Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Bob Parks: Week 15
6/25/2021 6:15:00 PM | Men's XC, Men's Track & Field
Eagles win first official MAC Indoor Title, 1995-1997
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Head Coach Bob Parks had developed dominant cross country teams ever since he returned to Eastern Michigan University, but his harriers during the 1990s were especially formidable. Coming into the fall of 1995, the Eagles had won five-straight Mid-American Conference Championships and were looking for win No. 6. Parks' group was picked second in the MAC Coaches preseason poll despite seeing three of their top-five runners graduate in the spring. However, they still had reliable veterans Jason Boothroyd and Clint Verran to guide the team.
The first meet of the year took place was the University of Detroit Mercy Invitational at Cass Benton Park in Northville, Mich. Against local competition, the Green and Gold came out on top, 37-55, over Siena Heights with Matt Curry pacing EMU in the four-mile race with a 20:38 time. Weeks later, Eastern was challenged at the Notre Dame Invitational, placing 16th out of 27 teams in the Blue Division. Verran led the Green and Gold in the South Bend, Ind. meet, crossing the finish line in 24:56 for 20th while Boothroyd rounded out the top-30 at 25:09.
The MAC title race was held at Goodyear Park in Akron, Ohio where Parks knew his harriers had to fight for positioning on narrow trails. Verran made a big move during the back end of the race to build a huge lead with a mile left in the race. Despite running out of gas with about 400 meters left, he hung on to earn the individual crown. Boothroyd also produced a strong kick towards the end, covering up enough ground to move from 10th to 3rd overall, passing multiple runners in the last 50 meters. However, the 1-3 finish was not enough to take home the league title as Eastern's third man, Curry, was only 23rd. With the next two Green and Gold harriers far behind him, Eastern Michigan ultimately placed fifth with 98 points.
The Eagles did get some revenge at the regional meet in West Lafayette, Ind., however. In the snow, Parks' group managed to notch 12th overall with 355 points, topping Bowling Green who had just won the conference title. The weather didn't shake Verran as he once again paced his team with a 25th-place finish in 32:01.
Early on in the indoor track & field season, the Eagles showed off their speed at the Red Simmons Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan. In the mile, Morris Giddens (4:15.88) and Matt Curry (4:16.23) went 1-2 ahead of several wolverines while Kerch Patterson captured the 400m dash in 48.81. Meanwhile in the field, future NFL Super Bowl Champion Lional Dalton took home the victory in the shot put as he registered a toss of 54'-6.75".
Weeks later, Eastern Michigan geared up for the indoor conference meet by hosting the EMU Track Classic. The highlight of the meet was the showdown between Arkansas and Eastern in the distance medley relay. The Razorbacks' ultimately came out on top, 9:40.07-9:41.87 with both institutions producing NCAA qualifying times. The throwers also had another solid outing with Dave Seaborne winning the weight throw (61'-1") and Dalton taking the shot put (51'-9.75").
For the first year ever, the Mid-American Conference made the league's indoor invitational an official championship meet and the Eagles were more than ready to show out at home. Eastern Michigan dominated the meet from start to finish, earning 135.5 points to runner up Western Michigan's 89.5. EMU swept the mile with Ben Reese (1st - 4:14.38), Boothroyd (2nd - 4:14.55), and Giddens (3rd - 4:14.92). Reese then went on to help the Green and Gold capture the DMR title in 10:01.64. Also on the track, Patterson tore it up in the sprints, pacing the field in both the 55m dash (6.32) and 200m dash (21.08). Additionally, Kealoha Stokes (1:52.20) led the way in the 800m run as the team went 1-2-5 in the event.
At the NCAA title meet in Indianapolis, the distance medley relay team improved upon their season-best time of 9:41.87 by hitting 9:38.77 for fourth overall. Patterson also qualified in the 200m dash but narrowly missed out on the finals with his 21.63 clip. In the end, Eastern Michigan was 39th in the country as a team with five points.
EMU's first outdoor meet as a full squad came at the Ohio University Invitational in Athens, Ohio. There, Parks' tracksters shook the rust off by winning 10 events and finishing second in six out of 18 total events. The Eagles swept both the 100m and 800m races while going 1-2-4 in the 200m and 1500m as well. Anthony Lloyd was Eastern's sole double-winner with victories in the 100 (10.98) and 200 (21.88). The Green and Gold left Ohio with a 233-123 win over Miami (Ohio).
