Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, December 7
Allendale, Mich.
9 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
GVSU Holiday Open
Women's Track And Field Opens Campaign at GVSU
12/5/2018 5:19:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Eagles open schedule with GVSU Holiday Open for fourth straight season
ALLENDALE, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team opens its 2018-19 indoor season Friday, Dec. 7, at the GVSU Holiday Open, in Allendale, Mich.
The Eagles will look to repeat as Mid-American Conference Indoor Champions after earning their fifth MAC Indoor title during the 2017-18 season. For its efforts, EMU accumulated nine All-MAC honors as well as sweeping all individual league honors, and this year look to build on their successes from the previous season under the leadership of 2018 MAC Coach of the Year Sue Parks. Take a look below for a quick breakdown of each event group, as well as some of the top returners.
Sprints
With the loss of captain and 2018 MAC Most Outstanding Female Track Performer Jasmine Jones, Eastern will look to the leadership of senior Jessica Harris (Slidell, La.-Slidell), as well as juniors Micah Johnston (Toledo, Ohio-Toledo Christian), and Brittni Mason (Richmond Heights, Ohio-West Geauga) to continue the Green and White's dominance in the sprint events.
Harris' 2017-18 campaign included an impressive MAC indoor championship performance, as she earned a third-place finish in the 60m dash and a seventh-place finish in the 200m dash. Competing in seven meets throughout the season, the Slidell, L.A. native won four event titles in the 60m dash, never finishing worse than second place. The accolades for her junior campaign also included MAC Track Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 8, 2018.
Johnston, a Second Team All-MAC selection, earned two fourth-place finishes at last year's league championships in both the 200m and 400m dash, the top finishes for an Eagle only behind Jones' podium performances. The Toledo, Ohio native was a key piece of the EMU 4X400 relay team that earned a silver medal at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships, in addition to setting a new Eastern record for the event.
Rounding out the sprints squad are junior Kolby Ganther (Park City, Kan.-Northeast Magnet), sophomores Keypathwa Gibson (Toledo, Ohio-Roy C. Start) and Michaela Nelms (Rocky Mount, N.C.-Nash Central), and new additions Mair Edwards (Basingstoke, England-The Costello School) and Arianna Short (Joliet, Ill.-Joliet West).
Mid-Distance/ Distance
Following the losses of MAC Runner of the Year Alsu Bogdanova, and senior leader Jordann McDermitt, EMU's distance squad will look quite different than last season's group that nabbed eight medals at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships. Led by seniors Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community) and Jocelyn Sharpe (Westerville, Ohio-Westerville North), redshirt senior Allie Knoll (Warren, Mich.-Warren Mott), and graduate transfer Emily Smith (Somerset, England- Wells Cathedral School), the Green and White's distance runners are primarily underclassmen, as sophomores Ashleigh Simonis (Cape Town, South Africa-Milnerton), Kayla Mayer (Hillard, Ohio-Hillard Darby), Madison Distelrath (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Homestead), and Tarynn Cullings (Medina, Ohio-Medina) all enter their second year of collegiate competition. Incoming freshmen Lexi Seifert (Waterford, Pa.-Villa Maria Academy), Olivia Chandler (Brighton, Mich.-Brighton), and Kaitlyn St. Bernard (Newport, Mich.-Jefferson) look to make an immediate impact on both the mid-distance and distance events in their first collegiate seasons. .
With all but three distance runners having experience running at the NCAA level, the distance group is ready to put together another stellar indoor season.
Hurdles
The hurdles group includes five fresh faces to the Eagles in freshmen Morgan Iverson (Hoschton, Ga.-Mill Creek), Angel Gazaway (Cincinnati, Ohio-Princeton), Alyssa Marie Wade (Mansfield, Ohio-St. Peters), Tiffany Cernej-Garcia (Ann Arbor, Mich.-Pioneer), and Brenna Cavanaugh (Bentleyville, Pa.-Bentworth). Although one of the younger groups for the Green and White, the hurdles are in good hands under the leadership of a duo of redshirt seniors in Tifani Byrd (Toms River, N.J.-Toms River North) and Allyson Goff (White Lake, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern). Byrd competed in nine meets last season, including two top-three finishes, while Goff capped off her junior season with two top-15 finishes at last year's MAC Indoor Championships.
