Men's Track and Field Finishes Second at MAC Championships

Complete Results

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — In a heartbreaking turn of events late in the meet, Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field dropped to second by 9.5 points to close out the 2015 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, Feb. 28. No. 16 Akron won the overall team title with 152 points, while Kent State finished third with 91.50 points, followed by Buffalo (73), and Central Michigan (64).

Despite the setback, Head Coach John Goodridge saw the Eagles' effort as a commendable one, noting it was "a great competitive team effort to almost upset the 16th nationally-ranked Akron team. I am very proud of these guys."

The day started out with a piece of EMU history being written, as Solomon Ijah (Murrieta, Calif.-Murrieta Valley) became Eastern's first ever MAC champion in the heptathlon. Trailing Akron's Jordan Latimer after the first day, Ijah set a personal record of 8.12 in the 60m hurdles to close in on his competitor and pulled ahead in the pole vault and 1000m run. In the 60m hurdles, Ijah won the event and was followed by Levi Selvig (Flushing, Mich.-Flushing Community) in 8.31 seconds for the runner-up finish. Selvig went on to win the pole vault in an immense improvement on his previous personal record, clearing 4.88 meters/16 feet while Ijah jumped 4.28 meters/14 feet 4.50-inches. Ijah closed out the heptathlon and secured his MAC crown in the 1000m run, finishing second in a personal-best 2:48.98, while Selvig clocked in at 2:50.88. Ijah's mark of 5,444 points broke his previous EMU record of 5,377 points, and Selvig became the second-highest scorer in EMU history with 5,304 points to take home the bronze in the event.

Eastern continued its strong performances on the field, with Keith Williams (Sherman, Ill.-Williamsville) finishing third in the shot put with a career-record throw of 17.78 meters/58 feet 4-inches for the fifth-farthest throw in EMU laurels. Right behind Williams was Travis Harris (Walled Lake, Mich.-Walled Lake Central) with a throw of 17.13 meters/56 feet 2.50-inches for a fourth-place turnout.

Reigning MAC champion in the triple jump, Donald Scott (Apopka, Fla.-Apopka) also edged his way into program history, becoming the first Eagle to win both the long jump and the triple jump indoors after claiming the triple jump title in 16.38 meters/53 feet 9.00-inches. Scott won by a margin of nearly three feet, and his mark bested his previous MAC record of 15.85 meters/52 feet set last year. Also competing in the event was Ryan Brumfield (Chester Springs, Pa.-Owen J Robert) in eighth, who had his highest finish in the high jump after taking fifth with a clearance of 2.00 meters/6 feet 6.75-inches. Pacing Brumfield in the high jump was James O'Shea (Toledo, Ohio-St. Johns Jesuit), who finished fourth in a personal-best 2.05 meters/6 feet 8.75-inches.

On the track, Willy Fink (Maumee, Ohio-Maumee) had a winning and runner-up combination. Fink claimed his first title in the 3000m run, crossing the line in 8:19.34, while Harry Dixon (Nelson, New Zealand-Nayland College) finished third in 8:26.13 and Warren Witchell (Williamston, Mich.-Dansville) took fifth in 8:30.79. Fink finished runner-up in the mile earlier in the meet, dropping the title by just over a second to Akron's Clayton Murphy. Also scoring for the Eagles in the event was Hlynur Andresson (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland-Mountain Ridge (Alderson Broaddous)) in 4:15.03 for fifth, with Mitch Lenneman (River Falls, Wis.-River Falls) not far behind in 4:15.72 for seventh.

Cameron Bolton (Missouri City, Texas-Hightower) led the Green and White in the 400m dash, claiming runner-up by less than quarter of a second in 49.48 seconds, and the Eagles were also represented in the finals by Jeff Elam (Latrobe, Pa.-Greater Latrobe Senior) in sixth with a time of 50.08 seconds. Bolton was also initially crowned the champion in the 200m with a mark of 21.69 seconds, but after a controversial revision he was cited as having committed a lane violation and was issued a disqualification from the event.

The Green and White saw another Eagle medalist in the 800m run. Scott Bradley (Battle Creek Mich.-Lakeview) took third in 1:53.65 after battling with Murphy, Buffalo's Tyler Scheving, and Kent State's Jacob Swords for the top spot, as the four finished within just over half a second of each other. Mason Waynes (Kenosha, Wis.-Bradford) placed sixth, not far behind in 1:54.60.

