East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University track and field teams recently concluded their participation in the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships at Northern Illinois University. The women's team achieved a second-place finish with 126.5 points, while the men's team secured third place with 121 points.

Kent State University won the women's title with 137.5 points, followed by Ball State University in third place with 103 points. The University of Akron took fourth place, scoring 83 points, and Western Michigan University finished fifth with 78 points.

In the men's competition, Akron claimed victory with 189 points. Kent State followed in second place with 171 points, while Eastern Michigan placed third. The University at Buffalo and Miami University rounded out the top five with scores of 103 and 63 points, respectively.

Notable performances from Eastern Michigan included three individual champions on the final day of competition. Almighty Williamson set a meet record in the men's 110m hurdles with a time of "13.53," while Ryan Johnson was named Men's Freshman Field Performer of the Year—an accolade last achieved by an Eagle in both indoor and outdoor seasons.

Kyra Buffen became Eastern's first female champion in the triple jump since "1999," achieving a distance that ranks fourth-best in program history. Formula Thompson also claimed victory for Eastern men in the triple jump for the first time since United States Olympian Donald Scott did so in "2015."

The Eagles have consistently performed well at this championship, marking their twelfth consecutive year finishing inside the top three for men and eleventh for women.

In other notable results: Paige Marchant earned silver in the women's "1,500m run" and Esme Davies secured runner-up position in "5,000m." For relays, Eastern's women's team finished second in both "4x100m" relay races.

Eastern Michigan will now look ahead to select athletes advancing to NCAA East Prelims hosted by Kentucky from May 22-25.