Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Insider Podcast - Season 8 - Episode 2
9/1/2025 5:00:00 PM | Women's XC, Football, Women's Track & Field, General
Creighton Calls for Growth, Weber Shares Resilience
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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE returned for its Labor Day edition, highlighting the first week of September action across Eastern Michigan University Athletics.
Hosts Greg Steiner and Elena Davis opened by recapping the start of the fall sports calendar. Volleyball returns to Ypsilanti after competing at the Radford Invitational, preparing to host Purdue Fort Wayne, Valparaiso, and Niagara. Women's soccer and golf are also in action, while football turns its attention to the home opener against Long Island after dropping its season debut at Texas State.
Davis offered her first impressions from the sidelines in San Marcos, pointing to the heat, crowd noise, and how EMU players held up physically in difficult conditions. "It was loud, it was hot, and I was impressed with how well-conditioned our guys were," she said. Steiner added that despite the loss, the Eagles showed glimpses of progress, especially with quarterback Noah Kim's first game running the offense and adjustments on the offensive line with Everett Small making his first start at center.
The two broke down key areas for improvement, including penalties and tackling, while noting Head Coach Chris Creighton's emphasis on growth as the season unfolds. They also turned attention to the lighter side of travel, sharing stories from their trip to Texas and swapping Labor Day cookout favorites before previewing the week ahead.
Segment 1 - Chris Creighton
Eastern Michigan football opens the home slate Saturday night against Long Island, and Head Coach Chris Creighton expects the Eagles to show improvement after a challenging week one at Texas State.
"We had 29 missed tackles and blocking miscues," Creighton said on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "It was a key going into the week, and both areas need drastic improvement."
Despite the struggles, Creighton stressed that the Eagles showed plenty of positives in their opener. Eastern recorded 23 first downs and moved the ball consistently, even while shuffling the offensive line due to injuries. Starting center Everett Small made his debut after stepping in late in the week. "We have six captains, and three of them weren't able to play. That's part of football. But Everett did a good job," Creighton said.
One bright spot came from the backfield, where senior Dante McMillan rushed for 8.7 yards per carry. "Dante ran angry," Creighton said. "He's wired that way, and after suffering an injury last year, he's got a lot of stored-up emotion. He played really hard."
Quarterback Noah Kim, a transfer who previously spent time at Michigan State and Coastal Carolina, earned the starting nod. Creighton said the process of finding the right fit at quarterback is always about more than numbers. "You first want to find the right character guys, and Noah is a great human being," Creighton said. "I thought he played really well in his first game."
Eastern played 26 newcomers, including 17 transfers, in the opener. While Creighton acknowledged there may have been some nerves, he said the challenge was no different than what Texas State faced. "When you're playing together for the first time, there's a certain level of comfort that grows over time," he said. "There are no excuses. Our team is not going to be the same in November as it is right now."
Looking ahead to Long Island, Creighton noted the Sharks present unique challenges. Their quarterback is both a top rusher and the team's fourth-leading receiver from last year. "They run the modern triple option with multiple sets and personnel groups," Creighton said. "That's a defensive coordinator's nightmare early in the week."
LIU also showed creativity against Florida in week one, presenting odd defensive fronts and shifting looks. "It's got us trying to figure out how they're going to play us," Creighton said. "It's a new scheme with a new coordinator, so we have to prepare for multiple things."
The matchup also brings a familiar face back to Rynearson Stadium, as former EMU head coach Ron Cooper leads the Sharks. "We had a great conversation this spring about his experience here," Creighton said. "He's had an awesome career, and I hope it's neat for him to come back."
Creighton said he looks forward to the atmosphere under the lights in Ypsilanti, with the full roster, students, and community in attendance. "We're going to play great football," he said. "Can't wait to be at home."
Segment 2 - Cara Weber
Eastern Michigan senior distance runner Cara Weber has fought through challenges few athletes experience, and she has come out stronger on the other side.
"I came on freshman year a little clueless," Weber said to Elena Davis on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "The biggest thing I've noticed is mental strength, and being able to support others."
Weber has been open about her journey with epilepsy, which led to brain surgery during her freshman year of high school. "I'd tried five different medications, and it got to the point where I couldn't tell when a seizure was about to come on," she said. Doctors at Cincinnati Children's recommended surgery, and in January 2019, Weber had part of her left temporal lobe removed.
"They took out about half my front left temporal lobe," Weber explained. "That's the language area in your brain. I got aphasia, which means it's hard for me to remember words or comprehend things. But I've been seizure free for four or five years now. Totally worth it."
Even while battling seizures as a teenager, Weber never gave up on running. "I've always ran through while seizing," she said. "I wasn't going to let epilepsy win. Running is such a huge thing in my life."
Her perseverance has carried into her career at Eastern, where she's seen steady growth. Weber said head coach Sue Parks pushed her to mature as both an athlete and a person. "She really taught me, put my head down, put the work in, and it'll show," Weber said. "By junior year I really thrived."
That work led to standout moments on the track. Weber recalls finishing a 5k in 18:57 as a sophomore and surprising herself with a 17:40 indoor 5k last year. "Coach Parks came up to me and said, 'You did everything perfectly,'" Weber said. "That meant everything to me. One of my goals was to get a hug from coach, and I did."
Now in her senior season, Weber is focused on leadership. "As a captain, one of my biggest goals is to make sure nobody feels alone on the team," she said. "I want to leave a mark that keeps the team together. You can come in as the slowest person, and you can step your way up. You need to believe in yourself."
Weber, who came to EMU from Kentucky for both its interior design program and track success, said the growth she's experienced over four years makes her proud. "Most people would never guess I had brain surgery," she said. "I've grown so much, and I hope others can see they can too."
