– Entering the final week of outdoor regular-season competition, the Eastern Michigan University track & field programs are slated to compete at the Hillsdale College Last Chance, hosted by Hillsdale College, at the Outdoor Track at Hayden Park, Wednesday, May 7, and again Friday, May 9, at the Len Paddock Open, hosted by the University of Michigan, at the U-M Track & Field Stadium.
 
Both meets will start at 11 a.m. and conclude in the early evening hours.

Fans can access all live results and watch links on the EMU Track & Field Schedule Page. Those looking to attend the Hillsdale College Last Chance can access meet information, a schedule, and performance list here and do so for the Len Paddock Open here. Also, stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with final results attached and follow EMU cross country/track & field social media on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF for more track & field content. 

 

SINGH TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK X2

Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview/Oakland) was recently tabbed MAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after bettering his conference-best 400m hurdles time to 50.62 seconds, finishing first at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State University, May 2-3.  His time ranks second in the Great Lakes Region, 17th on the East Qualifying List, 36th in the nation, and third in EMU program history. He cruised to a first-place finish by a wide margin as he finished .51 seconds ahead of the runner-up (51.13) for his first win in the event this season. Singh bested five other MAC sutdent-athletes in the race and finished ahead of two Power Four student-athletes. He posted the fastest time in the region, sixth-best time on the East Qualifying List, and 14th-fastest time in the nation over the weekend.

 

The honor marks the second of the season for Singh as he previously garnered the accolade after running what was then a conference-best 400m hurdles mark of 50.67 seconds, placing third at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University, April 11–12.

The award is Eastern Michigan’s fourth of the outdoor season and brings the team’s total to seven on the 2024-25 campaign as Lachlan Cornelius (Brisbane, Australia/Anglican Church Grammar School) most recently earned the award, April 29, before Singh and Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy) each earned it, April 15, prior to Lucky Fiaku (Nimo, Nigeria/Busy International Secondary) (field) and Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) (track) garnering the award in the indoor season, Dec. 10, and Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) (track) earning the recognition, Feb. 11.

 

SINGH’S HISTORIC RUN IN 400M HURDLES

Singh’s run in the 400m hurdles this season is approaching historic levels as he is just .72 seconds shy of tying for the MAC record (49.90) set by Central Michigan University’s Al Washington in 1988, .54 seconds away from tying for the EMU program record, held by Jeff Dils (1979), and .16 seconds from tying former Eagle and Olympian Eric Alejandro (Rio de Janeiro – 2016) for the second-best time in program history (50.51 – 2008).

 

SARAIAH WALKES: 1/1

Walkes leads the MAC in the 100m (11.61), 200m (23.30), and 400m (52.88). She is the only female sprinter out of all 33 NCAA Division I Track & Field Conferences to lead her respective conference in all three events.

 

LAST TIME OUT: AT JESSE OWENS CLASSIC, MAY 2-3

For the men, senior Brendan Hill (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) and Fiaku set the top high jump mark in the MAC with jumps of 2.12m (06-11.50), good for eighth in program history while marking the first edit to the event’s top-10 list since former Eagle Xavier Clais posted a 2.14m (07-01.25 – Program No. 4) jump in the 2009 season. Singh bettered his conference-best time in the 400m hurdles, placing first in 50.62.

 

On the women’s side, freshman Ashtan Winfrey (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric Early College) put on a show in the long jump in front of a hometown crowd, leaping 5.83m (19-01.50) for the best mark of the meet, a personal-best, and the eighth-best jump in the MAC this season. Also finishing in the top 10 for the long jump was Nene Garner (Powell, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), who jumped a personal-best 5.48m (17-11.75), as well as Shamoya Clemetson (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier), who finished with a 5.30m (17-04.75) mark.

 

Due to poor weather in Columbus, multiple events were not completed, including the 110m hurdles, 200m dash, 400m dash, discus throw, triple jump, and 4x100m relay.

 

LAST TIME OUT: AT DUKE TWILIGHT, MAY 4

For the men, junior Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary’s College) improved his MAC-leading time in the 1500m run by nearly three seconds, finishing 12th in 3:40.73,  jumping the distance runner to fourth in EMU laurels. Cornelius finished sixth in the 800m run with a 1:49.62.

