Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 15
Orlando, Fla.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
Black & Gold Invitational
EMU to Begin Outdoor Track & Field Season at Black & Gold Invitational
3/13/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The meet will last Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, at the UCF Track & Field Complex in Orlando, Fla.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track and field team is set to travel south to start the outdoor season at the Black & Gold Invitational at the University of Central Florida. The meet will span two days, Friday-Saturday, March 15-16.
Meet Information/How to Follow
The meet will last all day both days, being held at the UCF Track and Field Complex, in Orlando, Fla. Fans can stay updated by tuning in to live stats here and EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap.
Last Time Out: MAC Indoor Championships, Feb. 23-24
Day One
The Eagles held the lead in both team races with the women having scored 36.5 points and the men 42. In the women's standings, EMU was just ahead of Miami University (34.5) with Bowling Green State University (29), Kent State University (26), and Ball State (23) rounding out the top five. On the men's side, the Eagles held a four-point lead over the University at Buffalo (38) with Akron (28) and Kent State (12) rounding out the men's standings.
On the women's side, four other events scored points for the Eagles, led by a runner-up finish from Esme Davies (Lake District, England/Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) in the 5,000m run. Davies finished the 25.5 laps around the facility in 16:24.00 to add eight team points. Her fellow distance runners combined to clock a time of 11:36.69 - the eighth-fastest in program history - to take third in the distance medley relay and add six more points. In the field events, Fleur van der Linden (Drunen, Netherlands/d'Oultremont College) took third in the pole vault with her clearance of 3.70m (12-02.00) for another six points while Antonia Woods (Winchester, Ohio/Groveport Madison) finished sixth in the long jump and earned three points with her leap of 5.72m (18-09.25).
The men added points in three events with Yvan Lopes Ribeiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré D'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) placing third in the long jump at 7.31m (23-11.75) to earn six points while Eric Haddock Jr. (Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh/Appalachian State) added four points by finishing fourth with a seasons-best of 7.30m (23-11.50). Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) also placed third in the weight throw with a heave of 18.34m (60-02.00) while the distance medley relay placed third in 9:59.53 for another six points.
Day Two
The Eastern women tallied 144.5 points to secure the team crown with Kent State placing second with 85.5 points, 59 points behind 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.
Paige Marchant (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) and Saraiah Walkes (Manatee Country, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy) 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, Lopes Ribiero 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 (Goderich, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic Secondary/Simon Fraser) earned 14 points for the team after taking the 200m title and placing fourth in the 60m dash while Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) added 14 points with his win in the long jump and fourth-place finish in the triple.
Along with Marchant and Walkes' individual titles, two more titles were won, Feb. 24th. Walkes joined with 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) to run 3:44.74 and win the 4x400m relay to close out the meet. In the field events, Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) took home gold in the triple jump as she bound her way to a personal best of 12.43m (40-09.00), a mark that also ranks No. 8 in the program's all-time top 10 ledger.
Two more women and two men etched their names into Eastern's all-time top 10 lists, Feb. 24th.
For the women, 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, earned 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 Eagles will be soaring back down south to the Clyde Hart Classic, hosted by Baylor University, at the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium located in Waco, Texas, Friday-Saturday, March 22-23.
Follow Us
For all things Eastern track and field related, follow the team's social media accounts @EMUXC_TF on X, @emuxc_tf on Instagram and Eastern Michigan Cross Country & Track and Field on Facebook.
Meet Information/How to Follow
The meet will last all day both days, being held at the UCF Track and Field Complex, in Orlando, Fla. Fans can stay updated by tuning in to live stats here and EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap.
Last Time Out: MAC Indoor Championships, Feb. 23-24
Day One
The Eagles held the lead in both team races with the women having scored 36.5 points and the men 42. In the women's standings, EMU was just ahead of Miami University (34.5) with Bowling Green State University (29), Kent State University (26), and Ball State (23) rounding out the top five. On the men's side, the Eagles held a four-point lead over the University at Buffalo (38) with Akron (28) and Kent State (12) rounding out the men's standings.
On the women's side, four other events scored points for the Eagles, led by a runner-up finish from Esme Davies (Lake District, England/Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) in the 5,000m run. Davies finished the 25.5 laps around the facility in 16:24.00 to add eight team points. Her fellow distance runners combined to clock a time of 11:36.69 - the eighth-fastest in program history - to take third in the distance medley relay and add six more points. In the field events, Fleur van der Linden (Drunen, Netherlands/d'Oultremont College) took third in the pole vault with her clearance of 3.70m (12-02.00) for another six points while Antonia Woods (Winchester, Ohio/Groveport Madison) finished sixth in the long jump and earned three points with her leap of 5.72m (18-09.25).
The men added points in three events with Yvan Lopes Ribeiro (Nice, France/Lycée Honoré D'Estiennes d'Orves/American International) placing third in the long jump at 7.31m (23-11.75) to earn six points while Eric Haddock Jr. (Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh/Appalachian State) added four points by finishing fourth with a seasons-best of 7.30m (23-11.50). Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) also placed third in the weight throw with a heave of 18.34m (60-02.00) while the distance medley relay placed third in 9:59.53 for another six points.
Day Two
The Eastern women tallied 144.5 points to secure the team crown with Kent State placing second with 85.5 points, 59 points behind 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.
Paige Marchant (London, Ontario/Catholic Central) and Saraiah Walkes (Manatee Country, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy) 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, Lopes Ribiero 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 (Goderich, Ontario/St. Anne's Catholic Secondary/Simon Fraser) earned 14 points for the team after taking the 200m title and placing fourth in the 60m dash while Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) added 14 points with his win in the long jump and fourth-place finish in the triple.
Along with Marchant and Walkes' individual titles, two more titles were won, Feb. 24th. Walkes joined with 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) to run 3:44.74 and win the 4x400m relay to close out the meet. In the field events, Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) took home gold in the triple jump as she bound her way to a personal best of 12.43m (40-09.00), a mark that also ranks No. 8 in the program's all-time top 10 ledger.
Two more women and two men etched their names into Eastern's all-time top 10 lists, Feb. 24th.
For the women, 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, earned 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 Eagles will be soaring back down south to the Clyde Hart Classic, hosted by Baylor University, at the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium located in Waco, Texas, Friday-Saturday, March 22-23.
Follow Us
For all things Eastern track and field related, follow the team's social media accounts @EMUXC_TF on X, @emuxc_tf on Instagram and Eastern Michigan Cross Country & Track and Field on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
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