Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, May 29
Jacksonville, Fla.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
vs
NCAA East Regional
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Chloe Smith
Eagles Vying for Chance at National Appearance
5/28/2014 5:19:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Men's track and field sends 13 athletes to NCAA East Regional
Complete Schedule of Events
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — After winning the 22nd Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship in program history, Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field team will send a deep field of its premier athletes to Jacksonville, Fla. for the NCAA East Regional, May 29-31. The Green and White is represented by the most athletes since 2007, when 13 athletes competed throughout eight events, with four Eagles advancing to the NCAA Championships.
In order to qualify for regional competition, the athletes had to stand in the top-48 in the NCAA East Region. For relay teams, the top-24 times (one per school) qualify for regionals. Following the preliminary rounds, the top-12 will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 11-14, in Eugene, Ore. This year, the Eagles will boast the same number of athletes as the highly-successful 2006-07 campaign, but will have 12 opportunities to qualify for this year's NCAA Championships.
Thursday will mark the first day of the NCAA East Regional, with three events on the track for the Green and White. The first Eagle to run among regional competition is Jeff Elam (Latrobe, Pa.-Greater Latrobe Senior), who will compete in the second heat of the 400m hurdles prelims at 4:30 p.m.. Elam edged his way into regional standings at the 2014 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 15-17, when he notched his career-best time of 52.30 to take fourth in the championship heat. North Carolina's Rilwan Alowonle currently leads the East Region with a mark of 50.23 and is one of just seven athletes to break the 51-second barrier.
Following Elam's preliminary heat, Grzegorz Kalinowski (Torun, Poland-Nicolaus Copernicus University) is slated to kick off the 1500m run prelims by representing the Green and White in the first heat at 5:30 p.m. Kalinowski boasts regional experience, as the senior qualified for the event in both 2012 and 2013. The Polish native has yet to make it through to the NCAA Championships, but stands a strong chance if he keeps pace with his seeding mark of 3:41.80, which stands as the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the region and 14th in the nation. The region is led by Penn State's Brannon Kidder, who boasts the only time under 3:40.00 at 3:38.82. Kalinowski also qualified in the 800m run after a breakthrough performance at the MAC Championships en route to a victory in 1:48.44, but will focus his energy solely on the 1500m for regional and national competition. Should Kalinowski advance to the quarterfinal round of the 1500m, he will compete for his spot at the NCAA Championships at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The final event on Thursday's slate will be the preliminary heat of the 400m dash at 7:20 p.m. Freshman phenom Tyler Brown (Findlay, Ohio-Findlay) holds the 12th-best time in the region at 46.02, which is the fastest time by an EMU sprinter since Nduka Awazie clocked a 45.65 in 2001. At the top of the field for the 400m are Louisiana State University's Vernon Norwood, Florida's Arman Hall, and Brycen Spratling of Pittsburgh. Norwood holds the top regional time and the third-best national mark at 45.17, followed closely by Hall (45.19) and Spratling (45.22). Brown will close out the day during the fourth heat of the event with a strong chance to advance to the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m.
With an earlier start to competition on Friday morning at 10 a.m., EMU record holder Keith Williams (Sherman, Ill.-Williamsville) will be set to take on the first flight of the hammer throw. Williams broke the school record on two occasions during the 2014 campaign, most recently with a throw of 60.14 meters/52 feet 7.50-inches to take fourth at the MAC Championships. At the top of the regional rankings is fellow MAC competitor and hammer throw champion Matthias Tayala of Kent State. Tayala split Most Valuable Performer honors with Brown at this year's conference meet, and his mark of 72.11 meters/236 feet 7-inches also ranks admirably in national standings, sitting at third among NCAA Division I athletes.
Action will pause until 5 p.m., during which time two events will kick off on both the track and field. On the track, Bryce Lindsey (New Middletown, Ohio-Fairfield Senior) will look to improve on his qualifying mark of 14.13 in the 110m hurdles, which he recorded in a third-place finish at the MAC Championships. Atop regional rankings in the event are Greggmar Swift of Indiana State and Eddie Lovett of Florida, who have marks of 13.43 and 13.45, respectively. Lindsey will run in the fifth heat of the preliminary rounds, and will compete again at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday if he qualifies for the quarterfinal heat. In the second flight of the triple jump, 2014 MAC Champion Donald Scott (Apopka, Fla.-Apopka) is set to punch his ticket to the national championships, as he is the only Eagle on the team who has experience competing on the national stage. Scott qualified for the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships, but has vastly improved his marks after shattering the EMU record this year with a leap of 16.34 meters/53 feet 7.75-inches. His mark stood as the top triple jump performance in the nation for two weeks before Marquis Dendy of Florida and Ricky Robertson of Mississippi edged out the redshirt-junior in a head-to-head competition at the Southeastern Conference Championships on May 15 with marks of 16.52 meters/54 feet 2.50-inches and 16.45 meters/53 feet 11.75-inches, respectively.