 

On the women’s side, senior Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich./Cadillac) had a strong showing in the 800m run, finishing 12th out of 38 runners in a career-best 2:08.08, placing her third in the MAC this season and sixth in EMU history.

 

Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of The Hague) saw action in the 5000m, placing 27th in 16:51.44.

 

TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: MEN

The men currently hold 23 marks that rank inside the MAC top five and seven that slot first in the conference.

 

Event              Name                                                    Mark                Rank

400m               Bamidele Ajayi                                       46.85                1

400m               Olawole Olanrewaju                              47.18                 2

800m               Lachlan Cornelius                                  1:48.38             1

800m               Kian Wiles                                              1:48.77             2

800m               Carson McCoy                                       1:49.90             4

1500m             Kian Wiles                                              3:40.73             1

1500m             Lachlan Cornelius                                  3:49.22             2

1500m             Jimmy Geller                                         3:50.41              5

5000m             Ronan Codyre                                       14:24.03            5     

10000m           Joey Furlong                                          30:47.08           4

110mH            Michael Hawkins                                    14.40                3

400mH            Gabe Singh                                            50.62                1

400mH            Michael Hawkins                                    52.16                3

4x100m           Ajayi, King, Bass, Gage                         41.07                3

4x400m           Olanrewaju, Ajayi, Roberts, Singh         3:07.35             1

HJ                    Brendan Hill                                           2.12m               1

HJ                    Lucky Fiaku                                         2.12m              1

LJ                    Formula Thompson                               7.34m                3

TJ                    Eric Haddock Jr.                                    14.44m              4

HT                   Jake McEachern                                    61.57m              3

JT                    Samuel Jeffery                                    53.33m            5

DEC                Samuel Jeffery                                     6641 Pts             4

DEC                Cason Doolittle                                    5614 Pts             5

 

TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: WOMEN

The Eastern women hold 11 marks that rank inside the MAC top five and four that slot first in the conference.  

 

Event              Name                                                    Mark                Rank

100m               Saraiah Walkes                                     11.61                1

200m               Saraiah Walkes                                     23.30                1

400m               Saraiah Walkes                                     52.88                1

800m               Chloie Musta                                        2:08.08              3

5000m             Marta Moreno                                        16:12.80           5

10000m           Sofia Ivanko                                           35:13:83          5

100mH            Shamoya Clemetson                              13.78               3

4x100mH         Walkes, Arscott, Alowonle, Garraway    46.07              5

4x400m            Walkes, Arscott, Oloye, Henderson        3:39.06          1

TJ                    Kyra Buffen                                            12.60m            3

JT                    Erica King                                            41.17m            5

 

USTFCCCA RANKINGS

Both the men’s and women’s programs are ranked in the conference and regional standings by the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches’ Association of America (USTFCCCA) in the sixth Track & Field Rating Index of the season, released May 6.

The women rank second in the MAC with a score of 650.09 and rank 12th in the region, posting a rating of 201.88, improving one spot in the conference rankings and two in the regional from the previous checkpoint (April 29). The Eastern men remain in the No. 3 spot in the MAC for a third consecutive week with a score of 1165.88 and stand as the 11th-best team in the Great Lakes Region with a score of 330.69, moving up two spots from the last checkpoint.

 

USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: MEN

The Eastern men check into the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in 12 events and rank inside the top 25 in the 400m hurdles, led by Singh with a time of 50.62, a time that serves as a MAC-best and checks into both the East Qualifying and National Top-50 List. Just outside of the top-25 at No. 26 is the high jump squad, led by Hill and Fiaku’s 2.12m bounce, also ranking on East Qualifying and National Top-50 List.

 

USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: WOMEN

The Eastern women are also ranked in 12 events by the USTFCCCA, including a 16th ranked triple jump squad led by Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict), with a distance of 12.60m (41-04.25).  

