CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois director of track and field Tom Akers has announced the signing of four athletes that will compete for the Panther men's track and field/cross country programs next season.  EIU is coming off its fourth straight season in which the Panthers swept both the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships.

The four athletes signing with the Panthers are Tyler Anderson, Eric Gordon, Christian Ilunga-Matthiesen and Juan Pablo Ramirez.

Anderson is a cross country and track distance runner competing for Schaumburg High School.  As a junior he earned a trip to the IHSA Class 3A state championships in cross country placing 101st with a time of 15:24.  He was third in the Hoffman Estates Regional with a time of 15:25.  As a senior in track he was 11th at the St. Charles North Sectional in the 3200m with a time of 10:08.75.

Gordon competed at Normal Community West High School where he earned a trip to the IHSA Class 3A championships in the pole vault.  Gordon entered the state meet seeded third with a height of 15'3”.  He finished the championship weekend second in the state clearing 16'0”.  Gordon placed third in the IHSA Class 3A championships as a junior and 12th as a sophomore.

Ilunga-Matthiesen is from Hamburg, Germany where he competed for the Hamburger SV team.  He ran as a member of the 4x100 relay team. 

Ramirez competed the past two years at Harper Junior College earning NJCAA Division III All-American honors this past season in cross country.  Ramirez placed fourth in the NJCAA National Championships with a time of 26:02.53 as the school won the National Championship.  On the track Ramirez was named the men's track athlete of the 2012 NJCAA Division III meet with two individuals national titles in the 5K and 10K.  His winning time in the 5K set a new national championship record at  15:04.42. He competed at Conant High School in cross country and track distance running.  As a senior in 2009 he was part of the 4x800 relay team that advanced to the IHSA Class 3A state championships.  He helped his team place ninth at the IHSA Class 3A state championships in cross country in 2008 as he was 95th with a time of 15:36.