Jumps
The Eagles return four experienced student-athletes to compete in jumps as Goff, juniors Catherine Mittiga (South Bend, Ind.-John Adams) and Gianna Salzbrunn (North Aurora, Ill.-Montini Catholic), and sophomore Crystal Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.-Carson) each suit up in the Green and White for another season. Goff earned an 11th-place finish at last year's MAC Indoor Championship in the long jump, while Salzbrunn turned in a terrific 10th-place finish in the Pentathlon, including clearing 5.02m in the long jump and soaring over 1.46m in the high jump. Washington competed eight times for the Eagles last season, highlighted with a ninth-place finish in the triple jump at the indoor conference championship, while Mittiga added efforts for EMU in two competitions throughout the 2017-18 indoor season. The Eagles also welcome three new freshmen additions.
Pole Vault
EMU has two returners who have collegiate experience in pole vault in the form of sophomore Graysen Simmons (Huber Heights, Ohio-Wayne) and senior Rebekah Carr (Celina, Ohio-Celina). Simmons had a breakout freshman campaign, concluding with an eighth-place MAC Indoor Championship finish, clearing a career-best 3.69m. The Huber Heights, Ohio native competed in nine meets for the Eagles in her inaugural collegiate season, earning second place finishes at both the BGSU opener and BGSU Tom Wright Classic. Carr placed 13th at the conference indoor championship, clearing a height of 3.39m, while also grabbing two event titles in the seven meets she competed in.
Throws
The throws group adds collegiate experience to their resume as both Kadian Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica) and Savanah Luthman (Minster, Ohio-Minster) each have a year of competition under their belts. Clarke added a top-20 finish to her freshman campaign as she cleared 16.19m in the weight throw at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championship, while during the outdoor season marked the fifth-best shot put in EMU history, throwing to a distance of 13.09 at the Hillsdale "GINA" Relays. Luthman competed in eight meets for the Eagles last season, setting a season-high weight throw distance of 14.99m at the Michigan Silverston Invitational. The pair receives two additions to the throws group in the 2018-19 season, as freshmen Myranda Johnson (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) and Jaclyn Nash (Millesburg, Mich.-Onaway) join the Eagles and look to make an immediate impact in their first collegiate seasons.
Multis
Finally, two Eagles return to lead the multis group, as Carr and Salzbrunn will use their experience to lead freshmen Chevonne Wheeler (Dearborn, Mich.-Divine Child) and Nina Ward (Fairfield, Ohio-Fairfield) throughout the 2018-19 season.
The meet at Kelly Family Turf Building is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. with the high jump event, followed by more field and running events at 3 p.m. Live results of the meet will be available on the web here.
The Eagles will look to repeat as Mid-American Conference Indoor Champions after earning their fifth MAC Indoor title during the 2017-18 season. For its efforts, EMU accumulated nine All-MAC honors as well as sweeping all individual league honors, and this year look to build on their successes from the previous season under the leadership of 2018 MAC Coach of the Year Sue Parks. Take a look below for a quick breakdown of each event group, as well as some of the top returners.
Sprints
With the loss of captain and 2018 MAC Most Outstanding Female Track Performer Jasmine Jones, Eastern will look to the leadership of senior Jessica Harris (Slidell, La.-Slidell), as well as juniors Micah Johnston (Toledo, Ohio-Toledo Christian), and Brittni Mason (Richmond Heights, Ohio-West Geauga) to continue the Green and White's dominance in the sprint events.
Harris' 2017-18 campaign included an impressive MAC indoor championship performance, as she earned a third-place finish in the 60m dash and a seventh-place finish in the 200m dash. Competing in seven meets throughout the season, the Slidell, L.A. native won four event titles in the 60m dash, never finishing worse than second place. The accolades for her junior campaign also included MAC Track Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 8, 2018.
Johnston, a Second Team All-MAC selection, earned two fourth-place finishes at last year's league championships in both the 200m and 400m dash, the top finishes for an Eagle only behind Jones' podium performances. The Toledo, Ohio native was a key piece of the EMU 4X400 relay team that earned a silver medal at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships, in addition to setting a new Eastern record for the event.
Rounding out the sprints squad are junior Kolby Ganther (Park City, Kan.-Northeast Magnet), sophomores Keypathwa Gibson (Toledo, Ohio-Roy C. Start) and Michaela Nelms (Rocky Mount, N.C.-Nash Central), and new additions Mair Edwards (Basingstoke, England-The Costello School) and Arianna Short (Joliet, Ill.-Joliet West).