 

EAST QUALIFYING LIST

Eastern Michigan has a total of six student-athletes on the East Qualifying List. For the men, Singh holds the highest spot, standing 17th with a 50.62 400m hurdles time. Hill and Fiaku each slot 26th on the list in the high jump with a 2.12m (6-11.50) bounce. Wiles’ 3:40.73 1500m checks in at No. 40, and Samuel Jeffery (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley Secondary) ranks 44th in the decathlon with a score of 6,641 points.

 

For the women, Walkes owns two times on the list, with her highest ranking coming in the 400m as she slots 36th with a time of 52.88. She also stands 41st on the list in the 200m (23.30). Buffen checks in at No. 43 on the leaderboards with a 12.60m (41-04.25) triple jump. 

 

PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: MEN

The men posted four top-10 marks at the Jesse Owens Classic and Duke Twilight, May 2-4. Singh had the highest mark on the top-10 leaderboards as he bettered his program No. 3 400m hurdles time to 50.62. At the Duke Twilight, Wiles topped his 1500m PR by nearly three seconds, finishing in 3:40.73 and moving up to fourth on the all-time list. While Hill and Fiaku’s 2.12m (06-11.50) high jumps tie for the eighth-best on the program ledgers and are the highest jump from an Eagle since 2009. Overall, the men have set 23 program top-10 marks in the outdoor campaign.

 

PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: WOMEN

The women grabbed three top-10 marks at the Jesse Owens Classic and Duke Twilight, May 2-4.  Musta led the way as she set a career-best in the 800m with a time of 2:08.08, moving her up to sixth in program annals. The hammer throw saw a pair of top-10 marks as Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) improved her program No.7 mark to 55.10m (180-09) and Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins) moved up to eighth with a 51.48m (168-10) PR. Overall, the women’s team has set 21 program top-10 marks in the outdoor season.  

 

UP NEXT

Eastern will enter post-season competition with the MAC Outdoor Championships, hosted by Ohio University, at Goldsberry Track, in Athens, Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17.

 

FOLLOW US

For updates on all things EMU cross country/track & field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.

 

Previously Noted

LACHLAN CORNELIUS NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK  

Cornelius was named Men’s MAC Track Athlete of the Week, April 29, for his performance at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet, hosted by Grand Valley State. 

 

Cornelius placed first in 800m invitational in a MAC-best and personal standard 1:48.38, his time is the fastest by an Eastern student-athlete since Eastern Michigan legend and former United States Olympian (1996 – Atlanta) Paul McMullen ran the distance in 1:46.48 in 1995, the second-fastest time in program history while Cornelius’ mark stands eighth on the program leaderboards.

 

Cornelius’ time topped his previous conference-best mark (1:49.25) by nearly one full second as his time currently ranks sixth in the Great Lakes Region and 43rd on the East Qualifying List.

 

AT HILLSDALE TUNE-UP, APRIL 26 

The 1500m was a strong race for the Eagles, led by AJ Hawkins‘ (Worthington, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) first-place finish in a personal-best 4:06.2, all four Eagles set career-best marks in the race including Aaron Schwieterman‘s (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg) 4:03.03 that earned him third place.

 

Erica King (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette Township) earned a win in the javelin throw for the second time in her collegiate career as she set a personal-best with a 41.17m (135-01) toss, a mark that stands fifth in the MAC, seventh in program history, and 12th in the Great Lakes Region. Clemetson earned a career-best in the event with a 30.21m (99-01) mark, just one of her three PRs on the day as she also set new standards in the 200m (seventh – 25.79) and the 100m hurdles (first – 13.78). Her 100m hurdles time stands third in the MAC and 14th in the region.  

 

AT GVSU EXTRA WEEKEND, APRIL 26

Wiles followed in second in the 800m in a career-best 1:48.77 that ranks him second in the conference behind Cornelius.

 

Cornelius’ time ranks sixth in the Great Lakes Region and 42nd on the East Qualifying List. For Wiles, his time stands ninth in the region. 

 

Anna Bathellier (Ile d’Yeu, France/College Les Sicardieres) and Cora Henderson (Courtice, Ontario/Courtice Secondary) each competed in the 800m invitational. Bathellier placed sixth in 2:14.43 while Henderson finished closely behind in seventh in an outdoor season-best 2:14.55.

