Eastern Michigan Athletics

Track & Field Readies for Two-Meet Weekend
1/29/2025 5:20:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The multi athletes will attend the SVSU Jet's Pizza Invitational and the distance team will compete at the Meyo Invitational
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Slated for its first two-meet weekend of the season, the Eastern Michigan University track & field programs are set to attend the Jet's Pizza Invitational, hosted by Saginaw Valley State, at the SVSU Field House, in University Center, Mich., and the Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, at the Loftus Sports Center, in South Bend, Ind., Friday-Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
The Eastern multi athletes will see action at the Jet's Pizza Invitational, while the distance team will run at the Meyo Invitational. The Jet's Pizza Invitational will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday and resume action at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Meyo Invitational will start at 3 p.m. Friday and again at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Fans can follow along with live results and live streams using the links under the corresponding meet on the EMU track & field schedule page. A post-meet recap will be posted to EMUEagles.com with official results attached. Be sure to stay tuned to EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF for in-meet content.
LAST TIME AT MEYO INVITATIONAL
Last season at the Meyo Invitational, the Eagles saw three top-five finishes and one first-place finish, to go along with one time landing inside the program top 10. Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich./Cadillac) clocked the program's eighth-fastest 800m run, finishing first in 2:09.30. Overall, Eastern posted nine personal-bests throughout the meet, as the men notched four with the women securing five.
LAST TIME AT JET'S PIZZA INVITATIONAL
The Eagles were last at the Jet's Pizza Invitational in the 2021-22 season. Former Eagle and multi-athlete standout Skyler Lester won the heptathlon with 5,118 points. Lester produced three first-place finishes and recorded top-three placements in every event.
LAST TIME OUT: BOB PARKS MEMORIAL, JAN.25
The Eastern women's team led the day for the Eagles. It won six events and placed in the top three 14 times while landing one mark inside the program top 10, and collecting 13 collegiate personal records. The men had similar success, as they claimed five events, tabbed 14 top three finishes, and earned 17 PRs.
TOP CONFERENCE TIMES/MARKS: MEN
The EMU men currently own 19 marks that rank inside the conference top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 48.41 3
800m Jimmy Geller 1:52.92 3
Mile Ronan Codyre 4:08.83 2
Mile Ty Dailey 4:09.32 3
3000m Kian Wiles 8:21.64 3
5000m Sam Peterson 14:22.88 1
5000m Kian Wiles 14:33.07 2
5000m Ronan Codyre 14:56.02 3
5000m Isaac Garcia 14:59.42 4
60mH Matt McKnight 8.27 4
60mH Leo Ignacio 8.29 5
4x400m Gaspersic, Bass, Hawkins, Flake 3:24.91 3
High Jump Lucky Fiaku 2.10m 1
High Jump Ousman Kamara 2.05m 4
High Jump Brendan Hill 2.05m 4
Long Jump Formula Thompson 7.52m 1
Long Jump Samuel Jeffery 7.15m 3
Triple Jump Formula Thompson 15.07m 2
Weight Throw Jake McEachern 18.64m 1
TOP CONFERENCE TIMES/MARKS: WOMEN
The EMU women currently own nine marks that rank inside the conference top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
60m Saraiah Walkes 7.46 1
200m Josephine Oloye 24.06 2
400m Josephine Oloye 54.68 3
400m Saraiah Walkes 54.79 4
800m Chloie Musta 2:11.00 3
5000m Marta Moreno 16:31.78 3
4x400m Walkes, Arscott, Biehl, Oloye 3:43.59 1
Long Jump Alimot Alowonle 5.90m 5
Triple Jump Mariia Yelanska 12.18m 3
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The EMU women's team is ranked as the best team in the MAC according the the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the men are ranked as the second-best team in the conference. Regionally, the women check in as the ninth ranked team in the Great lakes Region and the men slot 12th.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank in the top 25 nationally in two events. They slot 14th in the high jump and 25th in the 5000m. Lucky Fiaku (Nimo, Nigeria/Busy International Secondary) holds the top high jump of the season from the men's team with a 2.10m (6-10.75) bounce and Sam Peterson (Charlevoix, Mich./Charlevoix) owns the team's fastest 5000m in 14:22.88.
