Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, May 9
Muncie, Ind.
9 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
MAC Championships
Eagles Look to Defend MAC Outdoor Championship
5/7/2019 3:25:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
EMU heads to Muncie, Ind. to take on the conference championships, May 9-11
Meet Entries (PDF)
Championship Meet Central
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team readies to defend its 2018 Outdoor Track and Field Mid-American Conference championship at the 2019 rendition of the event held May 9-11 at Ball State University.
The Eagles not only head into the MAC Championships as the defending outdoor titleholders, but also have history on their side as the team holds the most overall conference championships with 24, six more than any other MAC team. Furthermore, the Green and White have prepared dutifully for the event with a 2019 outdoor season that included the top-conference performances in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, as well as marks that rank in the MAC's top-three efforts in the 800m, 1500m, 10,000m, and javelin.
The EMU sprint squad enters with the league's top three times in the 200m and two of the top-three marks in the 400m. Nationally ranked in the 200m and 400m throughout the 2019 outdoor campaign, senior Tyler Underwood (Clinton, Mich.-Clinton) attempts to better his fifth-place finish in the 400m in 2018 to earn his first outdoor individual title. Junior Terrell Posada (Naples, Fla.-Naples) holds the top effort of any conference trackster in the 100m and looks to claim Eastern's first 100m title since 2011. At the last outdoor championships, sophomore Owen Richardson (Basingstoke, England) earned a silver medal in the 200m and seventh in the 400m, and with the MAC's second-best 200m and third-fastest 400m efforts this season, aims to add points towards the Eagles' totals.
The Green and White's hurdlers look to dominate the competition in Muncie, as senior Elijah Barber (Columbus, Ohio-Eastmoor Academy) heads the Eagles' cohort with the conference's fourth-best 400-meter hurdles mark this season. In the sprint obstacles, Eastern Michigan looks to junior Ivan Suazo (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Westland) to conquer the 110-meter hurdles, as the Brooklyn, N.Y. native rounds out the MAC's top-five efforts this season with a time of 14.31.
In the distance events, the Eagles possess top-five marks in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m, with their depth in the field led by the 2019 MAC Indoor Championships Most Outstanding Performer sophomore Owen Day (Ottowa, Ontario-International School of Dusseldorf), graduate transfer Melika Ghali (Toronto, Canada-Jarvis Collegiate Institute (Boise State)), and redshirt sophomore Austin Wicker (Pinckney, Mich.-Pinckney). Day recorded the conference's third-best 1500m time earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays with a time of 3:46.48, March 29, which was almost 15 seconds faster than his 2018 eighth-place MAC championship finish of 4:00.20. Additionally, Day grasped the third-fastest 800m time in the league set at the same meet, as he finished in 1:15.76. Ghali accumulated the fourth-best 800m and 1500m in his debut season in the Green and White, and looks to make an impact in his first visit to the conference's outdoor title chase. Wicker enters the meet with the sixth-best 5000m seed time of 14:47.37 and the second-fastest 10,000m entry at 30:24.27.
As the league's defending 4x400-meter champions, EMU's relay squad comes into Muncie with the conference's best mark in the event this season, set at the Tennessee Relays, April 11, running to a time of 3:11.82. The Eagles' group of seniors Barber and Underwood, and sophomores Treston White (Lockport, N.Y.-Lockport) and Richardson also hold the conference's best 4x100-meter time in the 2019 campaign with a mark of 40.62, set at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, March 15-16, .18 seconds faster than any other MAC squad this season.
In the field events, EMU brings strong weapons to the meet in the form of seniors Cameron Hart (Columbus, Ohio-Bishop Hartley), Nick Herbert (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern), Zach Purcilly (Troy, Mich.-Avondale), and Derek Ziegenfuss (Allentown, Pa.-Parkland), with each holding a top-10 conference mark in their respective events this season, as well as a top-10 finish at last year's outdoor championship event. Herbert and Ziegenfuss both earned bronze medals in 2018 in the triple jump and javelin, respectively, and currently hold the fourth and second-best league efforts in the same events this season. Hart recorded two seventh-place performances at the last outdoor championship meet, and presently clasps the conference's sixth-best high jump and seventh-best long jump marks. Purcilly's eighth-place finish in the shot put in 2018, along with his top mark of 16.61m in 2019, the fifth-best in the conference, makes the senior a threat in the shot put and other throws events.
The chase for the title begins Thursday, May 9, started by the women's hammer at 10 a.m., with running events scheduled to begin with the women's 1500m trials at 4:45 p.m. The men's hammer kicks off Friday's competition at 10 a.m., while the rest of the day follows a similar schedule to Thursday, with the 100-meter hurdles trials starting competition on the track at 4:45 p.m. Saturday's start is pushed back to 11 a.m., led by the men's discus, while all final heats of the running events begin at 1 p.m. The meet will be broadcasted by Ball State All-Access, while fans can also follow the MAC Championships via live results by clicking here. For more information about the meet, including a full schedule, links to the meet's broadcast and championship central page, and more, visit the men's track and field schedule page on EMUEagles.com.
