Eastern Michigan Athletics
Track and Field Set For Indoor Opener at Wolverine Invitational
1/6/2023 11:15:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The one-day event gets underway Saturday, Jan. 7 in Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's and women's indoor track and field teams are both set to compete in the Wolverine Invitational, a one-day event hosted by the University of Michigan, Saturday, Jan. 7, in Ann Arbor.
The event will officially kick off the indoor season for both programs, serving as the first of 11 events leading up to the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, set for Feb. 24-25 in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The long jump will mark the start of field events at 10 a.m. Preliminary rounds of the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash begin at 11 a.m., with the finals-only portion of the track program set to begin at 11:40 a.m. The meet is expected to conclude prior to 3 p.m.
In addition to facing off against host Michigan, the Eagles will also compete against student-athletes from Madonna University, fellow MAC foe the University of Toledo, and Siena Heights University.
EMU comes into the meet after participating most recently in the GVSU Holiday Open, which was hosted by Grand Valley State University, Dec. 9. Although team scores do not count towards the team's official indoor record, numerous EMU student-athletes gained critical experience.
LAST TIME OUT: Junior Miranda Cadwell (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield South) had a career-high 19.32m (63-feet, 4.25 inches) mark in the weight throw, moving into second place in the Eastern record book for that event and taking second place at the GVSU Holiday Open.
Eastern's men's team saw strong outings from its distance runners, with junior Toby Gualter (Tawa, New Zealand-Tawa College) and senior Marcus Kemp (Kitchener, Ontario-St. Mary's Kitchener-Providence) finishing first and second in the 3000m. Senior hurdler Almighty Williamson (Baltimore, Md.-Digital Harbor-Barton C.C.) earned first place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.92. Additionally, junior sprinter Kaleb Simpson (Bexley, Ohio-St. Charles Preparatory) took second place in the 60m dash with a time of 6.79.
The men's field athletes also enjoyed a strong day, headlined by graduate student Newlyn Stephenson (Gary, Ind.-Thea Bowman Leadership Academy) placing second in the weight throw invitational with a 19.45m (63-9.75) toss. Sophomore Andrew Knieper (Lake Orion, Mich.-Lake Orion) had a career-best weight throw toss of 12.68m (41-7.25), good for eighth place.
The women also went first-and-second in an event, with sophomore Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich.-Cadillac) and graduate student Tabatha Walford (Northamptonshire, England-Bishop Stopford-Nevada) meeting that mark in the 800m.
In addition to the distance runners, the Eagle sprinters and hurdlers had strong outings. Sophomore Saraiah Walkes (Manatee, Country, Fla.-The-Out-of-Door-Academy) took second place in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 56.55. Later, senior Angel Gazaway (Cincinnati, Ohio-Princeton) claimed the top spot in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.65.
Eastern's relay teams both took top prize. The men's 4x400m team of senior Dante Lander (Dayton, Ohio-West Carrollton-Central Michigan), senior Kyle Martin (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ann Arbor Huron), Simpson, and freshman Josh Flake (Oak Park, Mich.-Oak Park) finished in 3:17.94, while the women's foursome of graduate student Chevonne Wheeler (Redford, Mich.-Divine Child), senior Tiffany Cernej-Garcia (Ann Arbor, Mich.-Ann Arbor Pioneer), freshman Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia-Technical School "New Belgrade"), and Gazaway crossed the finish line in 3:50.89.
WAYS TO FOLLOW: The meet will be streamed live via MGOBlue.com. Click here for more information. Fans can also follow the results by clicking here. For post-meet coverage, continue to visit EMUEagles.com or follow the teams on social media.
The event will officially kick off the indoor season for both programs, serving as the first of 11 events leading up to the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, set for Feb. 24-25 in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The long jump will mark the start of field events at 10 a.m. Preliminary rounds of the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash begin at 11 a.m., with the finals-only portion of the track program set to begin at 11:40 a.m. The meet is expected to conclude prior to 3 p.m.
In addition to facing off against host Michigan, the Eagles will also compete against student-athletes from Madonna University, fellow MAC foe the University of Toledo, and Siena Heights University.
EMU comes into the meet after participating most recently in the GVSU Holiday Open, which was hosted by Grand Valley State University, Dec. 9. Although team scores do not count towards the team's official indoor record, numerous EMU student-athletes gained critical experience.
LAST TIME OUT: Junior Miranda Cadwell (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield South) had a career-high 19.32m (63-feet, 4.25 inches) mark in the weight throw, moving into second place in the Eastern record book for that event and taking second place at the GVSU Holiday Open.
Eastern's men's team saw strong outings from its distance runners, with junior Toby Gualter (Tawa, New Zealand-Tawa College) and senior Marcus Kemp (Kitchener, Ontario-St. Mary's Kitchener-Providence) finishing first and second in the 3000m. Senior hurdler Almighty Williamson (Baltimore, Md.-Digital Harbor-Barton C.C.) earned first place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.92. Additionally, junior sprinter Kaleb Simpson (Bexley, Ohio-St. Charles Preparatory) took second place in the 60m dash with a time of 6.79.
The men's field athletes also enjoyed a strong day, headlined by graduate student Newlyn Stephenson (Gary, Ind.-Thea Bowman Leadership Academy) placing second in the weight throw invitational with a 19.45m (63-9.75) toss. Sophomore Andrew Knieper (Lake Orion, Mich.-Lake Orion) had a career-best weight throw toss of 12.68m (41-7.25), good for eighth place.
The women also went first-and-second in an event, with sophomore Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich.-Cadillac) and graduate student Tabatha Walford (Northamptonshire, England-Bishop Stopford-Nevada) meeting that mark in the 800m.
In addition to the distance runners, the Eagle sprinters and hurdlers had strong outings. Sophomore Saraiah Walkes (Manatee, Country, Fla.-The-Out-of-Door-Academy) took second place in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 56.55. Later, senior Angel Gazaway (Cincinnati, Ohio-Princeton) claimed the top spot in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.65.
Eastern's relay teams both took top prize. The men's 4x400m team of senior Dante Lander (Dayton, Ohio-West Carrollton-Central Michigan), senior Kyle Martin (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ann Arbor Huron), Simpson, and freshman Josh Flake (Oak Park, Mich.-Oak Park) finished in 3:17.94, while the women's foursome of graduate student Chevonne Wheeler (Redford, Mich.-Divine Child), senior Tiffany Cernej-Garcia (Ann Arbor, Mich.-Ann Arbor Pioneer), freshman Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia-Technical School "New Belgrade"), and Gazaway crossed the finish line in 3:50.89.
WAYS TO FOLLOW: The meet will be streamed live via MGOBlue.com. Click here for more information. Fans can also follow the results by clicking here. For post-meet coverage, continue to visit EMUEagles.com or follow the teams on social media.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
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