The Eagles will run in one more event on Friday, as the duo of Cameron Bolton (Missouri City, Texas-Hightower) and Chris Scott (Holt, Mich.-Holt) are slated to compete in the preliminary round of the 200m dash at 8 p.m. Scott will compete first in the fourth heat, while Bolton will follow in the fifth wave of sprinters. Both had personal record-breaking performances at the MAC Championships that resulted in a 2-3 finish for the Green and White, paced by Bolton's mark of 20.82 while Scott crossed the line at 21.14. The region is led by Dedric Dukes of Florida, who also holds the nation's standard as the only athlete to run sub-20-second 200m for the year, clocking in at 19.97 seconds. Bolton and Scott will compete again on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. if they run a qualifying mark for the next round.
Saturday will start with the pole vault at noon, in which senior Max Babits (Howell, Mich.-Fowlerville) will have another chance to best his own EMU record in the second flight of competition after missing out on the MAC Championships due to illness. Babits has vaulted a height of 5.35 meters/17 feet 6.50-inches for the 10th-best mark in the region and undoubtedly has his sights set on clearing the 18-foot mark to become the only Eagle to break the formidable barrier both indoor and outdoor. Leading the NCAA East is Mississippi's Sam Kendricks, who leads the nation as well with a jump of 5.70 meters/18 feet 8.25-inches.
The final field event for the Eagles will begin at 5 p.m. when Aaron Benton (Dryden, Mich.-Almont) will compete in the second flight of the high jump. Benton has cleared a career-best height of 2.10 meters/6 feet 10.75-inches this season to qualify for the regional meet, which is led by Mississippi's Robertson, who will be taking on a triple slate at the regionals alongside the triple jump and long jump with a high jump seed mark of 2.29 meters/7 feet 6.00-inches.
The record-breaking 4x100m relay team of Bolton, Brown, Elam, and Scott will head to the track for its chance to qualify for the national championships at 6 p.m. The quartet made history as the first group of Eagles to break the 40-second barrier, recording a time of 39.98 at the Drake Relays, April 26. The team came close to the record once more at the MAC Championships, winning the event in 40.01 seconds. The program-best time stands as the 14th-seed, while Florida leads both the region and the nation at 38.29.
Following a number of quarterfinal heats, two Eagles will run the 5000m at 8:05 p.m. Harry Dixon (Nelson, New Zealand-Nayland College) holds the slight edge over Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio-Maumee) in rankings, seeded at 14:12.65 to the redshirt-freshman's 14:14.35 mark. The duo, who went 2-4 paced by Fink at the MAC Championships, will be up against staunch competition in a field paced by Notre Dame's Nick Happe, who holds the region's standard at 13:43.55. Dixon will run first, while Fink will compete in the second heat.
The meet will conclude at 9:25 p.m. with the 4x400m relay, in which the group of Bolton, Brown, Elam, and Mason Waynes (Kenosha, Wis.-Bradford) hold the eighth seed at 3:06.54. The running of the 4x400m will be a milestone for the program, as EMU has not submitted both relay teams to the regional meet since its current format inception in 2003. Florida paces the nation once again as the only team to run a combined sub-three-minute 1600m, boasting a season-best 2:59.73.
The NCAA East Regional will be hosted by the University of North Florida at Hodges Stadium. Live stats will be available through flashresults.com, and more information can be accessed through unfospreys.com.
Qualifiers for NCAA East Regional (Seed and Qualifying Mark)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — After winning the 22nd Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship in program history, Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field team will send a deep field of its premier athletes to Jacksonville, Fla. for the NCAA East Regional, May 29-31. The Green and White is represented by the most athletes since 2007, when 13 athletes competed throughout eight events, with four Eagles advancing to the NCAA Championships.
