East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's track and field teams are set to begin their 2025 season at the Wolverine Invitational, hosted by the University of Michigan. The event will take place on January 11 at the U-M Indoor Track Building in Ann Arbor, with competitions starting at 10:30 a.m.

The Eagles last participated in this invitational on January 13, 2024, achieving a total of 21 personal-best performances. The men's team secured three first-place finishes during that meet. Brendan Hill won the high jump with a leap of 2.07 meters, Yvan Lopes Ribeiro took gold in the long jump with a distance of 7.09 meters, and Ryan Johnson triumphed in the weight throw with a mark of 20.31 meters.

Recently recognized for their achievements are Lucky Ezechukwuchiri and Josephine Oloye, who were named MAC Athletes of the Week on December 10. Ezechukwuchiri's second-place performance in the high jump at the GVSU Holiday Open was noted as one of the best jumps within both MAC and NCAA rankings. Oloye also earned her accolade after winning first place in the 400-meter dash at the same event.

At their last outing during the GVSU Holiday Open on December 6, Eastern's women posted strong results with multiple top-three finishes and several entries into program history records. The men also recorded numerous personal bests.

The upcoming Wolverine Invitational is one of four scheduled appearances for Eastern Michigan at events hosted by Michigan this season.

The women's team aims to defend its title after securing its ninth MAC championship last year and is seeking to achieve a historic three-peat this indoor season. On returning champions from previous seasons, Formula Thompson stands out among men for his accomplishments in long jump events while Kyra Buffen leads among women for her triple jump successes.

Eastern has made adjustments to its coaching staff ahead of this campaign, promoting Chris Best and Sterling Roberts to Directors roles while adding Austin Whitelaw and Nia Henderson as new coaches specializing in distance running and throws respectively.

In international competition news, Jake McEachern excelled at Canadian U20 championships winning multiple throwing events while Formula Thompson competed at Jamaican Olympic Trials.

The Eagles' next home meet will be held on January 25th during their Second Annual Bob Parks Memorial event in Ypsilanti.

For more updates on EMU cross country/track & field activities visit EMUEagles.com or follow them across social media platforms under @EMUXC_TF.