Track & Field Set to Host Third Annual Bob Parks Memorial

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University track and field programs will host the third annual Bob Parks Memorial Meet in Bowen Field House Saturday, Jan. 24.

The meet will begin with field events at 10 a.m., with a recognition for the senior Eagles at 12:30 p.m., and running events will begin at 1 p.m.

Fans interested in attending the meet can access the meet schedule here.

Fans can also track live results here. A post-meet recap will be posted to EMUEagles.com.

Senior Celebrations
Eastern will recognize three men and eight women at this weekend's meet. The men's seniors include Josh Flake (Redford, Mich./Oak Park), Carson McCoy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes), and Sam Peterson (Charlevoix, Mich./Charlevoix). For the women, Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins), Lena Korte (Clinton, Mich./Clinton), Alimot Alowonle (Lagos, Nigeria/Tindip College/New Orleans), Tijana Japundzic (Belgrade, Serbia/Technical School "New Belgrade"), Micah Martin (Clinton Township, Mich./L'anse Creuse), Natalie Buratczuk (Saint Charles, Ill./Saint Charles North), Ruby Wyles (Surrey, England/Godalming Sixth Form), and Cara Weber (Union, Ky./Larry A. Ryle) will be honored.

Last Time at Bob Parks Memorial
The second annual Bob Parks Memorial saw a combined total of 30 collegiate personal bests. The Eagles were led by the women's team, as they won six events and placed in the top three 14 times. Buratczuk leaped to first in the high jump with a mark of 1.65m (5-05), while Alowonle earned her first event win as an Eagle with a 5.90m (19-04.00) bound in the long jump. Josephine Oloye (Iwaro-Oka, Nigeria/Geomi Secondary School/Tayelolu Memorial) also had standout meet as she earned two event wins. She first won the 200m in 24.43 before anchoring Eastern's first place 4x400m relay team that finished in 3:46.55.

The men's team saw five event wins and 14 top-three finishes. Bamidele Ajayi (Eikiti State, Nigeria/Metropolitan International College/Lenoir-Rhyne) placed first in the 400m in 49.18, Jimmy Geller (London, England/Davenant Foundation School) earned his first collegiate win in the 800m, and Ronan Codyre (Auckland, New Zealand/Macleans College) earned gold in the mile in a personal-best 4:12.00. Lucky Fiaku (Nimo, Nigeria/Busy International Secondary) set a collegiate personal best in the high jump at 2.10m for a first-place finish.

Last Time Out: At Simmons-Harvey Invitational Jan. 17
The Eagles were highlighted by three program top 10 performances at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Jan. 17. Nicolette Lewis (Fairburn, Ga./Hoover) improved her weight throw from spot No. 8 to spot No. 5 in program history with a personal best toss of 17.52m (57-05.75), while Johnson improved her weight throw from No. 7 to No. 6 in the Eastern top 10 with a personal best mark of 17.38m (57-00.25). Mariah Taylor (East Lake, Fla./East Lake) set a personal best in the triple jump with a 12.37m (40-07.00) mark, earning spot No. 9 in the program top 10, sharing the spot with Allia Hanson, who set the same mark in 1997. Jordynn Young (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) ran a personal best 7.60 in the 60m finals for second place, along with running a time of 24.65 in the 200m for another second-place finish.

The Eastern men saw four top-three finishes. Ajayi earned a second-place finish in the 400m with a time of 48.43, now 91st in the NCAA standings. Jamyle Anderson earned third in the 60m finals with a time of 6.96, while Michael Hawkins (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical) took third place in the 60m hurdles finals, running it in 8.07. In the throwing events, Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) earned third in the weight throw with an 18.32m (60-01.25) toss. Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College) ran a 4:02.89 mile, a time that now ranks 30th in Division I, and 32nd in the NCAA.

Previously Noted
A Look Back: 2024-25 MAC Honors
Saraiah Walkes (Manatee County, Fla./The-Out-of-Door-Academy), was named Most Valuable Performer in the outdoor season after scoring 38 points at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 15-17. She became the 13th most valuable performer in program history and the first since Alsu Bogdanova in 2018.
All-MAC Returners – Indoor Season
Eastern returns 10 All-MAC honorees from the indoor season.

Women's All-MAC Returners
Saraiah Walkes – First Team (200m)
Josephine Oloye – Second Team (400m)

Men's All-MAC Returners
Carson McCoy – First Team (800m)
Kian Wiles – First Team (mile)
Jake McEachern – Second Team (weight throw)
Tajay Roberts – Second Team (4x400m relay)
Bamidele Ajayi – Second Team (4x400m relay)
Ty Dailey – Second Team (distance medley relay)
Josh Flake – Second Team (distance medley relay)
Jimmy Geller – Second Team (distance medley relay)

All-MAC Returners – Outdoor Season
The Eagles return 15 All-MAC athletes from the outdoor season.

Women's All-MAC Returners
Saraiah Walkes – First Team (100m, 200m, 4x400m relay)
Demetria Henderson – First Team (4x400m relay)
Josephine Oloye – First Team (4x400m relay)
Alimot Alowonle – Second Team (4x100m relay)
Ajah Arscott – Second Team (4x100m relay)
Jaeden Garraway – Second Team (4x100m relay)
Micah Martin – Second Team (high jump)

Men's All-MAC Returners
Bamidele Ajayi – First Team (4x400m relay)
Mill Coleman III – First Team (4x100m relay)
Lachlan Cornelius – First Team (800m)
Jake McEachern – First Team (hammer throw)
Olawole Olanrewaju – First Team (4x400m relay)
Tajay Roberts – First Team (4x400m relay)
Kian Wiles – First Team (1500m)
Samuel Jeffery – Second Team (decathlon)

Captains
The 2025-26 squad is led by eight captains. The women's leaders include Walkes, seniors Sophie Emin (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) and Micah Martin (Clinton Township, Mich./L'anse Creuse), and junior Megan Rybitski (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne). The men's leaders include senior Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary's College), juniors Jeffery and Leland Godfrey (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral), and sophomore Michael Hawkins (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical).

Up Next
Eastern will have athletes competing at two different meets, with the Meyo Invitational, hosted by the University of Notre Dame, and the Saginaw Valley State University's Jet's Pizza Invitational, both Jan. 30-31.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Bamidele Ajayi

Alimot Alowonle

Jamyle Anderson

Ajah Arscott

Natalie Buratczuk

Ronan Codyre

Mill Coleman III

Ty Dailey

Sophie Emin

Lucky Fiaku

Josh Flake

Jaeden Garraway

Jimmy Geller

Leland Godfrey

Michael Hawkins

Demetria Henderson

Tijana Japundzic

Samuel Jeffery

Aleah Johnson

Lena Korte

Nicolette Lewis

Micah Martin

Carson McCoy

Jake McEachern

Olawole Olanrewaju

Josephine Oloye

Sam Peterson

Tajay Roberts

Megan Rybitski

Mariah Taylor

Saraiah Walkes

Cara Weber

Kian Wiles

Ruby Wyles

Jordynn Young

Eastern Michigan Athletics