Eastern Michigan Athletics
Cross Country/Track and Field Announce 2023-24 Captains
9/5/2023 5:36:00 PM | Men's XC, Women's XC, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Kian Wiles and Esme Davies will lead cross country while eight different Eagles will lead track and field
YPSILANTI, MICH. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Sue Parks announced team captains for the 2023-24 cross country/track and field season, today, Sept. 5.
"I'm very excited about the athletes who have been chosen to lead our program. This is a group who have made a difference both in leading by example and by showing up with a positive attitude every day. These are athletes who have experienced adversity but have fought back for the team. They are all great representatives of our program," said Parks.
Women's Cross Country Captain – Esme Davies (Lake District, England/Queen Elizabeth Grammar School)
Hailing from Lake District, England, Davies enters her senior season with the outstanding honor of being named team captain for women's cross country. Davies is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection, and most recently ran a personal-best 5K in 17:15.5, finishing in second place individually at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, Sept. 1.
Men's Cross Country Captain – Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's)
Another of the many EMU harriers from across the pond, Wiles enters his second season with the Green and White after running a personal-best 5K in 15:16.3 last season at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, Sept. 2.
Women's Track and Field Captains
Tabatha Walford (Northamptonshire, England/Bishop Stopford/Nevada) (Distance)
Entering her senior season, Walford is a staple piece of the women's track and cross country programs. Most recently, she ran her fastest 5K yet at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, finishing eighth overall in 18:11.4.
Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) (Throws)
Brent is entering her third eason at EMU, mostly competing in the weight and hammer throw. The Dearborn heights, Mich., native saw action in six meets during the 2023 outdoor T&F season, hurling the seventh farthest hammer throw in EMU history (52.11) to place second at the Elaine Leigh Invite last season, April 20-21.
Alyson Davis (Summerfield, N.C./Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts) (Sprints)
A multi-time All-MAC Honors recipient, Davis competed in the 100-meter dash in seven meets during the 2023 outdoor season, and was a member of the Green and White's 4x100-meter relay team which took third last season at the outdoor MAC-Championships (45.73), May 11-13.
Maleah Scott (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) (Jumps, Multis)
A jack of all trades on the track, Scott is entering her third season with EMU. She showed out last season, winning the 600-meter at the Wolverine Invite (1:48.73), Jan. 7, along with setting five personal-bests in the pentathalon at the MAC Championships as she placed 13th, she had personal-bests of 15.83 in the 100 hurdles, 1.49 meters in the high jump, 26.62 in the 200 meters, 5.19 meters in the long jump and 2:26.77 in the 800 meters.
Men's Track and Field Captains
Ronald Brandal (Huron, Ohio/Huron) (Distance)
A senior out of Huron, Ohio, Brandal has been with the Eagles the entirety of his collegiate running career. In the 2023 outdoor season, the senior competed in six meets and placed third in the 800 meters at the MAC Championships (1:51.59), May 11-13. Brandal also ran a personal-best of 1:50.57 in the 800 meters at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet, April 29, to place third.
Yvan Lopes Riberiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré d'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) (Hurdles/Jumps)
Entering his second season with the program, Lopes Riberiro excelled in his first season donning the Green and White. The France native took home first place at the indoor MAC-Championships in the long jump with a leap of 7.38 meters, finished second in the 60-meter hurdles (7.89), and third in the triple jump (14.84), Feb. 24-25.
Kyle Martin (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron) (Sprints)
An Ypsilanti, Mich., native, Kyle Martin was named the sprints captain after playing a large role in EMUs 4x400-meter relay team that took second-place at the MAC Indoor Championships (3:18.35), while also placing sixth in the 200-meters (22.32), Feb. 24-25.
Almighty Williamson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor/Barton C.C.) (Sprints/Hurdles)
Last season, Williamson finished third in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.990-seconds, good for a second-place finish at the MAC Indoor Championships, Feb. 24-25. In the outdoor season, the Baltimore, Md., native played a pivotal role in the 4x100-meter relay team that placed fifth at the outdoor MAC-Championships in 44.14-seconds, May 11-13.
While the Eagles Track and Field teams are in their respective off seasons, the Green and White cross country squads are in the thick of it as both the men's and women's teams placed second at the Central Michigan University-hosted Jeff Drenth Memorial Friday, Sept. 1. They next compete Friday, Sept. 15., at the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open hosted by Bowling Green State University, with races getting underway at 5:30 p.m.
