Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 24
Ypsilanti, Mich.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
vs
MAC Indoor Championships
CHAMPIONS! EMU Women Capture MAC Indoor Crown
2/24/2024 8:09:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Paige Marchant leads the way with three titles as EMU claims gold at home
Photo Gallery | Cinematic Recaps: Women - Men | Final Results
Interviews: Sue_Parks. Paige_Marchant.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- On the strength of seven individual and one relay title, the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team claimed their ninth Mid-American Conference (MAC) indoor title as the Eagles ran away with the title at the 2024 MAC Championships at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House Saturday, Feb. 24, in Ypsilanti. Paige Marchant (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) claimed three individual titles on the track to lead the women as the Eagles scored 144.5 points to win the crown for the second consecutive year while the men were edged by Kent State University for the men's title.
In The Team Race
The Eastern women tallied 144.5 points to secure the team crown with Kent State placing second with 85.5 points, 59 points being the Eagles. The top five standings were rounded out by Ball State University (61.5 points), Bowling Green State University (59.0) and Miami University (57.5). In the four-team men's standings, the Golden Flashes took the title with 155 points with the Eagles in a close second with 140. The University of Akron was third with 128 points with the University at Buffalo placing fourth with 93.
Quick Notes
» Eastern Michigan captured its ninth indoor MAC championship and its second in as many years after taking gold in 2023. The Eagles have now won titles in 1997, 2000, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023, and 2024.
» The women's team title stands as the 93rd MAC championship won in program history with titles coming from cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.
» The women captured eight event titles with Paige Marchant winning the 800m, mile, and 3,000m run to lead the charge. The team of Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy), Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia/Technical School "New Belgrade"), Noriyah Johnson (Chania, Greece/Second General/Abilene Christian), and Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) won the 4x400m relay after Walkes won the 60m and 200m events. Field event titles were won by Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) in the triple jump and Miranda Cadwell (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) in the weight throw.
» The men captured gold in a trio of events with Ryan Johnson (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) winning the weight throw; Callum Robinson (Goderich, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School/Simon Fraser) taking the 200m; and Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) winning the long jump.
» Paige Marchant became the fifth woman in MAC history to win the 800m and mile in the same meet and the first since 2000 while becoming only the second to add the 3,000m title to her total. The previous runner to do so was EMU's Domtila Mwei in 2000.
» Saraiah Walkes swept the two short sprints with victories in the 60m and 200m to become the 11th woman in MAC history to accomplish the double. She is also the seventh EMU runner to accomplish the feat and the first since Ashlee Abraham in 2011.
» Saraiah Walkes and Callum Robinson combined to sweep the 200m dash, marking the fifth time the same school has captured both titles. The last time it happened was 2012 and the one other time EMU swept the titles came in 1997 with Jannell Ali winning the women's race and Clement Chukwu taking the men's.
Adding It Up
Paige Marchant and Saraiah Walkes were instrumental in the team's victory as the duo combined to score 52.5 points. Marchant was responsible for 30 points as she won the 800m in 2:10.26; the mile run in 4:49.67; and the 3,000m run in a meet-record time of 9:25.38. Walkes raced to times of 7.44 in the 60m dash and 24.15 in the 200m for her victory while running the lead leg of the victorious 4x400m relay that clocked in at 3:44.74.
On the men's side, Yvan Lopes Ribeiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré d'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) led the way with 18 points after finishing third in a trio of events, including the 60m hurdles, the long jump, and the triple jump. Callum Robinson earned 14 points for the team after taking the 200m title and placing fourth in the 60m dash while Formula Thompson also added 14 points with his win in the long jump and fourth-place finish in the triple.
Crowned
Along with Marchant and Walkes' individual titles, two more titles were won Saturday. Walkes joined with Tijana Japundzic, Noriyah Johnson, and Josephine Oloye to run 3:44.74 and win the 4x400m relay to close out the meet. In the field events, Kyra Buffen took home gold in the triple jump as she bound her way to a best of 12.43m (40-09.00), a mark that also ranks No. 8 in the program's all-time top 10 ledger.