Mid-Distance/ Distance
Following the losses of MAC Runner of the Year Alsu Bogdanova, and senior leader Jordann McDermitt, EMU's distance squad will look quite different than last season's group that nabbed eight medals at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships. Led by seniors Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community) and Jocelyn Sharpe (Westerville, Ohio-Westerville North), redshirt senior Allie Knoll (Warren, Mich.-Warren Mott), and graduate transfer Emily Smith (Somerset, England- Wells Cathedral School), the Green and White's distance runners are primarily underclassmen, as sophomores Ashleigh Simonis (Cape Town, South Africa-Milnerton), Kayla Mayer (Hillard, Ohio-Hillard Darby), Madison Distelrath (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Homestead), and Tarynn Cullings (Medina, Ohio-Medina) all enter their second year of collegiate competition. Incoming freshmen Lexi Seifert (Waterford, Pa.-Villa Maria Academy), Olivia Chandler (Brighton, Mich.-Brighton), and Kaitlyn St. Bernard (Newport, Mich.-Jefferson) look to make an immediate impact on both the mid-distance and distance events in their first collegiate seasons. .
With all but three distance runners having experience running at the NCAA level, the distance group is ready to put together another stellar indoor season.
Hurdles
The hurdles group includes five fresh faces to the Eagles in freshmen Morgan Iverson (Hoschton, Ga.-Mill Creek), Angel Gazaway (Cincinnati, Ohio-Princeton), Alyssa Marie Wade (Mansfield, Ohio-St. Peters), Tiffany Cernej-Garcia (Ann Arbor, Mich.-Pioneer), and Brenna Cavanaugh (Bentleyville, Pa.-Bentworth). Although one of the younger groups for the Green and White, the hurdles are in good hands under the leadership of a duo of redshirt seniors in Tifani Byrd (Toms River, N.J.-Toms River North) and Allyson Goff (White Lake, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern). Byrd competed in nine meets last season, including two top-three finishes, while Goff capped off her junior season with two top-15 finishes at last year's MAC Indoor Championships.
Jumps
The Eagles return four experienced student-athletes to compete in jumps as Goff, juniors Catherine Mittiga (South Bend, Ind.-John Adams) and Gianna Salzbrunn (North Aurora, Ill.-Montini Catholic), and sophomore Crystal Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.-Carson) each suit up in the Green and White for another season. Goff earned an 11th-place finish at last year's MAC Indoor Championship in the long jump, while Salzbrunn turned in a terrific 10th-place finish in the Pentathlon, including clearing 5.02m in the long jump and soaring over 1.46m in the high jump. Washington competed eight times for the Eagles last season, highlighted with a ninth-place finish in the triple jump at the indoor conference championship, while Mittiga added efforts for EMU in two competitions throughout the 2017-18 indoor season. The Eagles also welcome three new freshmen additions.
Pole Vault
EMU has two returners who have collegiate experience in pole vault in the form of sophomore Graysen Simmons (Huber Heights, Ohio-Wayne) and senior Rebekah Carr (Celina, Ohio-Celina). Simmons had a breakout freshman campaign, concluding with an eighth-place MAC Indoor Championship finish, clearing a career-best 3.69m. The Huber Heights, Ohio native competed in nine meets for the Eagles in her inaugural collegiate season, earning second place finishes at both the BGSU opener and BGSU Tom Wright Classic. Carr placed 13th at the conference indoor championship, clearing a height of 3.39m, while also grabbing two event titles in the seven meets she competed in.
Throws
The throws group adds collegiate experience to their resume as both Kadian Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica) and Savanah Luthman (Minster, Ohio-Minster) each have a year of competition under their belts. Clarke added a top-20 finish to her freshman campaign as she cleared 16.19m in the weight throw at the 2018 MAC Indoor Championship, while during the outdoor season marked the fifth-best shot put in EMU history, throwing to a distance of 13.09 at the Hillsdale "GINA" Relays. Luthman competed in eight meets for the Eagles last season, setting a season-high weight throw distance of 14.99m at the Michigan Silverston Invitational. The pair receives two additions to the throws group in the 2018-19 season, as freshmen Myranda Johnson (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) and Jaclyn Nash (Millesburg, Mich.-Onaway) join the Eagles and look to make an immediate impact in their first collegiate seasons.
Multis
Finally, two Eagles return to lead the multis group, as Carr and Salzbrunn will use their experience to lead freshmen Chevonne Wheeler (Dearborn, Mich.-Divine Child) and Nina Ward (Fairfield, Ohio-Fairfield) throughout the 2018-19 season.
The meet at Kelly Family Turf Building is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. with the high jump event, followed by more field and running events at 3 p.m. Live results of the meet will be available on the web here.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Women's Track & FieldThank You from EMU Cross Country/Track & Field!
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