In the 60m hurdles, Bryce Lindsey (New Middletown, Ohio-Fairfield Senior) matched his career best once more to take fourth in 8.13 seconds, and Ijah finished seventh in 8.26 seconds. Wayne Gordon (Toledo, Ohio-St. Vincent de Sales) led the team in the 60m dash, crossing the line in 6.93 seconds for fifth while Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.-George Wythe (Pima CC)) took seventh.

Eastern had extended its lead early on in the day, with Akron making steady progress within reach of the Green and White. The Zips were able to take the lead with a win in the pole vault by national collegiate recordholder Shawn Barber, and solidified their win with a victory in the 4x400m relay. Akron clocked in at 3:17.44, followed by CMU in 3:17.74, while EMU took third in 3:17.76.

At the end of the meet, Akron's Head Coach Dennis Mitchell took home the MAC Coach of the Year award, while Barber was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer and Murphy was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer. After scoring 28 points, Fink was named the meet's Most Valuable Performer. Fink, Ijah, and Scott were named to the All-MAC First Team for their performances, while Bolton and Anthony Jones (Sandusky, Ohio-Sandusky) earned second team honors.

The Eagles will take time off as a team until the start of the outdoor season in Raleigh, N.C. when they will compete in the Raleigh Relays, March 27-28. In the time between now and the start of the outdoor season, another group of Eagles will compete at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.

EMU All-MAC First Team
Willy Fink
Solomon Ijah
Donald Scott

EMU All-MAC Second Team
Cameron Bolton
Anthony Jones

Coach of the Year: Dennis Mitchell, Akron
Most Valuable Performer: Willy Fink, EMU
Most Outstanding Field Performance: Shawn Barber, Akron
Most Outstanding Track Performance: Clayton Murphy, Akron

EMU Individual Results (* signifies a personal best, # is a school record, $ is a MAC meet record)

Heptathlon 60m Hurdles
1. Ijah, Solomon	8.12*	952
2. Selvig, Levi	8.31	905

Heptathlon Pole Vault
1. Selvig, Levi	4.88m/16-00.00	874
5. Ijah, Solomon	4.28m/14-04.50	696

Heptathlon 1000m Run
2. Ijah, Solomon	2:48.98*	776
4. Selvig, Levi	2:50.88	756

Heptathlon Total
1. Ijah, Solomon		5,444*#
3. Selvig, Levi		5,304*

Shot Put
3. Williams, Keith	17.78m/58-04.00*
4. Harris, Travis	17.13m/56-02.50
10. Levering, Quinn	15.47m/50-09.25

Mile Run
2. Fink, Willy	4:10.31
5. Andresson, Hlynur	4:15.03
7. Lenneman, Mitch	4:15.72

High Jump
4. O'Shea, James	2.05m/6-08.75*
5. Brumfield, Ryan	2.00m/6-06.75

Pole Vault
6. Stites, Dylan	4.58m/15-00.25

Triple Jump
1. Scott, Donald	16.38m/53-09.00$
8. Brumfield, Ryan	13.45m/44-01.50

60m Hurdles Finals
4. Lindsey, Bryce	8.13
7. Ijah, Solomon	8.26

400m Dash Finals
2. Bolton, Cameron	49.48
6. Elam, Jeff	50.08

60m Dash Finals
5. Blanchard, Wayne	6.93
7. Snead, Kevin	7.06

800m Run Finals
3. Bradley, Scott	1:53.65
6. Waynes, Mason	1:54.60

200m Finals

7. Williams, Matthew	22.46

3000m Run
1. Fink, Willy	8:19.34
3. Dixon, Harry	8:26.13
5. Witchell, Warren	8:30.79

4x400m Relay
3. Bolton, Williams, Ervin, Cooke	3:17.76

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hlynur Andresson

Cameron Bolton

Scott Bradley

Ryan Brumfield

Harry Dixon

Jeff Elam

Willy Fink

Travis Harris

Anthony Jones

Mitch Lenneman

Bryce Lindsey

James O'Shea

Donald Scott

Levi Selvig

Solomon Simmons

Kevin Snead

Mason Waynes

Keith Williams

Matthew Williams

Warren Witchell

Eastern Michigan Athletics