Championship Meet Central
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team readies to defend its 2018 Outdoor Track and Field Mid-American Conference championship at the 2019 rendition of the event held May 9-11 at Ball State University.
The Eagles not only head into the MAC Championships as the defending outdoor titleholders, but also have history on their side as the team holds the most overall conference championships with 24, six more than any other MAC team. Furthermore, the Green and White have prepared dutifully for the event with a 2019 outdoor season that included the top-conference performances in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, as well as marks that rank in the MAC's top-three efforts in the 800m, 1500m, 10,000m, and javelin.
The EMU sprint squad enters with the league's top three times in the 200m and two of the top-three marks in the 400m. Nationally ranked in the 200m and 400m throughout the 2019 outdoor campaign, senior Tyler Underwood (Clinton, Mich.-Clinton) attempts to better his fifth-place finish in the 400m in 2018 to earn his first outdoor individual title. Junior Terrell Posada (Naples, Fla.-Naples) holds the top effort of any conference trackster in the 100m and looks to claim Eastern's first 100m title since 2011. At the last outdoor championships, sophomore Owen Richardson (Basingstoke, England) earned a silver medal in the 200m and seventh in the 400m, and with the MAC's second-best 200m and third-fastest 400m efforts this season, aims to add points towards the Eagles' totals.
The Green and White's hurdlers look to dominate the competition in Muncie, as senior Elijah Barber (Columbus, Ohio-Eastmoor Academy) heads the Eagles' cohort with the conference's fourth-best 400-meter hurdles mark this season. In the sprint obstacles, Eastern Michigan looks to junior Ivan Suazo (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Westland) to conquer the 110-meter hurdles, as the Brooklyn, N.Y. native rounds out the MAC's top-five efforts this season with a time of 14.31.
In the distance events, the Eagles possess top-five marks in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m, with their depth in the field led by the 2019 MAC Indoor Championships Most Outstanding Performer sophomore Owen Day (Ottowa, Ontario-International School of Dusseldorf), graduate transfer Melika Ghali (Toronto, Canada-Jarvis Collegiate Institute (Boise State)), and redshirt sophomore Austin Wicker (Pinckney, Mich.-Pinckney). Day recorded the conference's third-best 1500m time earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays with a time of 3:46.48, March 29, which was almost 15 seconds faster than his 2018 eighth-place MAC championship finish of 4:00.20. Additionally, Day grasped the third-fastest 800m time in the league set at the same meet, as he finished in 1:15.76. Ghali accumulated the fourth-best 800m and 1500m in his debut season in the Green and White, and looks to make an impact in his first visit to the conference's outdoor title chase. Wicker enters the meet with the sixth-best 5000m seed time of 14:47.37 and the second-fastest 10,000m entry at 30:24.27.
As the league's defending 4x400-meter champions, EMU's relay squad comes into Muncie with the conference's best mark in the event this season, set at the Tennessee Relays, April 11, running to a time of 3:11.82. The Eagles' group of seniors Barber and Underwood, and sophomores Treston White (Lockport, N.Y.-Lockport) and Richardson also hold the conference's best 4x100-meter time in the 2019 campaign with a mark of 40.62, set at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, March 15-16, .18 seconds faster than any other MAC squad this season.
In the field events, EMU brings strong weapons to the meet in the form of seniors Cameron Hart (Columbus, Ohio-Bishop Hartley), Nick Herbert (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern), Zach Purcilly (Troy, Mich.-Avondale), and Derek Ziegenfuss (Allentown, Pa.-Parkland), with each holding a top-10 conference mark in their respective events this season, as well as a top-10 finish at last year's outdoor championship event. Herbert and Ziegenfuss both earned bronze medals in 2018 in the triple jump and javelin, respectively, and currently hold the fourth and second-best league efforts in the same events this season. Hart recorded two seventh-place performances at the last outdoor championship meet, and presently clasps the conference's sixth-best high jump and seventh-best long jump marks. Purcilly's eighth-place finish in the shot put in 2018, along with his top mark of 16.61m in 2019, the fifth-best in the conference, makes the senior a threat in the shot put and other throws events.
The chase for the title begins Thursday, May 9, started by the women's hammer at 10 a.m., with running events scheduled to begin with the women's 1500m trials at 4:45 p.m. The men's hammer kicks off Friday's competition at 10 a.m., while the rest of the day follows a similar schedule to Thursday, with the 100-meter hurdles trials starting competition on the track at 4:45 p.m. Saturday's start is pushed back to 11 a.m., led by the men's discus, while all final heats of the running events begin at 1 p.m. The meet will be broadcasted by Ball State All-Access, while fans can also follow the MAC Championships via live results by clicking here. For more information about the meet, including a full schedule, links to the meet's broadcast and championship central page, and more, visit the men's track and field schedule page on EMUEagles.com.
Players Mentioned
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Mid-Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Javelin
/ Men's Track & FieldThank You from EMU Cross Country/Track & Field!
Monday, December 01
Giving Tuesday 2025 - EMU Cross Country/Track & Field
Monday, December 01
Giving Tuesday 2025 - Eastern Michigan Track & Field
Monday, December 01
2025 E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony
Saturday, October 11