Later in the season, Akron hosted the second annual MAC Relays where Eastern had no trouble on the track but showed its lack of depth in the field. Despite winning the 4x1600m, shuttle hurdle, 4x800m, sprint medley, and distance medley relays, the Eagles came up short. WMU captured the meet victory, 111-97 over Parks' squad. The highest finish in the field was James Chikwe's fourth-place finish in the long jump at 23'-6".
The team prepared for the MAC Outdoor Championships in Oxford, Ohio, where the weather did not help the distance runners. It was hot and humid for the 10K and other distance events, events where the Eagles excelled. Therefore, Eastern had an even tougher time making up ground from the performances in the field. Chikwe again had the best field placement on the team with a 24'-5.75" leap in the long jump for third. EMU was unable to score any points, however, in the shot put, hammer throw, and discus throw.
Patterson managed to beat out other league competitors in the 100m dash (10.34) and 200m dash (20.87). Moreover, Reese held up strong in the steeplechase as notched first in 9:12.82. Lastly, Stokes took home the 800m title in 1:52.30, Eastern Michigan's 13th-straight victory in the event. The Broncos won the outdoor championship comfortably after outstanding performances in the field, putting up 167.5 points to EMU's 129. Without an NCAA qualifier, the Eagles' season had come to a close.
In the fall of 1996, Parks' harriers were once again selected to finish second in the league. This year's squad would look different as Verran redshirted, Boothroyd graduated, and Curry chose not to return. Nonetheless, they pushed on and hoped to make noise at the MAC Championship race.
Eastern Michigan opened up the season at the University of Detroit Mercy Invitational at Cass Benton Park as they had in years past. In Northville, Mich., the Eagles' top-five runners went 5-6-7-9-11 on the muddy, hilly course. Giddens paced Eastern in 20:35 while Verran ran a solid race in the 5K open as an unattached participant. Although the opener did not look promising, the Green and Gold were able to improve as the weeks went on.
At the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., EMU rose to the occasion with a second-place team finish behind MSU. At the time, the Green and White were ranked No. 12 in the nation. Giddens was solid once again, notching second in the 8K race in 25:06 while Mike Franko rounded out the top-10 in 25:20.
That fall, the conference championship race was held in Muncie, Ind. where PArks' was hoping his top-five would run smart. Unfortunately, the meet did not start out well for Easter Michigan as Reese, who had been under the weather all week, fell back in the race and eventually dropped out. Surprisingly, Lee Shaw, having promised Coach Parks that he'd run the race of his life at t MACs, did just that. Shaw paced the Eagles by grabbing eighth in 25:18, followed closely behind by Giddens (10th - 25:30). The Green and Gold saw four harriers place in the top-20, however, with Reese dropping out, the next three runners fared no better than 52nd. Thus, the Green and Gold ultimately ended up in fourth in the team standings.
Champaign, Ill. was the site of the regional race where EMU was the fourth-best MAC team there, despite running better as a team. At the meet, Giddens qualified for the NCAAs as an individual by notching an 11th-place finish in 31:09 on the flat course. Reese bounced back after not finishing the race at the conference meet by placing 33rd in 31:56. The NCAA title meet was held in Tucson, Ariz. hosted by the University of Arizona. Giddens looked strong early on, staying near the front for the first mile, but went out too fast and couldn't keep up. He crossed the finish line as the 149th man in the 173-man field to conclude the cross country season.
Early on in the indoor season, Nigerian phenom Clement Chukwu made his debut at the MSU Invitational where he impressed and upset the competition. In his first-ever meet as an Eagle, Chukwu won both the 55m dash (6.41) and the 200m dash (21.59). Meanwhile in the field, EMU was strong in the jumps as Victor Nembhard won the triple jump and Jamie Nieto took the high jump.
To prepare for the Mid-American Conference indoor meet, the Eagles hosted the EMU Track Classic. Alum Paul McMullen made his presence known inside Bowen Field House, winning the mile in 3:58.61, the first time an individual had run a sub-four-minute mile in the facility. Chukwu made his home debut at the meet where he broke the 200m varsity and field house record in 20.76. Other winners included Fabian Rollings in the 400m dash (48.71) and Verran in the 5000m run (14:14.93).
The second annual MAC indoor championships were hosted by Kent State who hoped to use its home field advantage to produce a team victory. It was not meant to be as Eastern Michigan tallied 169 points to the Golden Flashes' 131.5. Reese had a fantastic meet with event titles in the mile (4:10.47) and 3000m (8:23.33) while getting second in the 800m race (1:52.20). In the field, Seaborne was runner up in the weight throw at 59'-3" while Chikwe notched the same spot in the long jump with a bound of 23'-11.5".