The Eastern women also rank inside the top 25 nationally in the 5000m, as they slot 11th in America. Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of "The Hague") owns the squad's best 5000m in 16:31.78. The team ranks 13th in the triple jump with Mariia Yelanska (Dnipro, Ukraine) possessing the best jump with a 12.18m (39-11.50) mark.
EMU WOMEN IN THE PROGRAM TOP-10
The Eagles saw their fifth top 10 program mark of the season as freshman Faith Moore (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) wrote her name into the weight throw top 10 with the program's sixth-best indoor mark at 16.89 meters (55-04.90).
Previously Noted
AT WOLVERINE INVITATIONAL, JAN. 11
The Eagles most recently competed at the Wolverine Invitational, Jan. 11. Sophomore Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) highlighted the EMU women's performances as she broke the program record in the 300-meter dash, tying for first in 38.05. Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) joined her with a first-place finish in the triple jump with an 11.79-meter (38-08.25) bound. For the men, Thompson placed first in the triple jump with a mark of 15.07-meters (49-05.50) while both Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) and Fiaku earned second-place outings. McCoy earned silver in the 600-meter dash in 1:19.25 while Fiaku collected his second consecutive second-place finish in the high jump, leaping 2.06-meters (6-09.00).
FIAKU AND OLOYE: MAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Nigeria natives Fiaku and Oloye were each named MAC Athletes of the Week, Dec. 10. Fiaku earned the honor for the first time after starting his collegiate career with a second-place 2.09-meter (6-10.25) performance in the high jump at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 6. Fiaku's bounce stands as the best in the MAC thus far and 44th-best in the NCAA. Furthermore, his second-place finish came with the first-place finisher, GVSU's Eli Kosiba, tying the NCAA Division II record with a 2.30-meter (7-06.50) leap.
Oloye also captured her first athlete of the week honors with a first-place outing in the 400-meter dash at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 6. Oloye crossed the finish line in 54.68, a time that ranks as the third-best in the MAC thus far, 39th-fastest in the NCAA, stands ninth in EMU program history, and marks a personal-best for the sophomore.
EMU WOMEN IN THE PROGRAM TOP-10
Oloye and Walkes ran the No. 9 and No. 10 fastest indoor 400-meters in EMU women's history, respectively. Oloye finished first in 54.68 while Walkes placed second in 54.79. Walkes' time serves as the fourth-best in the MAC and 44th-fastest in the nation. Moreno clocked the program's eighth-fastest indoor 5000-meter with a fourth-place finish in 16:31.78, a time that stands as the third-best in the conference. Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins) started her season strong, tossing Eastern's seventh-farthest weight throw with a 16.65-meter (54-07.50) mark.
AT GVSU HOLIDAY OPEN, DEC. 6
In a meet that had no team scoring, the women led the way as they posted 13 top-three finishes and set four marks that landed inside the program top-10, while the men notched four top-three finishes. In total, the Eagles recorded 52 collegiate personal-best marks with the men setting 27 and the women 24.
DEFENDING THE CROWN
The Eagles' women's team captured its ninth MAC title at the 2024 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. It is looking to secure its 10th title in the 2025 indoor season. A victory at the MAC Indoor Championships would mark the first three-peat from the women's team in program history.
RETURNING MAC CHAMPS
The men return one former MAC Champion in Thompson. He won the long jump at the indoor championships with a 7.68m (25-02.50) jump and the triple jump at the outdoor championships, bounding 15.57m (51-01.00).
On the women's side, EMU returns former MAC champions Buffen, Walkes, and Marchant. Buffen won the triple jump at both the indoor and outdoor conference meets with her best mark coming at the outdoor meet, leaping 12.64m (41-05.75). Walkes captured individual conference titles in the indoor season in the 200-meter dash (24.15) and the 60-meter dash (7.44). Marchant earned three individual championships at the MAC Indoor Championships, winning the 800-meter (2:10.26), mile (4:49.67), and 3000-meter (9:25.38). She also set the women's indoor mile record last season, finishing the race in 4:38.91, Feb. 10. Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia/Technical School "New Belgrade"), Oloye, and Walkes also earned titles in the 4x400m relay, as they crossed the finish line in 3:44.74.