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE returned for its Labor Day edition, highlighting the first week of September action across Eastern Michigan University Athletics.
Hosts Greg Steiner and Elena Davis opened by recapping the start of the fall sports calendar. Volleyball returns to Ypsilanti after competing at the Radford Invitational, preparing to host Purdue Fort Wayne, Valparaiso, and Niagara. Women's soccer and golf are also in action, while football turns its attention to the home opener against Long Island after dropping its season debut at Texas State.
Davis offered her first impressions from the sidelines in San Marcos, pointing to the heat, crowd noise, and how EMU players held up physically in difficult conditions. "It was loud, it was hot, and I was impressed with how well-conditioned our guys were," she said. Steiner added that despite the loss, the Eagles showed glimpses of progress, especially with quarterback Noah Kim's first game running the offense and adjustments on the offensive line with Everett Small making his first start at center.
The two broke down key areas for improvement, including penalties and tackling, while noting Head Coach Chris Creighton's emphasis on growth as the season unfolds. They also turned attention to the lighter side of travel, sharing stories from their trip to Texas and swapping Labor Day cookout favorites before previewing the week ahead.
Segment 1 - Chris Creighton
Eastern Michigan football opens the home slate Saturday night against Long Island, and Head Coach Chris Creighton expects the Eagles to show improvement after a challenging week one at Texas State.
"We had 29 missed tackles and blocking miscues," Creighton said on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "It was a key going into the week, and both areas need drastic improvement."
Despite the struggles, Creighton stressed that the Eagles showed plenty of positives in their opener. Eastern recorded 23 first downs and moved the ball consistently, even while shuffling the offensive line due to injuries. Starting center Everett Small made his debut after stepping in late in the week. "We have six captains, and three of them weren't able to play. That's part of football. But Everett did a good job," Creighton said.
One bright spot came from the backfield, where senior Dante McMillan rushed for 8.7 yards per carry. "Dante ran angry," Creighton said. "He's wired that way, and after suffering an injury last year, he's got a lot of stored-up emotion. He played really hard."
Quarterback Noah Kim, a transfer who previously spent time at Michigan State and Coastal Carolina, earned the starting nod. Creighton said the process of finding the right fit at quarterback is always about more than numbers. "You first want to find the right character guys, and Noah is a great human being," Creighton said. "I thought he played really well in his first game."
Eastern played 26 newcomers, including 17 transfers, in the opener. While Creighton acknowledged there may have been some nerves, he said the challenge was no different than what Texas State faced. "When you're playing together for the first time, there's a certain level of comfort that grows over time," he said. "There are no excuses. Our team is not going to be the same in November as it is right now."
Looking ahead to Long Island, Creighton noted the Sharks present unique challenges. Their quarterback is both a top rusher and the team's fourth-leading receiver from last year. "They run the modern triple option with multiple sets and personnel groups," Creighton said. "That's a defensive coordinator's nightmare early in the week."
LIU also showed creativity against Florida in week one, presenting odd defensive fronts and shifting looks. "It's got us trying to figure out how they're going to play us," Creighton said. "It's a new scheme with a new coordinator, so we have to prepare for multiple things."
The matchup also brings a familiar face back to Rynearson Stadium, as former EMU head coach Ron Cooper leads the Sharks. "We had a great conversation this spring about his experience here," Creighton said. "He's had an awesome career, and I hope it's neat for him to come back."
Creighton said he looks forward to the atmosphere under the lights in Ypsilanti, with the full roster, students, and community in attendance. "We're going to play great football," he said. "Can't wait to be at home."
Segment 2 - Cara Weber
Eastern Michigan senior distance runner Cara Weber has fought through challenges few athletes experience, and she has come out stronger on the other side.
"I came on freshman year a little clueless," Weber said to Elena Davis on the Eastern Insider Podcast Powered by DTE. "The biggest thing I've noticed is mental strength, and being able to support others."
Weber has been open about her journey with epilepsy, which led to brain surgery during her freshman year of high school. "I'd tried five different medications, and it got to the point where I couldn't tell when a seizure was about to come on," she said. Doctors at Cincinnati Children's recommended surgery, and in January 2019, Weber had part of her left temporal lobe removed.
"They took out about half my front left temporal lobe," Weber explained. "That's the language area in your brain. I got aphasia, which means it's hard for me to remember words or comprehend things. But I've been seizure free for four or five years now. Totally worth it."
Even while battling seizures as a teenager, Weber never gave up on running. "I've always ran through while seizing," she said. "I wasn't going to let epilepsy win. Running is such a huge thing in my life."
Her perseverance has carried into her career at Eastern, where she's seen steady growth. Weber said head coach Sue Parks pushed her to mature as both an athlete and a person. "She really taught me, put my head down, put the work in, and it'll show," Weber said. "By junior year I really thrived."
That work led to standout moments on the track. Weber recalls finishing a 5k in 18:57 as a sophomore and surprising herself with a 17:40 indoor 5k last year. "Coach Parks came up to me and said, 'You did everything perfectly,'" Weber said. "That meant everything to me. One of my goals was to get a hug from coach, and I did."
Now in her senior season, Weber is focused on leadership. "As a captain, one of my biggest goals is to make sure nobody feels alone on the team," she said. "I want to leave a mark that keeps the team together. You can come in as the slowest person, and you can step your way up. You need to believe in yourself."
Weber, who came to EMU from Kentucky for both its interior design program and track success, said the growth she's experienced over four years makes her proud. "Most people would never guess I had brain surgery," she said. "I've grown so much, and I hope others can see they can too."
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