Reese, Chukwu, and the rest of the DMR team all came down to Indianapolis together for the NCAA meet. Reese, competing in the mile, and Chukwu, competing in the 400m dash, both made it to the finals. In the finals, Reese managed a sixth-place finish in 4:02.86, just three seconds behind the national champion. The 400m finals were run in two separate heats against time where Chukwu clocked in at an incredible 45.95. Unfortunately, his time was bested by an Oklahoma runner in 45.69. With Reese having less than two hours to recover and run in the distance medley relay, the team was not as successful as they had hoped. In the end, Eastern's point total was 13, good to tie for 15th in the country.
Parks' squad opened up the 1997 outdoor slate at the Alabama Relays one week after the NCAAs. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Reese and Chukwu continued to produce great times as both took second in the mile and 200m dash, respectively. Meanwhile, Franko paced all competitors in the steeplechase, finishing the race in 9:06.76.
At the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., the field athletes shined on the sunny but cool day. The triple jumpers swept the podium and were led by Juris Vaskans' 49'-2" leap. Seaborne had a great showing in the throws, earning titles in both the discus (161'-9.5") and hammer throws (162'-9"). Additionally, the young Nieto PRd in the high jump with a clearance of 6'-11.75". With the runners taking care of business as usual, the team looked to be in good shape for the conference showdown.
After a slow first day in Kent, Ohio, the Eagles found themselves in ninth but moved up to third on the second day of the championships. Once the main track events got going, no one could catch up to the Green and Gold. Reese and Franko went 1-2 in the steeplechase with times of 9:02.87 and 9:07.36, respectively. The duo went on to do the same in the 1500m for even more points. Chukwu and Fabian Rollins helped EMU's cause by also going 1-2, this time in the 400m dash, with times of 46.13 and 47:07, respectively. Chikwe achieved a varsity record long jump leap of 25'-3.5", losing the event title by one inch. Eastern won handily with 152.5 points to Toledo's 107.
The NCAA title meet was held in Bloomington, Ind. where Chukwu and Reese displayed their prowess in their respective events. The former set a new varsity record in the 400m dash as he took second place in 45.24. Meanwhile, Reese notched the third spot in the 1500m in a blazing 3:41.12. EMU's 14 points were good for 21st in the team standings as another strong year came to a close.
Be sure to follow along in the following weeks as we continue to take a deep dive into Bob Parks' legacy at Eastern Michigan University.
The first meet of the year took place was the University of Detroit Mercy Invitational at Cass Benton Park in Northville, Mich. Against local competition, the Green and Gold came out on top, 37-55, over Siena Heights with Matt Curry pacing EMU in the four-mile race with a 20:38 time. Weeks later, Eastern was challenged at the Notre Dame Invitational, placing 16th out of 27 teams in the Blue Division. Verran led the Green and Gold in the South Bend, Ind. meet, crossing the finish line in 24:56 for 20th while Boothroyd rounded out the top-30 at 25:09.
The MAC title race was held at Goodyear Park in Akron, Ohio where Parks knew his harriers had to fight for positioning on narrow trails. Verran made a big move during the back end of the race to build a huge lead with a mile left in the race. Despite running out of gas with about 400 meters left, he hung on to earn the individual crown. Boothroyd also produced a strong kick towards the end, covering up enough ground to move from 10th to 3rd overall, passing multiple runners in the last 50 meters. However, the 1-3 finish was not enough to take home the league title as Eastern's third man, Curry, was only 23rd. With the next two Green and Gold harriers far behind him, Eastern Michigan ultimately placed fifth with 98 points.
The Eagles did get some revenge at the regional meet in West Lafayette, Ind., however. In the snow, Parks' group managed to notch 12th overall with 355 points, topping Bowling Green who had just won the conference title. The weather didn't shake Verran as he once again paced his team with a 25th-place finish in 32:01.
Early on in the indoor track & field season, the Eagles showed off their speed at the Red Simmons Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan. In the mile, Morris Giddens (4:15.88) and Matt Curry (4:16.23) went 1-2 ahead of several wolverines while Kerch Patterson captured the 400m dash in 48.81. Meanwhile in the field, future NFL Super Bowl Champion Lional Dalton took home the victory in the shot put as he registered a toss of 54'-6.75".
