Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Matt Seavey
Track & Field Heads to Texas for 44 Farms Team Invitational
4/9/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The meet will run Friday-Saturday, April 11-12
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track & field programs enter the third week of the 2025 outdoor campaign as both programs will see action at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University, at E.B. Cushing Stadium, in College Station, Texas, Friday-Saturday, April 11-12.
The meet will begin Friday with combined events at 12:00 p.m., followed by the start of the field events at 2:00 p.m., and will conclude with running events at 5:45 p.m. Saturday will start at 11 a.m. with combined events, followed by field events at 3 p.m., and running events at 6:30 p.m.
Interested in attending the meet? Fans can access a full meet schedule and meet information, and stay up-to-date with the action using live results. Stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with final results attached. Follow EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF Eastern for more track & field content.
LAST TIME OUT: SPARTAN INVITATIONAL, APRIL 4
The Eastern Michigan University track and field teams turned in a total of 21 personal bests and 17 top-three finishes while in action at the nearby Spartan Invitational, hosted by Michigan State, at Ralph Young Field Friday, April 4. 13 Eagles on the women's side turned in career highs in their respective events, with Lena Korte (Clinton, Mich./Clinton/Concordia) throwing a personal best 47.76m (156-08) in the hammer throw while Cara Weber (Union, Ky./Larry A. Ryle) placed first in the unseeded 1500m run with a personal best time of 4:56.63. Overall, the women earned eight top-three finishes. On the men's side, 11 Eagles set personal bests to go with nine top-three showings, Joey Furlong (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington) ran the MAC's second-best 5000m time in 14:51.98.
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: MEN
The men currently hold 21 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 46.85 1
400m Tajay Roberts 48.17 5
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 5
5000m Joey Furlong 14:51.98 2
110mH Michael Hawkins 14.42 2
400mH Gabe Singh 51.35 1
400mH Michael Hawkins 54.19 3
3000m SC Aaron Schwieterman 9:57.37 5
4x100m Ajayi, King, Bass, Olanrewaju 41.35 2
4x400m Roberts, Singh, Olanrewaju, Ajayi 3:10.21 1
HJ Brendan Hill 2.01m 2
PV Jacob Niedzwiecki 4.80m 4
LJ Formula Thompson 7.34m 2
LJ Eric Haddock Jr. 7.01m 5
TJ Eric Haddock Jr. 14.22m 3
TJ Formula Thompson 13.84m 5
HT Jake McEachern 58.63m 3
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: WOMEN
The Eastern women hold seven 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 3
5000m Marta Moreno 16:12.80 4
100mH Nikol Antoniadi 14.23 4
TJ Kyra Buffen 12.60m 2
Javelin Erica King 39.98m 5
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank as the best team in the MAC with a score of 1025.64, according to the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), standing as the 12th-best team in the Great Lakes Region with a score of 301.59. For the women, they stand as the fourth-best team in the MAC, posting a score of 557.45.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: MEN
The Eastern men check into the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in six events, led by the 17th-ranked 400m hurdles team that slots 17th in the nation as it averages a time of 55.24. The squad is led by Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview/Oakland) with a season-best time of 51.35. Eastern slots 34th in America in the 800m with an average time of 1:51.83. It is paced by Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) who leads the MAC with a time of 1:49.90. The 1500m squad rounds out the top-40 national rankings for the men as it checks in at No. 36 nationally with an average time of 3:48.46. Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) holds the team's best time in 3:43.43, ranking him first in the MAC.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: WOMEN
The Eastern women's hammer throw team ranks 40th in the nation with an average toss of 47.09m (154-6). 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. Singh 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 Korte 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
The Eagles are scheduled for two meets next weekend with the Wake Forest Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest University, and the Georgia Tech Invitational, hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology Friday-Saturday, April 18-19.
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 Friday with combined events at 12:00 p.m., followed by the start of the field events at 2:00 p.m., and will conclude with running events at 5:45 p.m. Saturday will start at 11 a.m. with combined events, followed by field events at 3 p.m., and running events at 6:30 p.m.
Interested in attending the meet? Fans can access a full meet schedule and meet information, and stay up-to-date with the action using live results. Stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with final results attached. Follow EMU cross country/track & field social medias on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF Eastern for more track & field content.
LAST TIME OUT: SPARTAN INVITATIONAL, APRIL 4
The Eastern Michigan University track and field teams turned in a total of 21 personal bests and 17 top-three finishes while in action at the nearby Spartan Invitational, hosted by Michigan State, at Ralph Young Field Friday, April 4. 13 Eagles on the women's side turned in career highs in their respective events, with Lena Korte (Clinton, Mich./Clinton/Concordia) throwing a personal best 47.76m (156-08) in the hammer throw while Cara Weber (Union, Ky./Larry A. Ryle) placed first in the unseeded 1500m run with a personal best time of 4:56.63. Overall, the women earned eight top-three finishes. On the men's side, 11 Eagles set personal bests to go with nine top-three showings, Joey Furlong (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington) ran the MAC's second-best 5000m time in 14:51.98.
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: MEN
The men currently hold 21 marks that rank inside the MAC top five.
Event Name Mark Rank
400m Bamidele Ajayi 46.85 1
400m Tajay Roberts 48.17 5
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 5
5000m Joey Furlong 14:51.98 2
110mH Michael Hawkins 14.42 2
400mH Gabe Singh 51.35 1
400mH Michael Hawkins 54.19 3
3000m SC Aaron Schwieterman 9:57.37 5
4x100m Ajayi, King, Bass, Olanrewaju 41.35 2
4x400m Roberts, Singh, Olanrewaju, Ajayi 3:10.21 1
HJ Brendan Hill 2.01m 2
PV Jacob Niedzwiecki 4.80m 4
LJ Formula Thompson 7.34m 2
LJ Eric Haddock Jr. 7.01m 5
TJ Eric Haddock Jr. 14.22m 3
TJ Formula Thompson 13.84m 5
HT Jake McEachern 58.63m 3
TOP CONFERENCE MARKS: WOMEN
The Eastern women hold seven 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 3
5000m Marta Moreno 16:12.80 4
100mH Nikol Antoniadi 14.23 4
TJ Kyra Buffen 12.60m 2
Javelin Erica King 39.98m 5
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The Eastern men rank as the best team in the MAC with a score of 1025.64, according to the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), standing as the 12th-best team in the Great Lakes Region with a score of 301.59. For the women, they stand as the fourth-best team in the MAC, posting a score of 557.45.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: MEN
The Eastern men check into the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in six events, led by the 17th-ranked 400m hurdles team that slots 17th in the nation as it averages a time of 55.24. The squad is led by Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview/Oakland) with a season-best time of 51.35. Eastern slots 34th in America in the 800m with an average time of 1:51.83. It is paced by Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) who leads the MAC with a time of 1:49.90. The 1500m squad rounds out the top-40 national rankings for the men as it checks in at No. 36 nationally with an average time of 3:48.46. Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) holds the team's best time in 3:43.43, ranking him first in the MAC.
USTFCCCA EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS: WOMEN
The Eastern women's hammer throw team ranks 40th in the nation with an average toss of 47.09m (154-6). 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. Singh 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 Korte 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
The Eagles are scheduled for two meets next weekend with the Wake Forest Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest University, and the Georgia Tech Invitational, hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology Friday-Saturday, April 18-19.
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
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws/Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ 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
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ 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 & Field2025 E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony
Saturday, October 11
E-Club Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Cinematic Recap
Saturday, October 11
E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Ben Reese
Friday, October 10
E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Patrice Beasley
Friday, October 10