East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's track and field teams are set to participate in the 44 Farms Team Invitational, organized by Texas A&M University. The event, scheduled for April 11-12, will take place at the E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. Activities will start with combined events on Friday at noon, followed by field events at 2 p.m., and running events beginning at 5:45 p.m. The following day, the program will kick off at 11 a.m. with combined events, moving to field events at 3 p.m. and concluding with running events at 6:30 p.m.

"Fans can access a full meet schedule and meet information, and stay up-to-date with the action using live results," according to Eastern Michigan University's release. Updates will also be provided on EMU's social media platforms.

Recently, the teams had a strong showing at the Spartan Invitational hosted by Michigan State, where the athletes achieved 21 personal bests and 17 top-three finishes. "13 Eagles on the women's side turned in career highs in their respective events," the release stated, highlighting Lena Korte and Cara Weber for their standout performances. On the men's side, "11 Eagles set personal bests" with Joey Furlong achieving the MAC's second-best 5000m time.

In the men's competition within the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Eastern is noted to have 21 marks within the conference's top five, with performances from athletes such as Bamidele Ajayi, who ranks first in the 400m. For the women, Eastern holds seven marks within the MAC top five, with standout performances from Saraiah Walkes and Paige Marchant.

In national rankings, the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranks the Eastern men's team as the best in the MAC, and 12th in the Great Lakes Region. The women’s team is ranked fourth in the MAC.

"McEachern won the hammer throw... at the Canadian U20 Track & Field Championships," with other athletes also competing at national and international levels, further contributing to the team's successes.

New coaching arrangements have been made for Eastern's teams, with Chris Best and Sterling Roberts stepping up as Directors of Cross Country/Track & Field, Best leading the women's team and Roberts guiding the men's team. New arrivals to the coaching team include Austin Whitelaw and Nia Henderson.

Next, the Eagles will compete in the Wake Forest Invitational and the Georgia Tech Invitational on April 18-19.

For ongoing updates and information about the EMU cross country/track & field activities, visit EMUEagles.com or follow @EMUXC_TF across social media platforms.