Weeks later, Eastern Michigan geared up for the indoor conference meet by hosting the EMU Track Classic. The highlight of the meet was the showdown between Arkansas and Eastern in the distance medley relay. The Razorbacks' ultimately came out on top, 9:40.07-9:41.87 with both institutions producing NCAA qualifying times. The throwers also had another solid outing with Dave Seaborne winning the weight throw (61'-1") and Dalton taking the shot put (51'-9.75").
For the first year ever, the Mid-American Conference made the league's indoor invitational an official championship meet and the Eagles were more than ready to show out at home. Eastern Michigan dominated the meet from start to finish, earning 135.5 points to runner up Western Michigan's 89.5. EMU swept the mile with Ben Reese (1st - 4:14.38), Boothroyd (2nd - 4:14.55), and Giddens (3rd - 4:14.92). Reese then went on to help the Green and Gold capture the DMR title in 10:01.64. Also on the track, Patterson tore it up in the sprints, pacing the field in both the 55m dash (6.32) and 200m dash (21.08). Additionally, Kealoha Stokes (1:52.20) led the way in the 800m run as the team went 1-2-5 in the event.
At the NCAA title meet in Indianapolis, the distance medley relay team improved upon their season-best time of 9:41.87 by hitting 9:38.77 for fourth overall. Patterson also qualified in the 200m dash but narrowly missed out on the finals with his 21.63 clip. In the end, Eastern Michigan was 39th in the country as a team with five points.
EMU's first outdoor meet as a full squad came at the Ohio University Invitational in Athens, Ohio. There, Parks' tracksters shook the rust off by winning 10 events and finishing second in six out of 18 total events. The Eagles swept both the 100m and 800m races while going 1-2-4 in the 200m and 1500m as well. Anthony Lloyd was Eastern's sole double-winner with victories in the 100 (10.98) and 200 (21.88). The Green and Gold left Ohio with a 233-123 win over Miami (Ohio).
Later in the season, Akron hosted the second annual MAC Relays where Eastern had no trouble on the track but showed its lack of depth in the field. Despite winning the 4x1600m, shuttle hurdle, 4x800m, sprint medley, and distance medley relays, the Eagles came up short. WMU captured the meet victory, 111-97 over Parks' squad. The highest finish in the field was James Chikwe's fourth-place finish in the long jump at 23'-6".
The team prepared for the MAC Outdoor Championships in Oxford, Ohio, where the weather did not help the distance runners. It was hot and humid for the 10K and other distance events, events where the Eagles excelled. Therefore, Eastern had an even tougher time making up ground from the performances in the field. Chikwe again had the best field placement on the team with a 24'-5.75" leap in the long jump for third. EMU was unable to score any points, however, in the shot put, hammer throw, and discus throw.
Patterson managed to beat out other league competitors in the 100m dash (10.34) and 200m dash (20.87). Moreover, Reese held up strong in the steeplechase as notched first in 9:12.82. Lastly, Stokes took home the 800m title in 1:52.30, Eastern Michigan's 13th-straight victory in the event. The Broncos won the outdoor championship comfortably after outstanding performances in the field, putting up 167.5 points to EMU's 129. Without an NCAA qualifier, the Eagles' season had come to a close.
In the fall of 1996, Parks' harriers were once again selected to finish second in the league. This year's squad would look different as Verran redshirted, Boothroyd graduated, and Curry chose not to return. Nonetheless, they pushed on and hoped to make noise at the MAC Championship race.
Eastern Michigan opened up the season at the University of Detroit Mercy Invitational at Cass Benton Park as they had in years past. In Northville, Mich., the Eagles' top-five runners went 5-6-7-9-11 on the muddy, hilly course. Giddens paced Eastern in 20:35 while Verran ran a solid race in the 5K open as an unattached participant. Although the opener did not look promising, the Green and Gold were able to improve as the weeks went on.
At the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., EMU rose to the occasion with a second-place team finish behind MSU. At the time, the Green and White were ranked No. 12 in the nation. Giddens was solid once again, notching second in the 8K race in 25:06 while Mike Franko rounded out the top-10 in 25:20.
That fall, the conference championship race was held in Muncie, Ind. where PArks' was hoping his top-five would run smart. Unfortunately, the meet did not start out well for Easter Michigan as Reese, who had been under the weather all week, fell back in the race and eventually dropped out. Surprisingly, Lee Shaw, having promised Coach Parks that he'd run the race of his life at t MACs, did just that. Shaw paced the Eagles by grabbing eighth in 25:18, followed closely behind by Giddens (10th - 25:30). The Green and Gold saw four harriers place in the top-20, however, with Reese dropping out, the next three runners fared no better than 52nd. Thus, the Green and Gold ultimately ended up in fourth in the team standings.
