Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 4
East Lansing, Mich.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
Spartan Invitational
Track & Field Readies for Nearby Spartan Invitational
4/3/2025 6:14:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The meet will last a majority of the day at Ralph Young Field in East Lansing, Mich.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track & field programs enter the second week of the 2025 outdoor campaign as both programs will see action at the Spartan Invitational, hosted by Michigan State University, at Ralph Young Field, in East Lansing Friday, April 4.
The meet will begin with field events at 10 a.m. and running events will begin at 10:30 a.m. Field events will conclude with the men's discus throw scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and running events will be capped with the men's 4x400m relay beginning at approximately 5:10 p.m.
Fans interested in attending the meet can access a full meet schedule and meet information, and stay up-to-date with the action using live results and stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with final results attached. Be sure to stay tuned to EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF Eastern track & field content.
LAST TIME AT SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Nine of the 12 Eagles competing at the Spartan Invite saw outdoor personal-best performances. Eastern grabbed three top-three finishes, including two first-place showings at the meet. The Eagles' performances were highlighted by first-place showings from Elena Wheeler and Joey Furlong (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington). Wheeler placed first in the unseeded 800m run in an outdoor personal-best 2:28.21, while Furlong claimed gold in the 5,000m run in 14:58.04.
LAST TIME OUT: AT TEXAS RELAYS/BOBCAT INVITATIONAL/RALEIGH RELAYS, MARCH 27-29
The Eastern women posted two top-three finishes while the two programs combined for 12 personal-best marks, with the men posting eight and the women grabbing four, and five program top-10 marks as the women earned three and the men secured two. The men recorded six MAC-best performances and the women posted three marks that rank inside the conference top-three.
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: MEN
The men currently hold 20 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 46.85 1
400m Tajay Roberts 48.17 2
800m Carson McCoy 1:49.90 1
800m Lachlan Cornelius 1:51.16 4
1500m Kian Wiles 3:43.43 1
1500m Lachlan Cornelius 3:49.22 2
1500m Jimmy Geller 3:50.41 4
1500m Ronan Codyre 3:50.78 5
110mH Michael Hawkins 14.42 2
110mH Leo Ignacio 14.74 4
400mH Gabe Singh 51.35 1
400mH Michael Hawkins 54.19 2
4x100m Ajayi, King, Bass, Olanrewaju 41.35 2
4x400m Roberts, Singh, Olanrewaju, Ajayi 3:10.21 1
HJ Brendan Hill 2.01m 2
LJ Formula Thompson 7.34m 1
LJ Eric Haddock Jr. 7.01m 4
TJ Eric Haddock Jr. 14.22m 2
TJ Formula Thompson 13.84m 4
HT Jake McEachern 58.63m 3
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: WOMEN
The Eastern women hold 11 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
200m Saraiah Walkes 23.53 2
800m Chloie Musta 2:10.57 5
1500m Paige Marchant 4:27.98 2
1500m Chloie Musta 4:28.93 5
5000m Marta Moreno 16:12.80 4
100mH Nikol Antoniadi 14.23 4
3000m SC Anita Zaro 11:08.96 4
HJ Micah Martin 1.71m T5
TJ Kyra Buffen 12.60m 2
SP Lena Korte 14.14m 4
Javelin Erica King 39.98m 4
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank as the third-best team in the MAC with a score of 831.06 according to the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and stand as the seventh-best team in the Great Lakes Region with a score of 379.01. For the women, they stand as the fourth-best team in the MAC, posting a score of 528.83, and rank 11th in the Great Lakes Region with a total of 205.86.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: MEN
The Eastern men check into the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in three events, led by the 800m team that slots 20th in the nation as it averages a time of 1:51.83. The squad is led by Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) who holds the MAC's best 800m time in 1:49.90. Eastern slots 21st in America in the 1500m with an average time of 3:48.46. It is paced by Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) who leads the MAC with a time of 3:43.43. The 110m hurdles squad rounds out the national rankings for the men as it checks in at No. 30 nationally with an average time of 14.92. Michael Hawkins (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Michigan State) holds the team's best time in 14.42, ranking him second in the MAC.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: WOMEN
The Eastern women's hammer throw team ranks 35th in the nation with an average toss of 46.29m (151-11). Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) leads the team with a 50.37m (165-3) toss at the Bobcat Invitational, March 29.
PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: MEN
The men opened the outdoor season with a pair of program top-10 performances. Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview/Oakland) clocked in at 51.35 in the 400m hurdles at the Texas Relays, March 27-29, a time that ranks seventh in EMU laurels while standing as the best in the conference and a personal best for the senior. Wiles' MAC-best 3:43.43 1500m checks in at No. 10 in the program rankings while also serving as a PR.
PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: WOMEN
The women started the outdoor season strong with four program top-10 performances led by Lena Korte's (Clinton, Mich./Clinton/Concordia) 14.14m (46-04.75) shot put at the Bobcat Invitational, March 27-29. Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy) ran a personal-best 23.53 200m at the meet, ranking her second in the MAC and fourth in program history. Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of The Hague) finished the 5000m at the Raleigh Relays in a personal-best 16:12.80, slotting her fifth in program annals. Lastly, Erica King tossed the javelin a personal-best 39.98m (131-2), marking the eighth-best throw in the EMU leaderboards.
Previously Noted
RETURNING MAC CHAMPS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford-Benedict) and Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) who both won the triple jump at the 2024 MAC Outdoor Championships. Buffen won the event with a 12.64m (05.75) bound, a mark that stands as the fourth-best in program history. She also became the first Eastern woman to win the event at the outdoor championships since 1999.
Thompson became the first EMU male jumper to win the triple jump at the outdoor championships since United States Olympian Donald Scott did so in the 2015 campaign, as Thompson claimed gold with a 15.57m (51-01.00) jump, a mark that sits sixth in the program top-10 leaderboards.
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return seven All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen - First Team
Paige Marchant – Second Team
Saraiah Walkes – Second Team
Josephine Oloye – Second Team
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson - First Team
Gabe Singh – Second Team
Jake McEachern – Second Team
NCAA EAST PRELIMS RETURNERS
The men's squad returns three student-athletes who qualified for the 2024 NCAA East Prelims in Thompson, who punched his ticket in the triple jump, Kayenn Mabin (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) who earned his entry in the 110m hurdles, and Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) who qualified in the hammer throw.
The women return Buffen, who saw action in the triple jump after winning an individual MAC title in the event and Anita Zaro (Timirsoara, Romania/Faculty of Physical Education and Sport) who ran in the 3000m steeplechase.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
McEachern 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. Mabin also earned himself a spot at the USA U20 Track & Field Championships in the 110m hurdles.
2024 MAC OUTDOORS FINISH
The Eastern women placed second with 126.5 points while the men slotted third with 121 points. The women's second-place finish at the meet marked its 11th straight season doing so while the men's marked the 12th consecutive year it has finished inside the top-three. Kent State claimed the women's title with 137.5 points and Akron won the men's, scoring 189.
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.
Up Next
Both Eastern teams will return to the state of Texas for the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University, at E.B. Crushing Stadium, in College Station Friday-Saturday, April 11-12.
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 meet will begin with field events at 10 a.m. and running events will begin at 10:30 a.m. Field events will conclude with the men's discus throw scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and running events will be capped with the men's 4x400m relay beginning at approximately 5:10 p.m.
Fans interested in attending the meet can access a full meet schedule and meet information, and stay up-to-date with the action using live results and stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with final results attached. Be sure to stay tuned to EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF Eastern track & field content.
LAST TIME AT SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Nine of the 12 Eagles competing at the Spartan Invite saw outdoor personal-best performances. Eastern grabbed three top-three finishes, including two first-place showings at the meet. The Eagles' performances were highlighted by first-place showings from Elena Wheeler and Joey Furlong (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington). Wheeler placed first in the unseeded 800m run in an outdoor personal-best 2:28.21, while Furlong claimed gold in the 5,000m run in 14:58.04.
LAST TIME OUT: AT TEXAS RELAYS/BOBCAT INVITATIONAL/RALEIGH RELAYS, MARCH 27-29
The Eastern women posted two top-three finishes while the two programs combined for 12 personal-best marks, with the men posting eight and the women grabbing four, and five program top-10 marks as the women earned three and the men secured two. The men recorded six MAC-best performances and the women posted three marks that rank inside the conference top-three.