In order to qualify for regional competition, the athletes had to stand in the top-48 in the NCAA East Region. For relay teams, the top-24 times (one per school) qualify for regionals. Following the preliminary rounds, the top-12 will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 11-14, in Eugene, Ore. This year, the Eagles will boast the same number of athletes as the highly-successful 2006-07 campaign, but will have 12 opportunities to qualify for this year's NCAA Championships.
Thursday will mark the first day of the NCAA East Regional, with three events on the track for the Green and White. The first Eagle to run among regional competition is Jeff Elam (Latrobe, Pa.-Greater Latrobe Senior), who will compete in the second heat of the 400m hurdles prelims at 4:30 p.m.. Elam edged his way into regional standings at the 2014 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 15-17, when he notched his career-best time of 52.30 to take fourth in the championship heat. North Carolina's Rilwan Alowonle currently leads the East Region with a mark of 50.23 and is one of just seven athletes to break the 51-second barrier.
Following Elam's preliminary heat, Grzegorz Kalinowski (Torun, Poland-Nicolaus Copernicus University) is slated to kick off the 1500m run prelims by representing the Green and White in the first heat at 5:30 p.m. Kalinowski boasts regional experience, as the senior qualified for the event in both 2012 and 2013. The Polish native has yet to make it through to the NCAA Championships, but stands a strong chance if he keeps pace with his seeding mark of 3:41.80, which stands as the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the region and 14th in the nation. The region is led by Penn State's Brannon Kidder, who boasts the only time under 3:40.00 at 3:38.82. Kalinowski also qualified in the 800m run after a breakthrough performance at the MAC Championships en route to a victory in 1:48.44, but will focus his energy solely on the 1500m for regional and national competition. Should Kalinowski advance to the quarterfinal round of the 1500m, he will compete for his spot at the NCAA Championships at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The final event on Thursday's slate will be the preliminary heat of the 400m dash at 7:20 p.m. Freshman phenom Tyler Brown (Findlay, Ohio-Findlay) holds the 12th-best time in the region at 46.02, which is the fastest time by an EMU sprinter since Nduka Awazie clocked a 45.65 in 2001. At the top of the field for the 400m are Louisiana State University's Vernon Norwood, Florida's Arman Hall, and Brycen Spratling of Pittsburgh. Norwood holds the top regional time and the third-best national mark at 45.17, followed closely by Hall (45.19) and Spratling (45.22). Brown will close out the day during the fourth heat of the event with a strong chance to advance to the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m.
With an earlier start to competition on Friday morning at 10 a.m., EMU record holder Keith Williams (Sherman, Ill.-Williamsville) will be set to take on the first flight of the hammer throw. Williams broke the school record on two occasions during the 2014 campaign, most recently with a throw of 60.14 meters/52 feet 7.50-inches to take fourth at the MAC Championships. At the top of the regional rankings is fellow MAC competitor and hammer throw champion Matthias Tayala of Kent State. Tayala split Most Valuable Performer honors with Brown at this year's conference meet, and his mark of 72.11 meters/236 feet 7-inches also ranks admirably in national standings, sitting at third among NCAA Division I athletes.
Action will pause until 5 p.m., during which time two events will kick off on both the track and field. On the track, Bryce Lindsey (New Middletown, Ohio-Fairfield Senior) will look to improve on his qualifying mark of 14.13 in the 110m hurdles, which he recorded in a third-place finish at the MAC Championships. Atop regional rankings in the event are Greggmar Swift of Indiana State and Eddie Lovett of Florida, who have marks of 13.43 and 13.45, respectively. Lindsey will run in the fifth heat of the preliminary rounds, and will compete again at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday if he qualifies for the quarterfinal heat. In the second flight of the triple jump, 2014 MAC Champion Donald Scott (Apopka, Fla.-Apopka) is set to punch his ticket to the national championships, as he is the only Eagle on the team who has experience competing on the national stage. Scott qualified for the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships, but has vastly improved his marks after shattering the EMU record this year with a leap of 16.34 meters/53 feet 7.75-inches. His mark stood as the top triple jump performance in the nation for two weeks before Marquis Dendy of Florida and Ricky Robertson of Mississippi edged out the redshirt-junior in a head-to-head competition at the Southeastern Conference Championships on May 15 with marks of 16.52 meters/54 feet 2.50-inches and 16.45 meters/53 feet 11.75-inches, respectively.