2024 MAC HONORS
Marchant was named the MAC Women's Most Valuable Track Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer in the indoor season. Now Associate Head Coach, Sue Parks was named MAC Women's Coach of the Year while former Associate Head Coach and now Co-Director of Cross Country/Track & Field, Chris Best, earned Women's Assistant Coach of the Year after the indoor championships.
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – INDOOR SEASON
Eastern returns 11 All-MAC honorees from the indoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen
Tijana Japundzic
Paige Marchant
Josephine Oloye
Saraiah Walkes
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson
Shelton Bass
Eric Haddock Jr.
Brendan Hill
Tajay Roberts
Gabe Singh
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return seven All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen
Paige Marchant
Saraiah Walkes
Josephine Oloye
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson
Gabe Singh
Jake McEachern
NEW COACHES
The Eagles have adjusted their coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Chris Best and Sterling Roberts have been promoted to Directors of Cross Country/Track & Field. Best will take on the head coaching duties for the women's team while Roberts will do so for the men's. Sue Parks opted to return to hands-on coaching duties and will serve as an Associate Head Coach while still acting as the Head Women's Cross Country Coach. Eastern added two newcomers to the coaching staff in Austin Whitelaw (distance) and Nia Henderson (throws). Whitelaw comes to Ypsilanti after most recently serving as an assistant track & field/cross country coach as well as recruiting coordinator for the University of Connecticut (2022-24). Henderson brings five years of NAIA coaching experience with her as she oversaw nine NAIA All-Americans at nearby Madonna University. She was also named Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Eastern thrower McEachern excelled at the Canadian U20 track & field championships. He won the hammer throw (67.32m – 220-10), shotput (15.93m – 52-03.16), and discus (49.22m – 161-05) events at the Canadian U20 Track & Field Championships. Joining him in competing nationally was Thompson, who saw action at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in the long and triple jump. Kayenn Mabin (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) also earned himself a spot at the USA U20 Track & Field Championships in the 110-meter hurdles.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will compete locally at the Michigan Invitational, hosted by Michigan, at the U-M Indoor Track Building Saturday, Feb. 8.
FOLLOW US
For updates on all things EMU cross country/track & field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
The Eastern multi athletes will see action at the Jet's Pizza Invitational, while the distance team will run at the Meyo Invitational. The Jet's Pizza Invitational will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday and resume action at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Meyo Invitational will start at 3 p.m. Friday and again at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Fans can follow along with live results and live streams using the links under the corresponding meet on the EMU track & field schedule page. A post-meet recap will be posted to EMUEagles.com with official results attached. Be sure to stay tuned to EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF for in-meet content.
LAST TIME AT MEYO INVITATIONAL
Last season at the Meyo Invitational, the Eagles saw three top-five finishes and one first-place finish, to go along with one time landing inside the program top 10. Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich./Cadillac) clocked the program's eighth-fastest 800m run, finishing first in 2:09.30. Overall, Eastern posted nine personal-bests throughout the meet, as the men notched four with the women securing five.
LAST TIME AT JET'S PIZZA INVITATIONAL
The Eagles were last at the Jet's Pizza Invitational in the 2021-22 season. Former Eagle and multi-athlete standout Skyler Lester won the heptathlon with 5,118 points. Lester produced three first-place finishes and recorded top-three placements in every event.
LAST TIME OUT: BOB PARKS MEMORIAL, JAN.25
The Eastern women's team led the day for the Eagles. It won six events and placed in the top three 14 times while landing one mark inside the program top 10, and collecting 13 collegiate personal records. The men had similar success, as they claimed five events, tabbed 14 top three finishes, and earned 17 PRs.