In The Top 10
Two more women and two men etched their names into Eastern's all-time top 10 lists Saturday. For the women's Alyson Davis (Summerfield, N.C./Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts) ran 7.45 to finish second in the 60m dash to not only help EMU sweep the top two spots, but also move into a tie for No. 9 all-time at EMU. In the field, freshman Claire Allen (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich Community) sent the shot out to 13.51m (44-04.00) to finish fifth in the shot put and move into the No. 8 position all-time.
On the men's side, Samuel Jeffery (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley Secondary), who scored a personal-best 4,841 points to take third in the heptathlon, two marks while fellow freshman Cason Doolittle (Findlay, Ohio/Liberty Benton) added one more on his way to scoring a personal-best 4,454 points and finish sixth. Jeffery's 2,041 points in the final three events (60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1,000m run) rank him 10th at EMU while his 8.74 time in the hurdles ranks eighth in the EMU heptathlon rankings. Doolittle raced to a time of 2:48.91 to move up to No. 3 on the heptathlon ledger in the 1,000m.
Up Next
The next meet on the indoor schedule is the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, Mass., March 8-9. A full list of qualifiers for the national meet will be released next week. If no Eagle qualifies for the meet, the indoor season will come to a close with the outdoor season getting underway March 15-16 in Orlando, Fla., at the Black & Gold Invitational hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF).
Follow Us
For updates on all things EMU track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
Interviews: Sue_Parks. Paige_Marchant.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- On the strength of seven individual and one relay title, the Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team claimed their ninth Mid-American Conference (MAC) indoor title as the Eagles ran away with the title at the 2024 MAC Championships at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House Saturday, Feb. 24, in Ypsilanti. Paige Marchant (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) claimed three individual titles on the track to lead the women as the Eagles scored 144.5 points to win the crown for the second consecutive year while the men were edged by Kent State University for the men's title.
In The Team Race
The Eastern women tallied 144.5 points to secure the team crown with Kent State placing second with 85.5 points, 59 points being the Eagles. The top five standings were rounded out by Ball State University (61.5 points), Bowling Green State University (59.0) and Miami University (57.5). In the four-team men's standings, the Golden Flashes took the title with 155 points with the Eagles in a close second with 140. The University of Akron was third with 128 points with the University at Buffalo placing fourth with 93.
Quick Notes
» Eastern Michigan captured its ninth indoor MAC championship and its second in as many years after taking gold in 2023. The Eagles have now won titles in 1997, 2000, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023, and 2024.
» The women's team title stands as the 93rd MAC championship won in program history with titles coming from cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.
» The women captured eight event titles with Paige Marchant winning the 800m, mile, and 3,000m run to lead the charge. The team of Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy), Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia/Technical School "New Belgrade"), Noriyah Johnson (Chania, Greece/Second General/Abilene Christian), and Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) won the 4x400m relay after Walkes won the 60m and 200m events. Field event titles were won by Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) in the triple jump and Miranda Cadwell (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) in the weight throw.
» The men captured gold in a trio of events with Ryan Johnson (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) winning the weight throw; Callum Robinson (Goderich, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School/Simon Fraser) taking the 200m; and Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) winning the long jump.
» Paige Marchant became the fifth woman in MAC history to win the 800m and mile in the same meet and the first since 2000 while becoming only the second to add the 3,000m title to her total. The previous runner to do so was EMU's Domtila Mwei in 2000.
» Saraiah Walkes swept the two short sprints with victories in the 60m and 200m to become the 11th woman in MAC history to accomplish the double. She is also the seventh EMU runner to accomplish the feat and the first since Ashlee Abraham in 2011.
» Saraiah Walkes and Callum Robinson combined to sweep the 200m dash, marking the fifth time the same school has captured both titles. The last time it happened was 2012 and the one other time EMU swept the titles came in 1997 with Jannell Ali winning the women's race and Clement Chukwu taking the men's.
Adding It Up
Paige Marchant and Saraiah Walkes were instrumental in the team's victory as the duo combined to score 52.5 points. Marchant was responsible for 30 points as she won the 800m in 2:10.26; the mile run in 4:49.67; and the 3,000m run in a meet-record time of 9:25.38. Walkes raced to times of 7.44 in the 60m dash and 24.15 in the 200m for her victory while running the lead leg of the victorious 4x400m relay that clocked in at 3:44.74.
