Track and Field Gears up for OVC Championships

ON-TAP: The Eastern Illinois Indoor Track and Field team gears up for the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday, May 15th through Saturday, May 17th, at Abe Stuber Track Complex on the Campus of Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Action begins in the afternoon on Wednesday as it’s scheduled for a practice day for all teams competing. Thursday and Friday are both scheduled for a 9:00 am CT start time, as the Heptathlon kicks off Thursday’s section. Friday will begin with the Decathlon before heading into a larger section of the field events.

Saturday will begin at 11:00 am CT with the women’s shot put, men’s javelin, and women’s triple jump before finishing out the remainder of the events.

EIU EARLY BIRD RECAP: The Eastern Illinois Track and Field team concluded its 2025 outdoor regular season at the Sycamore Open on May 9 at Gibson Track and Field Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Ethan Black and Isabella Marcum opened the day with podium finishes in the 5000m—Black took third with a season-best 15:10.79, while Marcum placed second in a personal-best 18:15.06. David Tuala secured third in the 100m dash finals with a time of 10.89, after clocking 10.94 in the prelims.

In the 1500m, Bradley Ahearns ran a season-best 3:58.56 for fourth, and Kaitlyn Ward hit a personal best of 4:54. Additionally, Isabella Arthur placed third in the 3000m Steeplechase with a personal record of 12:13.09.

The meet wrapped with strong 800m runs from Theodore Paxton (1:58.33) and Brenda Torres (2:21.25), each finishing fourth.

OVC TOP THREE: Ten Panther athletes, along with the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, currently sit in one of the top three spots in the OVC for their respective events.

Kylie Haacke’s performance in the 10,000m run at the WashU Distance Carnival has earned her the third spot on the podium in the OVC, as Rylea Borgic’s time of 11:03.22 in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Louisville has also earned her the second place spot in the conference. Cale Smith also recorded a strong 3000m Steeplechase finish at the Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Open, crossing the finish line in 9:18.16 to sit second in the OVC.

The Panther men’s 4x100m relay team, consisting of Jahleel Perrin, Daniel Lacy, Shawn Lacy, and Isreal Jackson posted a season best time last weekend, crossing the finish line in 40.93 to slide into the second place spot in the conference. The men’s 4x400m relay team also moved up on the OVC leaderboards this past weekend, as Billy Bailey Jr., Josh Berry, Spencer Wilson, and Mason Evans combined for a time of 3:15.49 to secure the third-place spot in the conference.

Daniel Lacy currently sits top-three in the OVC in three different sprint events, holding the third-place spot the 200m dash, the 4th place spot in the 100m dash, and the first-place spot in the 400m dash. Lacy posted a time of 21.22 in the 200m at the Pacesetter Invitational and followed up with a time of 10.63 at the Normal Invite. Lacy then posted a personal best time of 46.12 at the Gary Wieneke Memorial also puts him at the top of the 400m dash list.

Abraham Johnson continues to build his freshman resume, as he currently holds the first-place spot in the triple jump after his performance at the Normal Invite on April, 11th. Taryn Tarquin also manufactured success in the sand pit, sliding into the second place spot in the OVC in the triple jump after posting a mark of 12.22m at the Gary Wieneke Memorial.

In addition, Elijah Skutt moves his way onto the high jump leaderboards, posting a height of 2.01m at the Normal Invite to slide into the third place spot. Abby Venhaus also moved her way up the conference leaderboard at the Gary Wieneke Memorial, posting a season-best distance of 5.71m in the long jump to currently sit tied for third in the event.

Hallee Thomas also had a successful home meet, securing the third-place spot in the conference in the 400m hurdles after posting a time of 1:02.79.

Shawn Lacy fills out the leaderboard for the Panthers in the field events, holding the third place spot in the Javelin after a toss of 58.86m at the Gary Wieneke Memorial.

NEXT UP: Eastern Illinois will take a week long break before preparing for the NCAA West Regional held at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas on May 28-31.