TOP CONFERENCE TIMES/MARKS: MEN
The EMU men currently own 19 marks that rank inside the conference top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 48.41 3
800m Jimmy Geller 1:52.92 3
Mile Ronan Codyre 4:08.83 2
Mile Ty Dailey 4:09.32 3
3000m Kian Wiles 8:21.64 3
5000m Sam Peterson 14:22.88 1
5000m Kian Wiles 14:33.07 2
5000m Ronan Codyre 14:56.02 3
5000m Isaac Garcia 14:59.42 4
60mH Matt McKnight 8.27 4
60mH Leo Ignacio 8.29 5
4x400m Gaspersic, Bass, Hawkins, Flake 3:24.91 3
High Jump Lucky Fiaku 2.10m 1
High Jump Ousman Kamara 2.05m 4
High Jump Brendan Hill 2.05m 4
Long Jump Formula Thompson 7.52m 1
Long Jump Samuel Jeffery 7.15m 3
Triple Jump Formula Thompson 15.07m 2
Weight Throw Jake McEachern 18.64m 1
TOP CONFERENCE TIMES/MARKS: WOMEN
The EMU women currently own nine marks that rank inside the conference top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
60m Saraiah Walkes 7.46 1
200m Josephine Oloye 24.06 2
400m Josephine Oloye 54.68 3
400m Saraiah Walkes 54.79 4
800m Chloie Musta 2:11.00 3
5000m Marta Moreno 16:31.78 3
4x400m Walkes, Arscott, Biehl, Oloye 3:43.59 1
Long Jump Alimot Alowonle 5.90m 5
Triple Jump Mariia Yelanska 12.18m 3
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The EMU women's team is ranked as the best team in the MAC according the the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the men are ranked as the second-best team in the conference. Regionally, the women check in as the ninth ranked team in the Great lakes Region and the men slot 12th.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank in the top 25 nationally in two events. They slot 14th in the high jump and 25th in the 5000m. Lucky Fiaku (Nimo, Nigeria/Busy International Secondary) holds the top high jump of the season from the men's team with a 2.10m (6-10.75) bounce and Sam Peterson (Charlevoix, Mich./Charlevoix) owns the team's fastest 5000m in 14:22.88.
The Eastern women also rank inside the top 25 nationally in the 5000m, as they slot 11th in America. Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of "The Hague") owns the squad's best 5000m in 16:31.78. The team ranks 13th in the triple jump with Mariia Yelanska (Dnipro, Ukraine) possessing the best jump with a 12.18m (39-11.50) mark.
EMU WOMEN IN THE PROGRAM TOP-10
The Eagles saw their fifth top 10 program mark of the season as freshman Faith Moore (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington) wrote her name into the weight throw top 10 with the program's sixth-best indoor mark at 16.89 meters (55-04.90).
Previously Noted
AT WOLVERINE INVITATIONAL, JAN. 11
The Eagles most recently competed at the Wolverine Invitational, Jan. 11. Sophomore Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) highlighted the EMU women's performances as she broke the program record in the 300-meter dash, tying for first in 38.05. Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) joined her with a first-place finish in the triple jump with an 11.79-meter (38-08.25) bound. For the men, Thompson placed first in the triple jump with a mark of 15.07-meters (49-05.50) while both Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) and Fiaku earned second-place outings. McCoy earned silver in the 600-meter dash in 1:19.25 while Fiaku collected his second consecutive second-place finish in the high jump, leaping 2.06-meters (6-09.00).
FIAKU AND OLOYE: MAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Nigeria natives Fiaku and Oloye were each named MAC Athletes of the Week, Dec. 10. Fiaku earned the honor for the first time after starting his collegiate career with a second-place 2.09-meter (6-10.25) performance in the high jump at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 6. Fiaku's bounce stands as the best in the MAC thus far and 44th-best in the NCAA. Furthermore, his second-place finish came with the first-place finisher, GVSU's Eli Kosiba, tying the NCAA Division II record with a 2.30-meter (7-06.50) leap.
Oloye also captured her first athlete of the week honors with a first-place outing in the 400-meter dash at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 6. Oloye crossed the finish line in 54.68, a time that ranks as the third-best in the MAC thus far, 39th-fastest in the NCAA, stands ninth in EMU program history, and marks a personal-best for the sophomore.