Champaign, Ill. was the site of the regional race where EMU was the fourth-best MAC team there, despite running better as a team. At the meet, Giddens qualified for the NCAAs as an individual by notching an 11th-place finish in 31:09 on the flat course. Reese bounced back after not finishing the race at the conference meet by placing 33rd in 31:56. The NCAA title meet was held in Tucson, Ariz. hosted by the University of Arizona. Giddens looked strong early on, staying near the front for the first mile, but went out too fast and couldn't keep up. He crossed the finish line as the 149th man in the 173-man field to conclude the cross country season.
Early on in the indoor season, Nigerian phenom Clement Chukwu made his debut at the MSU Invitational where he impressed and upset the competition. In his first-ever meet as an Eagle, Chukwu won both the 55m dash (6.41) and the 200m dash (21.59). Meanwhile in the field, EMU was strong in the jumps as Victor Nembhard won the triple jump and Jamie Nieto took the high jump.
To prepare for the Mid-American Conference indoor meet, the Eagles hosted the EMU Track Classic. Alum Paul McMullen made his presence known inside Bowen Field House, winning the mile in 3:58.61, the first time an individual had run a sub-four-minute mile in the facility. Chukwu made his home debut at the meet where he broke the 200m varsity and field house record in 20.76. Other winners included Fabian Rollings in the 400m dash (48.71) and Verran in the 5000m run (14:14.93).
The second annual MAC indoor championships were hosted by Kent State who hoped to use its home field advantage to produce a team victory. It was not meant to be as Eastern Michigan tallied 169 points to the Golden Flashes' 131.5. Reese had a fantastic meet with event titles in the mile (4:10.47) and 3000m (8:23.33) while getting second in the 800m race (1:52.20). In the field, Seaborne was runner up in the weight throw at 59'-3" while Chikwe notched the same spot in the long jump with a bound of 23'-11.5".
Reese, Chukwu, and the rest of the DMR team all came down to Indianapolis together for the NCAA meet. Reese, competing in the mile, and Chukwu, competing in the 400m dash, both made it to the finals. In the finals, Reese managed a sixth-place finish in 4:02.86, just three seconds behind the national champion. The 400m finals were run in two separate heats against time where Chukwu clocked in at an incredible 45.95. Unfortunately, his time was bested by an Oklahoma runner in 45.69. With Reese having less than two hours to recover and run in the distance medley relay, the team was not as successful as they had hoped. In the end, Eastern's point total was 13, good to tie for 15th in the country.
Parks' squad opened up the 1997 outdoor slate at the Alabama Relays one week after the NCAAs. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Reese and Chukwu continued to produce great times as both took second in the mile and 200m dash, respectively. Meanwhile, Franko paced all competitors in the steeplechase, finishing the race in 9:06.76.
At the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., the field athletes shined on the sunny but cool day. The triple jumpers swept the podium and were led by Juris Vaskans' 49'-2" leap. Seaborne had a great showing in the throws, earning titles in both the discus (161'-9.5") and hammer throws (162'-9"). Additionally, the young Nieto PRd in the high jump with a clearance of 6'-11.75". With the runners taking care of business as usual, the team looked to be in good shape for the conference showdown.
After a slow first day in Kent, Ohio, the Eagles found themselves in ninth but moved up to third on the second day of the championships. Once the main track events got going, no one could catch up to the Green and Gold. Reese and Franko went 1-2 in the steeplechase with times of 9:02.87 and 9:07.36, respectively. The duo went on to do the same in the 1500m for even more points. Chukwu and Fabian Rollins helped EMU's cause by also going 1-2, this time in the 400m dash, with times of 46.13 and 47:07, respectively. Chikwe achieved a varsity record long jump leap of 25'-3.5", losing the event title by one inch. Eastern won handily with 152.5 points to Toledo's 107.
The NCAA title meet was held in Bloomington, Ind. where Chukwu and Reese displayed their prowess in their respective events. The former set a new varsity record in the 400m dash as he took second place in 45.24. Meanwhile, Reese notched the third spot in the 1500m in a blazing 3:41.12. EMU's 14 points were good for 21st in the team standings as another strong year came to a close.
Be sure to follow along in the following weeks as we continue to take a deep dive into Bob Parks' legacy at Eastern Michigan University.
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