Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Len Paddock Open
EMU Dominates at Len Paddock Open
5/3/2019 4:11:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
All but one of the Eagles' efforts earned an eighth-place-or-better finish
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - With the sky full of clouds and the weather chilly, the Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team completed its regular-season outdoor schedule Friday, May 3 at the Len Paddock Open, hosted by the University of Michigan. The Eagles ended on a high note, as all but one of the student-athletes donning the Green and White finished in the top-eight competitors in their respective events.
Eastern Michigan brought home three silver medals with its efforts, as junior Carlos Sanchez Juan (Onil, Spain-Ies La Creuta) fought through the winds for a second-place long jump clearance of 6.81m, while sophomore Treston White (Lockport, N.Y.-Lockport) earned his second-place mark with a career-best time of 48.82 in the 400m, just .01 seconds behind the event winner. Rounding out the Eagles' second-place finishers was senior Nick Herbert (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern), leaping 15.14m in the triple jump.
The Eagles saw six total performances that served as career-bests, as junior Ivan Suazo (Brooklyn, N.Y.- Westland)'s third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles was .01 seconds better than his previous top performance. All four efforts in the 400m marked top-collegiate times, as freshman Derek Jones (Erie, Pa.-Cathedral Preparatory), senior Elijah Barber (Columbus, Ohio-Eastmoor Academy), and sophomore Roderic Wilson (Atlanta, Ga.-Blanche Ely) competed alongside White and earned fourth, fifth, and sixth-place finishes with career-best marks of 49.49, 49.63, and 50.76, respectively. Senior Frank Douglas (Mansfield, Ohio-Madison Comprehensive) registered his personal-best effort in his debut performance in the 100m, finishing fourth overall with a time of 10.90.
In the field events, freshman Garrett Wade (Rio Rancho, N.M.-V. Sue Cleveland) finished sixth overall in the javelin, clearing 51.52m, while sophomore Newlyn Stephenson (Gary, Ind.-Thea Bowman Leadership Academy) also placed sixth in the hammer throw with a toss of 49.01m. One place behind Stephenson was senior Mike Hierholzer (Medina, Ohio-Medina), registering a heave of 48.99m. Rounding out the Green and White's field efforts was senior Zach Purcilly (Troy, Mich.-Avondale) who led the Eagles' efforts in the shot put, placing fourth with a mark of 15.92.
On the track, senior Melika Ghali (Toronto, Canada-Jarvis Collegiate Institute) earned a fifth-place finish in a talented field of 1500m runners, running to a time of 3:54.38 to top eight runners from the University of Michigan. To close out EMU's performances at the open, sophomore Solomon Costa (Gahanna, Ohio-Gahanna Lincoln) marked an impressive third-place 800m effort with a time of 1:59.10.
The Eagles now look to defend their Outdoor Mid-American Conference Championship, May 9-11, on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. More information on the meet can be found here, and to keep up with all things EMU Track and Field, follow the team on twitter @EMUMXC_TF.
EMU Individual Results
(*denotes career-best)
Javelin
6. Garrett Wade- 51.52m
Hammer
6. Newlyn Stephenson- 49.01m
7. Mike Hierholzer- 48.99m
Long Jump
2. Carlos Sanchez Juan- 6.81m
1500m
5. Melika Ghali- 3:54.38
22. Baldvin Magnusson- 4:05.19
Shot Put
4. Zach Purcilly- 15.92m
6. Mike Hierholzer- 14.95m
7. Skyler Lester- 11.38m
Discus
8. Skyler Lester- 34.34
Mike Hierholzer- FOUL
110-meter Hurdles
3. Ivan Suazo- 14.31*
5. Frank Douglas- 14.57
400m
2. Treston White- 48.82*
4. Derek Jones- 49.49*
5. Elijah Barber- 49.63*
6. Roderic Wilson- 50.76*
Triple Jump
2. Nick Herbert- 15.14m
3. Micah Peters- 14.70m
100m
4. Frank Douglas- 10.90*
800m
3. Solomon Costa- 1:59.10
400-meter Hurdles
4. Ken Coward- 55.88
Players Mentioned