EMU WOMEN IN THE PROGRAM TOP-10
Oloye and Walkes ran the No. 9 and No. 10 fastest indoor 400-meters in EMU women's history, respectively. Oloye finished first in 54.68 while Walkes placed second in 54.79. Walkes' time serves as the fourth-best in the MAC and 44th-fastest in the nation. Moreno clocked the program's eighth-fastest indoor 5000-meter with a fourth-place finish in 16:31.78, a time that stands as the third-best in the conference. Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins) started her season strong, tossing Eastern's seventh-farthest weight throw with a 16.65-meter (54-07.50) mark.
AT GVSU HOLIDAY OPEN, DEC. 6
In a meet that had no team scoring, the women led the way as they posted 13 top-three finishes and set four marks that landed inside the program top-10, while the men notched four top-three finishes. In total, the Eagles recorded 52 collegiate personal-best marks with the men setting 27 and the women 24.
DEFENDING THE CROWN
The Eagles' women's team captured its ninth MAC title at the 2024 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. It is looking to secure its 10th title in the 2025 indoor season. A victory at the MAC Indoor Championships would mark the first three-peat from the women's team in program history.
RETURNING MAC CHAMPS
The men return one former MAC Champion in Thompson. He won the long jump at the indoor championships with a 7.68m (25-02.50) jump and the triple jump at the outdoor championships, bounding 15.57m (51-01.00).
On the women's side, EMU returns former MAC champions Buffen, Walkes, and Marchant. Buffen won the triple jump at both the indoor and outdoor conference meets with her best mark coming at the outdoor meet, leaping 12.64m (41-05.75). Walkes captured individual conference titles in the indoor season in the 200-meter dash (24.15) and the 60-meter dash (7.44). Marchant earned three individual championships at the MAC Indoor Championships, winning the 800-meter (2:10.26), mile (4:49.67), and 3000-meter (9:25.38). She also set the women's indoor mile record last season, finishing the race in 4:38.91, Feb. 10. Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia/Technical School "New Belgrade"), Oloye, and Walkes also earned titles in the 4x400m relay, as they crossed the finish line in 3:44.74.
2024 MAC HONORS
Marchant was named the MAC Women's Most Valuable Track Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer in the indoor season. Now Associate Head Coach, Sue Parks was named MAC Women's Coach of the Year while former Associate Head Coach and now Co-Director of Cross Country/Track & Field, Chris Best, earned Women's Assistant Coach of the Year after the indoor championships.
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – INDOOR SEASON
Eastern returns 11 All-MAC honorees from the indoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen
Tijana Japundzic
Paige Marchant
Josephine Oloye
Saraiah Walkes
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson
Shelton Bass
Eric Haddock Jr.
Brendan Hill
Tajay Roberts
Gabe Singh
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return seven All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen
Paige Marchant
Saraiah Walkes
Josephine Oloye
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson
Gabe Singh
Jake McEachern
NEW COACHES
The Eagles have adjusted their coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Chris Best and Sterling Roberts have been promoted to Directors of Cross Country/Track & Field. Best will take on the head coaching duties for the women's team while Roberts will do so for the men's. Sue Parks opted to return to hands-on coaching duties and will serve as an Associate Head Coach while still acting as the Head Women's Cross Country Coach. Eastern added two newcomers to the coaching staff in Austin Whitelaw (distance) and Nia Henderson (throws). Whitelaw comes to Ypsilanti after most recently serving as an assistant track & field/cross country coach as well as recruiting coordinator for the University of Connecticut (2022-24). Henderson brings five years of NAIA coaching experience with her as she oversaw nine NAIA All-Americans at nearby Madonna University. She was also named Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Eastern thrower McEachern excelled at the Canadian U20 track & field championships. He won the hammer throw (67.32m – 220-10), shotput (15.93m – 52-03.16), and discus (49.22m – 161-05) events at the Canadian U20 Track & Field Championships. Joining him in competing nationally was Thompson, who saw action at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in the long and triple jump. Kayenn Mabin (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) also earned himself a spot at the USA U20 Track & Field Championships in the 110-meter hurdles.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will compete locally at the Michigan Invitational, hosted by Michigan, at the U-M Indoor Track Building Saturday, Feb. 8.
FOLLOW US
For updates on all things EMU cross country/track & field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
Players Mentioned
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