Distance Runners Shine at Day Two of Meyo Invitational

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track & field program saw its distance runners shine at the University of Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational today, Feb. 5, inside the Loftus Sports Center.

"It was exciting to see Vinny win such a prestigious race and break 4:00 in the mile for the first time," said Director/Head Coach Sue Parks. "Overall, we made some good progress this weekend in all of the distance events that we competed in. We're looking forward to continued improvement for the entire team next weekend as we start gearing up for the MAC in three weeks."

"It was an exciting race from Vinny, winning the Meyo Mile puts him in great company and sets up the rest of his season," Assistant Coach Mark Rinker added. "I was excited for Solo with a big mile PR off a slow pace and I was gutted for Toby getting tripped late in the 3,000."

How It Happened
Junior Baldvin Magnusson (Akureyri, Iceland-Hull University) highlighted the meet for EMU, capturing the Meyo Mile crown with a personal-best time of 3:58.08. The harrier now owns the third-best mile time in school history and is the sixth Eagle to run a sub-four-minute mile. Late EMU legend Paul McMullen owns the program record, as he crossed the finish line in 3:57.34 at the Meyo Invitational, Feb. 4, 1995.

Also in the mile, senior Solomon Costa (Gahanna, Ohio-Gahanna Lincoln) and sophomore Marcus Kemp (Kitchener, Ontario-St. Mary's Kitchener (Providence)) produced career-highs with times of 4:09.85 and 4:12.84, respectively. On the women's side, junior Lexi Seifert (Waterford, Pa.-Villa Maria Academy) clocked in under five minutes in the mile, crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 4:59.01.

The women kicked off the meet with the 3000m race where junior Faith Rono (Eldoret, Kenya-Middle Tennessee State) paced the Eagles in 9:50.25. Sophomore Esme Davies (Lake District, England-Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) recorded a personal-best time of 10:01.72. In the men's 3K, sophomore Toby Gualter (Tawa, New Zealand-Tawa College) notched ninth in 8:13.71

Meet Notes
Meyo Invitational | Day Two
Feb. 5, 2022 | South Bend, Ind.
* = Personal-best

Men's Individual Results
800m
28. Ronald Brandal 1:53.85
44. Derek Jones 1:56.41

Mile
12. Solomon Costa 4:09.85*
24. Marcus Kemp 4:12.84*

Meyo Mile
1. Baldvin Magnusson 3:58.08*

Ryan Shay 3000m
9. Toby Gualter 8:13.71
15. Linus Vennemann 8:20.34
19. Chris Devaney 8:33.67

Women's Individual Results
800m
19. Rebecca Odusola 2:13.87

Mile
13. Lexi Seifert 4:59.01*

3000m
19. Faith Rono 9:50.25
23. Julia Pleskaczynska 9:56.29
28. Esme Davies 10.01.72*

Historical Notes
» Magnusson's 3:58.08 mile time is the third-best in school history.
» Late EMU legend Paul McMullen owns the program mile record, as he crossed the finish line in 3:57.34 at the Meyo Invitational, Feb. 4, 1995.

Up Next
Eastern Michigan will head to the western side of the state for Grand Valley State University's Big Meet, Feb. 11. The events in Allendale, Mich. kicks off with the men's 5000m at 10 a.m. Meanwhile, Magnusson will head to Boston University for the David Hemery Valentine Invite, Feb. 12. For updates on all things EMU cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.

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Players Mentioned

Ronnie Brandal

Solomon Costa

Esme Davies

Chris Devaney

Toby Gualter

Derek Jones

Marcus Kemp

Baldvin Magnusson

Rebecca Odusola

Julia Pleskaczynska

Faith Rono

Lexi Seifert

Linus Vennemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics