra Buffen's leap to secure thirty-ninth place during Saturday’s triple jump competition as well as Anita Zaro who ranked thirty-eighth overall within steeplechase contests despite initial lower rankings entering these preliminary rounds.

The conclusion of this meet marks an end to EMU Eagles' track and field efforts for their current season.