AT WAKE FOREST INVITATIONAL, APRIL 18

Musta ran a MAC-best 800m, finishing seventh out of 63 competitors in a personal best 2:08.50. Her time ranks seventh in program history and improved her top-10 standing by three spots from 10th to seventh. Cornelius placed third out of 73 in the 800m in a MAC-best and personal-best 1:49.25, a time that also ranks ninth in the Great Lakes Region. 

 

AT GEORGIA TECH INVITATIONAL, APRIL 18-19

Walkes placed second out of 85 student-athletes in the 100m dash in a season-best 11.61. Her time stands as the fastest in the MAC this season and 11th in the Great Lakes Region. Ajah Arscott (Plantation, Fla./Taravella) turned in a strong showing in the same race with a 12th-place finish in 11.92. For the second straight week, the 4x400m relay team of Olanrewaju, Ajayi, Roberts, and Singh ran a MAC-best time as they bettered their previous conference-best (3:08.39) by 1.04 seconds, placing first out of 29 teams in 3:07.35. Their time stands third in the Great Lakes Region and 36th on the East Qualifying List.

 

Walkes continued to lead a 4x400m squad of herself, Arscott, Oloye, and Demetria Henderson (Tampa, Fla./Freedom), to a third-place outing out of 27 teams in a MAC-best 3:39.06, a time that also ranks as the ninth-fastest in program laurels and is the first edit to the program top-10 list since 2018. Furthermore, the time ranks fourth in the Great Lakes Region. 

 

AT  ELAINE LEIGH INVITATIONAL, APRIL 19

Liv Hatch (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) placed first out of 14 competitors in the 3000m steeplechase in a personal-best 11:44.23. Her time was over 12 seconds faster than the second-place finisher (11:56.65) at the Elaine Leigh Invite. 

 

AT 44 FARMS TEAM INVITATIONAL AND CHIPPEWA CHALLENGE: APRIL 11-13

Walkes and Singh both finished with Mid-American Conference-best times to highlight the Eastern Michigan University track and field teams action at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University, at E.B. Cushing Stadium.

 

At the Chippewa Challenge, hosted by Central Michigan University, April 12, freshman Mia Biehl (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) set a personal best in the 400m dash with a 58.42 mark, placing fourth in the event. Senior Nyla Joseph-Guevara (Coral Springs, Fla./Fort Lauderdale) placed second in the long jump with a leap of 5.40m (17-08.75), and Brent finished second in the hammer throw with a 52.42m (172-0.0) mark.

 

SINGH AND WALKES NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETES OF THE WEEK  

Track athletes Singh and Walkes were named Men’s and Women’s MAC Track Athlete of the Week, respectively, April 15, for their performances at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, Friday-Saturday, April 11-12.

 

Singh placed third in the 400m hurdles out of 32 competitors in 50.67. His time stands as the best in the MAC and the Great Lakes Region, while standing eighth on the East Qualifying List, and 15th in the country. Furthermore, Singh’s time stands as the best in the MAC by 2.56 seconds, the fastest in the region by 1.1 seconds, and third in program laurels. Additionally, he was the highest finisher from a group of five schools in the event.

 

Singh went on to anchor a 4x400m relay team that finished sixth out of 16 teams in a MAC-best 3:08.39, a time that stands over two seconds faster than the second-fastest time in the conference. The mark also stands as the second fastest in the region, and 33rd on the East Qualifying List.

 

Walkes ran two MAC-best times, personal bests, and program/Great Lakes Region top-three marks. She placed seventh out of 66 in the 200m dash in 23.30, and fifth out of 39 in the 400m in 52.88 at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, April 11–12. Walkes’ 400m time stands as the fastest in the Great Lakes Region while her 200m mark ranks third. Both times rank inside the top 25 on the East Qualifying List as well, with her 400m mark standing 19th, and her 200m time ranking 25th. Nationally, Walkes ranks 31st in the 400m and 49th in the 200m. Moreover, she was the highest finisher from a group of five school in each of her races.  