"I'm very excited about the athletes who have been chosen to lead our program. This is a group who have made a difference both in leading by example and by showing up with a positive attitude every day. These are athletes who have experienced adversity but have fought back for the team. They are all great representatives of our program," said Parks.
Women's Cross Country Captain – Esme Davies (Lake District, England/Queen Elizabeth Grammar School)
Hailing from Lake District, England, Davies enters her senior season with the outstanding honor of being named team captain for women's cross country. Davies is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection, and most recently ran a personal-best 5K in 17:15.5, finishing in second place individually at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, Sept. 1.
Men's Cross Country Captain – Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's)
Another of the many EMU harriers from across the pond, Wiles enters his second season with the Green and White after running a personal-best 5K in 15:16.3 last season at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, Sept. 2.
Women's Track and Field Captains
Tabatha Walford (Northamptonshire, England/Bishop Stopford/Nevada) (Distance)
Entering her senior season, Walford is a staple piece of the women's track and cross country programs. Most recently, she ran her fastest 5K yet at the Jeff Drenth Memorial, finishing eighth overall in 18:11.4.
Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) (Throws)
Brent is entering her third eason at EMU, mostly competing in the weight and hammer throw. The Dearborn heights, Mich., native saw action in six meets during the 2023 outdoor T&F season, hurling the seventh farthest hammer throw in EMU history (52.11) to place second at the Elaine Leigh Invite last season, April 20-21.
Alyson Davis (Summerfield, N.C./Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts) (Sprints)
A multi-time All-MAC Honors recipient, Davis competed in the 100-meter dash in seven meets during the 2023 outdoor season, and was a member of the Green and White's 4x100-meter relay team which took third last season at the outdoor MAC-Championships (45.73), May 11-13.
Maleah Scott (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) (Jumps, Multis)
A jack of all trades on the track, Scott is entering her third season with EMU. She showed out last season, winning the 600-meter at the Wolverine Invite (1:48.73), Jan. 7, along with setting five personal-bests in the pentathalon at the MAC Championships as she placed 13th, she had personal-bests of 15.83 in the 100 hurdles, 1.49 meters in the high jump, 26.62 in the 200 meters, 5.19 meters in the long jump and 2:26.77 in the 800 meters.
Men's Track and Field Captains
Ronald Brandal (Huron, Ohio/Huron) (Distance)
A senior out of Huron, Ohio, Brandal has been with the Eagles the entirety of his collegiate running career. In the 2023 outdoor season, the senior competed in six meets and placed third in the 800 meters at the MAC Championships (1:51.59), May 11-13. Brandal also ran a personal-best of 1:50.57 in the 800 meters at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet, April 29, to place third.
Yvan Lopes Riberiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré d'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) (Hurdles/Jumps)
Entering his second season with the program, Lopes Riberiro excelled in his first season donning the Green and White. The France native took home first place at the indoor MAC-Championships in the long jump with a leap of 7.38 meters, finished second in the 60-meter hurdles (7.89), and third in the triple jump (14.84), Feb. 24-25.
Kyle Martin (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron) (Sprints)
An Ypsilanti, Mich., native, Kyle Martin was named the sprints captain after playing a large role in EMUs 4x400-meter relay team that took second-place at the MAC Indoor Championships (3:18.35), while also placing sixth in the 200-meters (22.32), Feb. 24-25.
Almighty Williamson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor/Barton C.C.) (Sprints/Hurdles)
Last season, Williamson finished third in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.990-seconds, good for a second-place finish at the MAC Indoor Championships, Feb. 24-25. In the outdoor season, the Baltimore, Md., native played a pivotal role in the 4x100-meter relay team that placed fifth at the outdoor MAC-Championships in 44.14-seconds, May 11-13.
While the Eagles Track and Field teams are in their respective off seasons, the Green and White cross country squads are in the thick of it as both the men's and women's teams placed second at the Central Michigan University-hosted Jeff Drenth Memorial Friday, Sept. 1. They next compete Friday, Sept. 15., at the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open hosted by Bowling Green State University, with races getting underway at 5:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
/ Women's XC
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
/ Women's XC
/ Men's XC
Sprints/Hurdles
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