Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 25
Ypsilanti, Mich.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
vs
MAC Championships
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Green and White Win Four Events on Final Day of MAC Championships
2/25/2017 6:24:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
The Eagles finished second as a team with 139 points
Complete Results
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team wrapped up the tightly-contested Mid-American Conference Championships today, Feb. 25, in Bowen Field House. The Green and White finished second as a team with 139 points, coming up just short due to a controversial disqualification in the 4x400m relay.
"The disqualification in the 60 meters hurt us and after battling back from that, we were also disqualified in the 1600 relay," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "You never want to lose a meet like that but unfortunately, it's all part of the game. The team battled hard and fought for the win. We had many great performances throughout the meet and the distance runners were truly spectacular. I'm sad that the girls weren't able to stand on the podium after such a valiant effort. They really wanted to win at home for our alumni, friends, and fans. We are very disappointed, but we will hold our heads high, focus on the positive, and move on to the outdoor season."
Freshman Brittni Mason (Richmond Heights, Ohio – West Geauga) turned in a fifth-place finish in the 60m dash, clocking in at 7.64 seconds. Junior Jasmine Jones (Greensburg, Pa. – Hempfield Area) erupted for a first-place finish in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line in a career-best 24.31 seconds to bring home the gold. Jones' time, which was .29 quicker than the second-place finisher, was also the 10th-best in program history.
The Green and White added a pair of medals in the 400m dash finals, bringing home a silver and a bronze. Finishing second in the tough field was freshman Micah Johnston, who clocked in with a personal-best time of 55.44. Just a step behind her was Jones, the third-place finisher after crossing the finish line in 55.50, which was also a personal-best.
In the 800m run, EMU claimed both the gold, as well as the bronze. Junior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. – Chippewa Valley) finished atop the podium, winning the event with a time of 2:10.16, which was an improvement on her prelims mark from yesterday. Also finishing in the top-three was junior Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville), who claimed bronze in 2:11.59, which was a personal-best.
Eastern managed to grab three spots in the top-four of the mile, led by senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia – Lyceum #83), who finished atop the podium for the second-straight year after clocking in at 4:49.23. Hot on her tail was Cizmas, the second-place finisher with a time of 4:50.01. Finally, junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. – Davison) narrowly missed a top-three finish, coming in fourth after crossing the finish line in 4:51.35, less than a second out of third.
The Green and White came up incredibly clutch in the 3000m, sweeping the podium for a big boost of 24 points. Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. – Zionsville Community) had the best 3000m race of her career, winning the event with a personal-best time of 9:33.67, which was also the sixth-best mark in program history. Taking second was McDermitt, who was narrowly behind Meyers with a time of 9:33.72. Bogdanova claimed the bronze, crossing the finish line in 9:35.81, nearly four seconds quicker than the fourth-place finisher.
With the meet on the line, the 4x400m relay team of Johnston, Cizmas, senior Khadesha James (Irvington, N.J. – Irvington), and Jones finished in first, but unfortunately, were disqualified after the race, making the result null and void.
Junior Dace Dreimane (Ventspils, Latvia - Ventspils Gymnasium No. 1) took part in two jump events on the day. In the high jump, Dreimane finished 13th, notching a career-best jump of 1.63 meters/ 5 feet 4.25-inches. Additionally, the junior narrowly missed out on a top-three finish in the triple jump, securing fourth with a mark of 12.33 meters/ 40 feet 5.5-inches. Dreimane was just .08 meters out from a third-place finish in the event.
For the second year in a row, Bogdanova was named Most Valuable Performer following the meet. Additionally, Meyers earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors.
The Eagles will now wait and see if any individuals earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA Championships, which will be held in two weeks, March 10-11, down in College Station, Texas.
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team wrapped up the tightly-contested Mid-American Conference Championships today, Feb. 25, in Bowen Field House. The Green and White finished second as a team with 139 points, coming up just short due to a controversial disqualification in the 4x400m relay.
"The disqualification in the 60 meters hurt us and after battling back from that, we were also disqualified in the 1600 relay," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "You never want to lose a meet like that but unfortunately, it's all part of the game. The team battled hard and fought for the win. We had many great performances throughout the meet and the distance runners were truly spectacular. I'm sad that the girls weren't able to stand on the podium after such a valiant effort. They really wanted to win at home for our alumni, friends, and fans. We are very disappointed, but we will hold our heads high, focus on the positive, and move on to the outdoor season."