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: MEN
The men currently hold 20 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 46.85 1
400m Tajay Roberts 48.17 2
800m Carson McCoy 1:49.90 1
800m Lachlan Cornelius 1:51.16 4
1500m Kian Wiles 3:43.43 1
1500m Lachlan Cornelius 3:49.22 2
1500m Jimmy Geller 3:50.41 4
1500m Ronan Codyre 3:50.78 5
110mH Michael Hawkins 14.42 2
110mH Leo Ignacio 14.74 4
400mH Gabe Singh 51.35 1
400mH Michael Hawkins 54.19 2
4x100m Ajayi, King, Bass, Olanrewaju 41.35 2
4x400m Roberts, Singh, Olanrewaju, Ajayi 3:10.21 1
HJ Brendan Hill 2.01m 2
LJ Formula Thompson 7.34m 1
LJ Eric Haddock Jr. 7.01m 4
TJ Eric Haddock Jr. 14.22m 2
TJ Formula Thompson 13.84m 4
HT Jake McEachern 58.63m 3
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: WOMEN
The Eastern women hold 11 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
200m Saraiah Walkes 23.53 2
800m Chloie Musta 2:10.57 5
1500m Paige Marchant 4:27.98 2
1500m Chloie Musta 4:28.93 5
5000m Marta Moreno 16:12.80 4
100mH Nikol Antoniadi 14.23 4
3000m SC Anita Zaro 11:08.96 4
HJ Micah Martin 1.71m T5
TJ Kyra Buffen 12.60m 2
SP Lena Korte 14.14m 4
Javelin Erica King 39.98m 4
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank as the third-best team in the MAC with a score of 831.06 according to the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and stand as the seventh-best team in the Great Lakes Region with a score of 379.01. For the women, they stand as the fourth-best team in the MAC, posting a score of 528.83, and rank 11th in the Great Lakes Region with a total of 205.86.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: MEN
The Eastern men check into the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in three events, led by the 800m team that slots 20th in the nation as it averages a time of 1:51.83. The squad is led by Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) who holds the MAC's best 800m time in 1:49.90. Eastern slots 21st in America in the 1500m with an average time of 3:48.46. It is paced by Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) who leads the MAC with a time of 3:43.43. The 110m hurdles squad rounds out the national rankings for the men as it checks in at No. 30 nationally with an average time of 14.92. Michael Hawkins (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Michigan State) holds the team's best time in 14.42, ranking him second in the MAC.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: WOMEN
The Eastern women's hammer throw team ranks 35th in the nation with an average toss of 46.29m (151-11). Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) leads the team with a 50.37m (165-3) toss at the Bobcat Invitational, March 29.
PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: MEN
The men opened the outdoor season with a pair of program top-10 performances. Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview/Oakland) clocked in at 51.35 in the 400m hurdles at the Texas Relays, March 27-29, a time that ranks seventh in EMU laurels while standing as the best in the conference and a personal best for the senior. Wiles' MAC-best 3:43.43 1500m checks in at No. 10 in the program rankings while also serving as a PR.
PROGRAM TOP-10 MARKS: WOMEN
The women started the outdoor season strong with four program top-10 performances led by Lena Korte's (Clinton, Mich./Clinton/Concordia) 14.14m (46-04.75) shot put at the Bobcat Invitational, March 27-29. Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy) ran a personal-best 23.53 200m at the meet, ranking her second in the MAC and fourth in program history. Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of The Hague) finished the 5000m at the Raleigh Relays in a personal-best 16:12.80, slotting her fifth in program annals. Lastly, Erica King tossed the javelin a personal-best 39.98m (131-2), marking the eighth-best throw in the EMU leaderboards.
Previously Noted
RETURNING MAC CHAMPS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford-Benedict) and Formula Thompson (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College/Nebraska) who both won the triple jump at the 2024 MAC Outdoor Championships. Buffen won the event with a 12.64m (05.75) bound, a mark that stands as the fourth-best in program history. She also became the first Eastern woman to win the event at the outdoor championships since 1999.
Thompson became the first EMU male jumper to win the triple jump at the outdoor championships since United States Olympian Donald Scott did so in the 2015 campaign, as Thompson claimed gold with a 15.57m (51-01.00) jump, a mark that sits sixth in the program top-10 leaderboards.
ALL-MAC RETURNERS – OUTDOOR SEASON
The Eagles return seven All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.
Women's All-MAC Returners
Kyra Buffen - First Team
Paige Marchant – Second Team
Saraiah Walkes – Second Team
Josephine Oloye – Second Team
Men's All-MAC Returners
Formula Thompson - First Team
Gabe Singh – Second Team
Jake McEachern – Second Team
NCAA EAST PRELIMS RETURNERS
The men's squad returns three student-athletes who qualified for the 2024 NCAA East Prelims in Thompson, who punched his ticket in the triple jump, Kayenn Mabin (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) who earned his entry in the 110m hurdles, and Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) who qualified in the hammer throw.
The women return Buffen, who saw action in the triple jump after winning an individual MAC title in the event and Anita Zaro (Timirsoara, Romania/Faculty of Physical Education and Sport) who ran in the 3000m steeplechase.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
McEachern 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. Mabin also earned himself a spot at the USA U20 Track & Field Championships in the 110m hurdles.
2024 MAC OUTDOORS FINISH
The Eastern women placed second with 126.5 points while the men slotted third with 121 points. The women's second-place finish at the meet marked its 11th straight season doing so while the men's marked the 12th consecutive year it has finished inside the top-three. Kent State claimed the women's title with 137.5 points and Akron won the men's, scoring 189.
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.
Up Next
Both Eastern teams will return to the state of Texas for the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University, at E.B. Crushing Stadium, in College Station Friday-Saturday, April 11-12.
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
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws/Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
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