The Eagles will run in one more event on Friday, as the duo of Cameron Bolton (Missouri City, Texas-Hightower) and Chris Scott (Holt, Mich.-Holt) are slated to compete in the preliminary round of the 200m dash at 8 p.m. Scott will compete first in the fourth heat, while Bolton will follow in the fifth wave of sprinters. Both had personal record-breaking performances at the MAC Championships that resulted in a 2-3 finish for the Green and White, paced by Bolton's mark of 20.82 while Scott crossed the line at 21.14. The region is led by Dedric Dukes of Florida, who also holds the nation's standard as the only athlete to run sub-20-second 200m for the year, clocking in at 19.97 seconds. Bolton and Scott will compete again on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. if they run a qualifying mark for the next round.
Saturday will start with the pole vault at noon, in which senior Max Babits (Howell, Mich.-Fowlerville) will have another chance to best his own EMU record in the second flight of competition after missing out on the MAC Championships due to illness. Babits has vaulted a height of 5.35 meters/17 feet 6.50-inches for the 10th-best mark in the region and undoubtedly has his sights set on clearing the 18-foot mark to become the only Eagle to break the formidable barrier both indoor and outdoor. Leading the NCAA East is Mississippi's Sam Kendricks, who leads the nation as well with a jump of 5.70 meters/18 feet 8.25-inches.
The final field event for the Eagles will begin at 5 p.m. when Aaron Benton (Dryden, Mich.-Almont) will compete in the second flight of the high jump. Benton has cleared a career-best height of 2.10 meters/6 feet 10.75-inches this season to qualify for the regional meet, which is led by Mississippi's Robertson, who will be taking on a triple slate at the regionals alongside the triple jump and long jump with a high jump seed mark of 2.29 meters/7 feet 6.00-inches.
The record-breaking 4x100m relay team of Bolton, Brown, Elam, and Scott will head to the track for its chance to qualify for the national championships at 6 p.m. The quartet made history as the first group of Eagles to break the 40-second barrier, recording a time of 39.98 at the Drake Relays, April 26. The team came close to the record once more at the MAC Championships, winning the event in 40.01 seconds. The program-best time stands as the 14th-seed, while Florida leads both the region and the nation at 38.29.
Following a number of quarterfinal heats, two Eagles will run the 5000m at 8:05 p.m. Harry Dixon (Nelson, New Zealand-Nayland College) holds the slight edge over Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio-Maumee) in rankings, seeded at 14:12.65 to the redshirt-freshman's 14:14.35 mark. The duo, who went 2-4 paced by Fink at the MAC Championships, will be up against staunch competition in a field paced by Notre Dame's Nick Happe, who holds the region's standard at 13:43.55. Dixon will run first, while Fink will compete in the second heat.
The meet will conclude at 9:25 p.m. with the 4x400m relay, in which the group of Bolton, Brown, Elam, and Mason Waynes (Kenosha, Wis.-Bradford) hold the eighth seed at 3:06.54. The running of the 4x400m will be a milestone for the program, as EMU has not submitted both relay teams to the regional meet since its current format inception in 2003. Florida paces the nation once again as the only team to run a combined sub-three-minute 1600m, boasting a season-best 2:59.73.
The NCAA East Regional will be hosted by the University of North Florida at Hodges Stadium. Live stats will be available through flashresults.com, and more information can be accessed through unfospreys.com.
Qualifiers for NCAA East Regional (Seed and Qualifying Mark)
| 200m Dash | |
| 22. Bolton, Cameron | 20.82 |
| 42. Scott, Chris | 21.14 |
| 400m Dash | |
| 12. Brown, Tyler | 46.02 |
| 1500m Run | |
| 4. Kalinowski, Grzegorz | 3:41.80 |
| 5000m Run | |
| 44. Dixon, Harry | 14:12.65 |
| 46. Fink, Willy | 14:14.35 |
| 110m Hurdles | |
| 43. Lindsey, Bryce | 14.13 |
| 400m Hurdles | |
| 43. Elam, Jeff | 52.30 |
| High Jump | |
| 34. Benton, Aaron | 2.10m/6-10.75 |
| Pole Vault | |
| 10. Babits, Max | 5.35m/17-06.50 |
| Triple Jump | |
| 3. Scott, Donald | 16.34m/53-07.75 |
| Hammer Throw | |
| 42. Williams, Keith | 60.14m/52-07.50 |
| 4x100m Relay | |
| 14. Bolton, Brown, Elam, Scott | 39.98 |
| 4x400m Relay | |
| 8. Bolton, Brown, Elam, Waynes | 3:06.54 |
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