Track and Field Opens 2023-24 Season with a Pair of Meets

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track and field teams will begin their respective indoor seasons, Dec. 1-2, in University Center, Mich., at the Saginaw Valley State University hosted, SVSU Holiday Open, with the distance portion of the teams heading east to Boston, Mass., where they will compete in the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener hosted by Boston University, Dec. 2.

Meets Information
There will be no live stats or broadcast of the SVSU Holiday Open. Live results for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener can be found here and the meet can be live streamed with a subscription to FloTrack here.

2022-23 Indoor Season Review
Both the men's and women's teams look to build upon their respective Mid-American Conference Indoor championship seasons, as the women claimed victory at the conference meet last season with 89.5 points while the men did so with 179.

Overall, the Eagles swept the team titles for the fourth time in program history as both Eastern teams hoisted the trophy in the same meet in 1997, 2000, and 2018 before last season's sweep. The Eagles are one of two schools to sweep the MAC indoor titles with Akron taking home both titles in 2017.

With the sweep, Eastern athletics continued to build upon its legacy of championship excellence as the Eagles brought home MAC Championships No. 156 and No. 157, the most decorated athletics department in the conference. The titles earned at the meet bring the Eastern men's indoor total to 17 MAC crowns while the women secured their eighth.

Following the meet, EMU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Sue Parks earned a pair of awards as she was named the MAC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year following her teams' sweep. Park's accolades were the eighth and ninth of her career as she previously garnered the women's honor three times with Ball State University before earning four with the Eagles. She also has been honored with the men's accolade each of the past two years.
By receiving both awards, Parks was the first coach to sweep the accolades at the MAC indoor meet since 2017 when the University of Akron's Dennis Mitchell did so. Additionally, with four women's honors, Parks stands second among any EMU coach with four indoor MAC Coach of the Year accolades, moving past her legendary father, Bob Parks, who was a three-time men's honoree.

On top of Parks' success, assistant distance coach Mark Rinker was also recognized as the 2023 Men's Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year as he mentored former Eagles' harrier Baldvin Magnusson to an outstanding 30-point, three-title performance earning him the 2023 MAC Men's Most Valuable Performer award for the second year in a row.

Up Next
The Eagles will take the rest of the month off and next return to the track in 2024 for the Wolverine Invite, hosted by the University of Michigan, Jan. 13.

For updates on all things Eastern Michigan cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram and X, @EMUXC_TF, and Facebook, @EMUXCTF.

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Players Mentioned

Baldvin Magnusson

Eastern Michigan Athletics