On the men's side, Yvan Lopes Ribeiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré d'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) led the way with 18 points after finishing third in a trio of events, including the 60m hurdles, the long jump, and the triple jump. Callum Robinson earned 14 points for the team after taking the 200m title and placing fourth in the 60m dash while Formula Thompson also added 14 points with his win in the long jump and fourth-place finish in the triple.
Crowned
Along with Marchant and Walkes' individual titles, two more titles were won Saturday. Walkes joined with Tijana Japundzic, Noriyah Johnson, and Josephine Oloye to run 3:44.74 and win the 4x400m relay to close out the meet. In the field events, Kyra Buffen took home gold in the triple jump as she bound her way to a best of 12.43m (40-09.00), a mark that also ranks No. 8 in the program's all-time top 10 ledger.
In The Top 10
Two more women and two men etched their names into Eastern's all-time top 10 lists Saturday. For the women's Alyson Davis (Summerfield, N.C./Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts) ran 7.45 to finish second in the 60m dash to not only help EMU sweep the top two spots, but also move into a tie for No. 9 all-time at EMU. In the field, freshman Claire Allen (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich Community) sent the shot out to 13.51m (44-04.00) to finish fifth in the shot put and move into the No. 8 position all-time.
On the men's side, Samuel Jeffery (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley Secondary), who scored a personal-best 4,841 points to take third in the heptathlon, two marks while fellow freshman Cason Doolittle (Findlay, Ohio/Liberty Benton) added one more on his way to scoring a personal-best 4,454 points and finish sixth. Jeffery's 2,041 points in the final three events (60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1,000m run) rank him 10th at EMU while his 8.74 time in the hurdles ranks eighth in the EMU heptathlon rankings. Doolittle raced to a time of 2:48.91 to move up to No. 3 on the heptathlon ledger in the 1,000m.
Up Next
The next meet on the indoor schedule is the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, Mass., March 8-9. A full list of qualifiers for the national meet will be released next week. If no Eagle qualifies for the meet, the indoor season will come to a close with the outdoor season getting underway March 15-16 in Orlando, Fla., at the Black & Gold Invitational hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF).
Follow Us
For updates on all things EMU track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
2024 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Bob Park Track at Bowen Field House • Ypsilanti, Mich.
Women's Results • Day 2 (Saturday)
60m Dash • FINAL
1. Saraiah Walkes • 7.44 • 10 points
2. Alyson Davis • 7.45 • PR • EMU #9(tie) • 8 points
60m Hurdles • FINAL
6. Nikol Antoniadi • 8.69 • =PR • 3 points
200m Dash • FINAL
1. Saraiah Walkes • 24.15 • 10 points
400m Dash • FINAL
5. Noriyah Johnson • 56.00 • PR • 4 points
7. Josephine Oloye • 56.36 • 2 points
800m Run • FINAL
1. Paige Marchant • 2:10.26 • 10 points
6. Tabatha Walford • 2:13.76 • 3 points
7. Chloie Musta • 2:14.06 • 2 points
Mile Run • FINAL
1. Paige Marchant • 4:49.67 • 10 points
6. Faith Rono • 4:56.64 • 1 point
3,000m Run • FINAL
1. Paige Marchant • 9:25.38 • MR • 10 points
7. Esme Davies • 9:38.27 • 2 points
