EIU Dominates Normal Invite

NORMAL, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois Track and Field team concluded their efforts at the Normal Invite on Saturday at Illinois State with 16 Panther athletes on the podium in their respective events.

Rylea Borgic and Cale Smith kicked off Saturday efforts for EIU, as they each finished in first place in the 3000m Steeplechase. Borgic crossed the finish line in 11:09.56 as Smith logged a time off 9:25.19.

Shortly after, the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay team followed suit, securing a gold medal in each race. The men’s team compiled of Nathan Kirby, Daniel Lacy, Shawn Lacy, and Jahleel Perrin recorded a time of 41.46 as the women’s team consisting of Angela Dobbins, Kenyetietta Quinn, MaKenna McBride, and Abby Venhaus recorded a season best 46.68.

Isabella Fabrizio, Emily Sykes, and Gracie Cox dominated the leaderboard in the women’s field events, as Fabrizio was able to earn gold in both the hammer throw (48.85m) and shot put (13.30m). Sykes’ toss of 12.98m in the shot put landed her in the second place spot behind Fabrizio as Cox’s toss of 44.08m in the discus earned her second place. Sam Bradbury was at the forefront of the Panther men’s field efforts after recording a second place finish in the shot put (15.56m) and discus (47.05).

Shawn Lacy and Abby Venhaus showed out in the 100m dash, as Lacy’s time of 10.74 earned him the top spot on the podium as Venhaus’s season best time of 12.05 notched her a second place finish. Lacy would also go on to manufacture success in the javelin throw, securing first place after recording a toss of 52.53m.

Elijah Skutt and Abraham Johnson controlled the high jump on Saturday, as Skutt recorded a season-best 2.01m to place first as Johnson’s season-best attempt of 1.98m earned him in the second place spot. Johnson then continued his freshman crusade, securing first place in the triple jump after another season-best of 15.31m. Taryn Tarquin wrapped up the triple jump for the Panthers, earning gold after a jump of 11.90m.

Hallee Thomas and Tyler Miller each finished in second place in the 400m hurdles, as Thomas recorded a time of 1:03.06 as Miller crossed the finish line in 56.41. Daniel Lacy also found success in the 400m, securing a personal record and second place finish with a time of 46.93.

Kenyetietta Quinn’s effort in the 200m dash notched her a personal record and second place finish after crossing the finish line in 24.62. Angela Dobbins followed closely behind, securing the third place spot with a time of 25.56. Jahleel Perrin capped off the Panther 200m efforts, logging a personal record 21.73 to earn a silver medal in the event.

Up Next
The Panthers are set to travel east to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Gibson Invitational on April 17-19.