EMU Tied For Lead After Day One of MAC Championship

Day 1 Results | Photo Gallery

MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team kicked off its defense of the conference crown Thursday, May 9 at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Ball State University. EMU started its time in Muncie off strong, as the Eagles brought home two podium finishes, while recording six performances that were good for spots in Saturday's final heats.

EMU sits tied for the lead after the first day of competition, tied with the University of Akron, with 22 points apiece. Miami University and Central Michigan University hold a share of third place with nine points each, while Kent State University and University at Buffalo sit tied for fifth, each totaling eight points.

All EMU student-athletes that competed in an event's finals Thursday added points to the board, while all Eagles that raced in trials qualified for Saturday's final heats.

Pacing the Eagles were senior Derek Ziegenfuss (Allentown, Pa.-Parkland) and sophomore Austin Wicker (Pinckney, Mich.-Pinckney), earning second and third-place finishes in the javelin and 10,000m finals, respectively. Ziegenfuss recorded his fourth podium finish in as many years at the MAC Championships, clearing 62.40m on a windy day to take home a silver medal. Freshman Garrett Wade (Rio Rancho, N.M.-V.Sue Cleveland) made the finals in his first appearance at the league championships, finishing sixth overall with a mark of 55.56m.

Wicker persevered through the daunting 10,000m race, finishing third overall with a time of 31:30.97. In fact, the 10,000m was one of EMU's most successful events of the day, as all three athletes donning the Green and White added points to the board with their finishes. Graduate transfer Melika Ghali (Toronto, Canada-Jarvis Collegiate Institute (Boise State)) and freshman Baldvin Magnusson (Hull, England-Hull University) finished fifth and eighth in the 25-lap race, recording career-best times of 31:56.48 and 32:44.19, respectively.

In other successful events for Eastern Michigan, the 200m trials saw three Eagles finish in the top-four runners, all qualifying for Saturday's final race to attempt to add points to Eastern's overall total. Senior Tyler Underwood (Clinton, Mich.-Clinton) topped his heat and the entire 200m trials with a time of 21.07, followed shortly behind by junior Terrell Posada (Naples. Fla.-Naples High), finishing second with a time of 21.18. Sophomore Owen Richardson (Basingstoke, England) earned a fourth-place finish in the trials with a time of 21.26.

The 400-meter hurdles trials followed suit, as all three EMU runners finished in the top-10 to grasp spots in the event's final heat on Saturday. Senior Elijah Barber (Columbus, Ohio-Eastmoor Academy) led the way for the Green and White, finishing with the third-fastest time in the trials with a mark of 54.55. Freshman Payne Wylie (Saskatchewan, Canada-Colonsay School) earned a ninth-place finish in his MAC Outdoor Championship debut, clearing the obstacles in 55.32, and fellow freshman Kendaruis Coward (Hallandale Beach, Fla.-Hallandale) sealed his spot in Saturday's finals with a 10th-place time of 56.00.

Sophomore Skyler Lester (Marietta, Ga.-Marietta) completed five of the 10 decathlon events on Thursday, sitting in second place with a total of 3696. Lester earned his best mark in the high jump, clearing 2.02m to lead all decathletes and earn 822 points towards his total.

The Eagles continue their pursuit of a second consecutive conference championship Friday, May 10, with events scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The meet will be broadcast live 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 women's track and field schedule page on EMUEagles.com.

Team Standings
1. Eastern Michigan- 22
    Akron- 22
3. Miami- 9
    Central Michigan- 9
5. Kent State- 8
    Buffalo- 8

EMU Individual Results
(* denotes personal-best, # denotes school record, Q denotes qualifying time)

Javelin
2. Derek Ziegenfuss- 62.40m
6. Garrett Wade- 55.56m

Decathlon 100m
6. Skyler Lester- 11.37

Decathlon Long Jump
5. Skyler Lester- 6.65m

Decathlon Shot Put
3. Skyler Lester- 13.08m

Decathlon High Jump
1. Skyler Lester- 2.02m

Decathlon 400m
6. Skyler Lester- 52.81

Decathlon Standings After 5 events
2. Skyler Lester- 3696

400-meter hurdles Trials
3. Elijah Barber- 54.55Q
9. Payne Wylie- 55.32Q
10. Ken Coward- 56.00q

200m Trials
1. Tyler Underwood- 21.07Q
2. Terrell Posada- 21.18Q
4. Owen Richardson- 21.26Q

10,000m
3. Austin Wicker- 31:30.97
5. Melika Ghali- 31:56.48*
8. Baldvin Magnusson- 32:44.19*

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Elijah Barber

Kendaruis Coward

Melika Ghali

Skyler Lester

Baldvin Magnusson

Terrell Posada

Owen Richardson

Tyler Underwood

Garrett Wade

Payne Wylie

Derek Ziegenfuss

Eastern Michigan Athletics