Freshman Brittni Mason (Richmond Heights, Ohio – West Geauga) turned in a fifth-place finish in the 60m dash, clocking in at 7.64 seconds. Junior Jasmine Jones (Greensburg, Pa. – Hempfield Area) erupted for a first-place finish in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line in a career-best 24.31 seconds to bring home the gold. Jones' time, which was .29 quicker than the second-place finisher, was also the 10th-best in program history.
The Green and White added a pair of medals in the 400m dash finals, bringing home a silver and a bronze. Finishing second in the tough field was freshman Micah Johnston, who clocked in with a personal-best time of 55.44. Just a step behind her was Jones, the third-place finisher after crossing the finish line in 55.50, which was also a personal-best.
In the 800m run, EMU claimed both the gold, as well as the bronze. Junior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. – Chippewa Valley) finished atop the podium, winning the event with a time of 2:10.16, which was an improvement on her prelims mark from yesterday. Also finishing in the top-three was junior Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville), who claimed bronze in 2:11.59, which was a personal-best.
Eastern managed to grab three spots in the top-four of the mile, led by senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia – Lyceum #83), who finished atop the podium for the second-straight year after clocking in at 4:49.23. Hot on her tail was Cizmas, the second-place finisher with a time of 4:50.01. Finally, junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. – Davison) narrowly missed a top-three finish, coming in fourth after crossing the finish line in 4:51.35, less than a second out of third.
The Green and White came up incredibly clutch in the 3000m, sweeping the podium for a big boost of 24 points. Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. – Zionsville Community) had the best 3000m race of her career, winning the event with a personal-best time of 9:33.67, which was also the sixth-best mark in program history. Taking second was McDermitt, who was narrowly behind Meyers with a time of 9:33.72. Bogdanova claimed the bronze, crossing the finish line in 9:35.81, nearly four seconds quicker than the fourth-place finisher.
With the meet on the line, the 4x400m relay team of Johnston, Cizmas, senior Khadesha James (Irvington, N.J. – Irvington), and Jones finished in first, but unfortunately, were disqualified after the race, making the result null and void.
Junior Dace Dreimane (Ventspils, Latvia - Ventspils Gymnasium No. 1) took part in two jump events on the day. In the high jump, Dreimane finished 13th, notching a career-best jump of 1.63 meters/ 5 feet 4.25-inches. Additionally, the junior narrowly missed out on a top-three finish in the triple jump, securing fourth with a mark of 12.33 meters/ 40 feet 5.5-inches. Dreimane was just .08 meters out from a third-place finish in the event.
For the second year in a row, Bogdanova was named Most Valuable Performer following the meet. Additionally, Meyers earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors.
The Eagles will now wait and see if any individuals earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA Championships, which will be held in two weeks, March 10-11, down in College Station, Texas.
Team Results
1.Akron 145 pts
2. Eastern Michigan 139 pts
3. Kent State 60 pts
4. Bowling Green 44 pts
5. Buffalo 39 pts
5. Northern Illinois 39 pts
7. Western Michigan 38 pts
7. Central Michigan 38 pts
9. Ball State 37 pts
9. Miami 37 pts
11. Toledo 36 pts
12. Ohio 10 pts
Coach of the Year
Dennis Mitchell, Akron
Most Valuable Performer
Alsu Bogdanova, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Track Performer
Sydney Meyers, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Field Performer
Danniel Thomas, Kent State
Freshman Track Performer of the Year
Madison Meredith, Western Michigan
Freshman Field Performer of the Year
Lucy Bryan, Akron
EMU Individual Results (* denotes a personal-best)
60m Dash Finals
5. Brittni Mason 7.64
Jessica Harris DQ
200m Dash Finals
1. Jasmine Jones 24.31*
400m Dash Finals
2. Micah Johnston 55.44*
3. Jasmine Jones 55.50*
800m Run Finals
1. Natalie Cizmas 2:10.16
3. Rebekah Branham 2:11.59*
Mile Run
1. Alsu Bogdanova 4:49.23
2. Natalie Cizmas 4:50.01
4. Jordann McDermitt 4:51.35
3000m Run
1. Sydney Meyers 9:33.67*
2. Jordann McDermitt 9:33.72
3. Alsu Bogdanova 9:35.81
4x400m Relay
Johnston, Cizmas, James, Jones DQ
High Jump
13. Dace Dreimane 1.63m/ 5-04.25*
Triple Jump
4. Dace Dreimane 12.33m/ 40-05.50
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
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