14. Marta Moreno • 9:53.05
4x400m Relay • FINAL
1. Eastern Michigan • 3:44.74 • 10 points
Saraiah Walkes, Tijana Japundzic, Noriyah Johnson, Josephine Oloye
Triple Jump • FINAL
1. Kyra Buffen • 12.43m (40-09.00) • PR • EMU #8 • 10 points
3. Mariia Yelanska • 12.20m (40-00.00) • PR • 6 points
13. Antonia Woods • 11.34m (37-02.00) • PR
High Jump • FINAL
8. Micah Martin • 1.72m (5-07.75) • 1 point
12. Natalie Buratczuk • 1.67m (5-05.75) • =PR
Shot Put • FINAL
5. Claire Allen • 13.51m (44-04.00) • PR • EMU #8 • 4 points
15. Miranda Cadwell • 12.59m (41-04.00)
Men's Results • Day 2 (Saturday)
60m Dash • FINAL
4. Callum Robinson • 6.92 • 4 points
-- Kyle Martin • false start
60m Hurdles • FINAL
2. Almighty Williamson • 7.91 • 8 points
3. Yvan Lopes Ribeiro • 7.91 • 6 points
200m Dash • FINAL
1. Callum Robinson • 21.43 • 10 points
-- Kyle Martin • DNS
400m Dash • FINAL
5. Tajay Roberts • 50.37 • 2 points
6. Gabe Singh • 51.25 • 1 point
800m Run • FINAL
2. Ronnie Brandal • 1:53.56 • 8 points
4. Linus Vennemann • 1:54.69 • 4 points
8. Ty Dailey • 1:55.91
Mile Run • FINAL
4. Linus Vennemann • 4:12.16 • 4 points
7. Grant Sweningson • 4:16.52
9. Brady Messer • 4:29.37
3,000m Run • FINAL
5. Sam Peterson • 8:25.89 • PR • 2 points
4x400m Relay • FINAL
2. Eastern Michigan • 3:16.13 • 8 points
Tajay Roberts, Gabe Singh, Ronnie Brandal, Callum Robinson
Triple Jump • FINAL
2. Eric Haddock Jr. • 15.07m (49-05.00) • 8 points
3. Yvan Lopes Ribeiro • 14.98m (49-02.00) • 6 points
4. Formula Thompson • 14.86m (48-09.00) • 4 points
High Jump • FINAL
t2. Brendan Hill • 2.04m (6-08.00) • 6 points
t2. Ousman Kamara • 2.04m (6-08.00) • 6 points
Pole Vault • FINAL
4. Jacob Niedzwiecki • 4.78m (15-08.00) • 4 points
Shot Put • FINAL
9. Ryan Johnson • 14.56m (47-09.00)
Heptathlon • FINAL
3. Samuel Jeffery • 4,841 points • PR • 6 points
6. Cason Doolittle • 4,454 points • PR • 1 point
Heptathlon Day Two Event Scoring ONLY
Samuel Jeffery • 2,041 points • PR • EMU #10
Cason Doolittle • 1,940 points • PR
Heptathlon #5 • 60m Hurdles
3. Samuel Jeffery • 8.74 [804p] • PR • EMU Hep #8
4. Cason Doolittle • 8.95 [757p]
Heptathlon #6 • Pole Vault
6. Samuel Jeffery • 3.50m (11-06.00)[482p] • PR
8. Cason Doolittle • 3.20m (10-06.00)[406p] • PR
Heptathlon #7 • 1,000m Run
2. Cason Doolittle • 2:48.91 [777p] • PR • EMU Hep #3
3. Samuel Jeffery • 2:50.98 [755p]
EMU #x - placement on EMU's all-time Top 10 ledger | PR: personal best | MR: meet record
Team Scores
Women
1. Eastern Michigan • 144.5
2. Kent State • 85.5
3. Ball State • 61.5
4. Bowling Green • 59.0
5. Miami • 57.5
6. Western Michigan • 52.0
7. Toledo • 48.0
8. Akron • 44.0
9. Central Michigan • 42.0
10. Buffalo • 28.0
11. Ohio • 21.0
12. Northern Illinois • 19.0
Men
1. Kent State • 155
2. Eastern Michigan • 140
3. Akron • 128
4. Buffalo • 93
2024 Mid-American Conference Champions
Women
Kyra Buffen • Triple Jump
Miranda Cadwell • Weight Throw
Paige Marchant • 800m Run & Mile Run & 3,000m
Tijana Japundzic • 4x400m Relay
Noriyah Johnson • 4x400m Relay
Josephine Oloye • 4x400m Relay
Saraiah Walkes • 60m& 200m & 4x400m Relay
Men
Ryan Johnson • Weight Throw
Callum Robinson • 200m Dash
Formula Thompson • Long Jump
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & FieldNew Outdoor Track & Field Facility Ribbon Cutting
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2025 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Cinematic Recap
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