 

AT SPARTAN INVITATIONAL: APRIL 4

The Eastern Michigan track and field teams turned in a total of 21 personal bests and 17 top-three finishes while in action at the nearby Spartan Invitational, hosted by Michigan State, at Ralph Young Field Friday, April 4. 13 Eagles on the women’s side turned in career highs in their respective events, with Lena Korte (Clinton, Mich./Clinton/Concordia) throwing a personal best 47.76m (156-08) in the hammer throw while Cara Weber (Union, Ky./Larry A. Ryle) placed first in the unseeded 1500m run with a personal best time of 4:56.63. Overall, the women earned eight top-three finishes. On the men’s side, 11 Eagles set personal bests to go with nine top-three showings, Joey Furlong (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington) ran the MAC’s second-best 5000m time in 14:51.98. 

 

AT TEXAS RELAYS, BOBCAT INVITATIONAL, AND RALEIGH RELAYS: MARCH 27-29

The Eastern women posted two top-three finishes while the two programs combined for 12 personal-best marks, with the men posting eight and the women grabbing four, and five program top-10 marks as the women earned three and the men secured two.

 

RETURNING MAC CHAMPS – OUTDOOR SEASON

The Eagles return Buffen and Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) who both won the triple jump at the 2024 MAC Outdoor Championships. Buffen won the event with a 12.64m (05.75) bound, a mark that stands as the fourth-best in program history. She also became the first Eastern woman to win the event at the outdoor championships since 1999.

 

Thompson became the first EMU male jumper to win the triple jump at the outdoor championships since United States Olympian Donald Scott did so in the 2015 campaign, as Thompson claimed gold with a 15.57m (51-01.00) jump, a mark that sits sixth in the program top-10 leaderboards.

 

ALL-MAC RETURNERS – OUTDOOR SEASON

The Eagles return seven All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.

 

Women’s All-MAC Returners

Kyra Buffen – First Team

Paige Marchant – Second Team

Saraiah Walkes – Second Team

Josephine Oloye – Second Team

 

Men’s All-MAC Returners

Formula Thompson  – First Team

Gabe Singh – Second Team

Jake McEachern – Second Team

 

NCAA EAST PRELIMS RETURNERS

The men’s squad returns three student-athletes who qualified for the 2024 NCAA East Prelims in Thompson, who punched his ticket in the triple jump, Mabin, who earned his entry in the 110m hurdles, and Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) who qualified in the hammer throw.

 

The women return Buffen, who saw action in the triple jump after winning an individual MAC title in the event and Anita Zaro (Timirsoara, Romania/Faculty of Physical Education and Sport) who ran in the 3000m steeplechase.

 

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

McEachern won the hammer throw (67.32m – 220-10), shot put (15.93m – 52-03.16), and discus (49.22m – 161-05) events at the Canadian U20 Track & Field Championships. Joining him in competing nationally was Thompson, who saw action at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in the long and triple jump. Mabin also earned himself a spot at the USA U20 Track & Field Championships in the 110m hurdles.

 

2024 MAC OUTDOORS FINISH

The Eastern women placed second with 126.5 points while the men slotted third with 121 points. The women’s second-place finish at the meet marked its 11th straight season doing so while the men’s marked the 12th consecutive year it has finished inside the top-three. Kent State claimed the women’s title with 137.5 points and Akron won the men’s, scoring 189.

 

NEW COACHES

The Eagles have adjusted their coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Chris Best and Sterling Roberts have been promoted to Directors of Cross Country/Track & Field. Best will take on the head coaching duties for the women’s team while Roberts will do so for the men’s. Sue Parks opted to return to hands-on coaching duties and will serve as an Associate Head Coach while still acting as the Head Women’s Cross Country Coach. Eastern added two newcomers to the coaching staff in Austin Whitelaw (distance) and Nia Henderson (throws). Whitelaw comes to Ypsilanti after most recently serving as an assistant track & field/cross country coach as well as recruiting coordinator for the University of Connecticut (2022-24). Henderson brings five years of NAIA coaching experience with her as she oversaw nine NAIA All-Americans at nearby Madonna University. She was also named Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023.