Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
NCAA Regional Championships
Track Teams Head to Louisville for NCAA Mideast Regional
5/28/2009 10:03:21 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
14 Student-athletes have earned bids to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship
Championship Central
YPSILANTI, Mich.-The Eastern Michigan University men's and women's track and field team will take 14 student-athletes to Louisville, Ky. for the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional Championship, at the University of Louisville's Cardinal Park, May 29-30. Friday's events begin at 11 a.m. but the first event and EMU athlete will be feature in will be the men's high jump at 1 p.m. Saturday's events will also begin at 11 a.m.
Three athletes will represent the women's team including Mid-American Conference Champion sophomore Beverly Elcock (Ft. Wayne, Ind.-Northrop), who won the 800-meter title just two weeks ago and earning the conference's automatic bid to the regional championship. She had already earned a bid to the regional after running the qualifying standard earlier this season. Joining her will be juniors Jasmine Gates (Virginia Beach, Va.-Tallwood) and Jessica Novakowski (Wixom, Mich.-Walled Lake Western). Gates hit the standard at the Hillsdale 'Gina' Relays, April 24-26, jumping a career-best 5-08.75. Gates also earned runner-up honors at the MAC Championship, May 14-16. Novakowski cleared a lifetime-best mark of 12-07.50 at the Len Paddock Invitational, May 8-9, hitting the qualifying standard right on the mark. Novakowski placed eighth in the pole vault at the conference championship.
On the men's team, seven individuals and one relay team will be represented, including MAC shot put champion Gerald Gersham (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield), steeplchase winner Josh Karanja (Ottawa, Canada-Nepean) and dual-champion Josh Perrin (Hillsdale, Mich.-Hillsdale), who won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The quartet of Kevin Lanier (White Lake, Mich.-Lakeland), Ackeem Forde (Haynesville, Barbados-Cambridge & Parry), Kyle Fortin (Fairview, Mich.-Fairview-CMU) and Nate Blackwell (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Central) won the 4x400-meter relay title at the MAC Championship two weeks ago, securing the conference's only bid to the regional championship.
Also competing for the men's team will be MAC high jump runner-up Xavier Clais (Paris, France); David Brent (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's Catholic), who qualified in three events (800, 1,500 and steeplechase); Curtis Vollmar (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc) in the steeplechase and Neal Naughton (Walled Lake, Mich.-Western), who qualified for and will be competing in the 1,500 meters.
