EIU Early Bird Meet
Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse
2 p.m.
Schedule
Men's Starting Times
Women's Starting Times
ON-TAP: Eastern Illinois will open up their indoor track and field season on Friday when they host the EIU Early Bird Meet against Southern Indiana and Central Baptist College. This meet will kick off the first of six regular season meets for the Panthers.
LAST SEASON RECAP: Eastern's indoor track season was shortened to three meets last year during the 2020 indoor season due to COVID-19. Overall, EIU had 15 first place finishers in those three meets. Before the shortened season, the Panthers were coming off a Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championship and look to continue going into this season.
RETURNING PANTHERS: Jekeel Suber returns for EIU after earning First Team All-OVC in the 60m hurdles in 2020 and 2019. Suber won the 60m hurdles in 2019 at the OVC indoor championship with a winning time of 8.20. Adam Swanson also returns for the Panthers after competing in one indoor meet last season. He won the mile at the Grand Valley Big Meet with a time of 4:06.49 which ranks sixth all-time at EIU. Was First Team All-OVC in 2019 after winning the 800m race at the OVC Indoor Track Championships with a time of 1:52.40. Lindsey Carlson enters her second indoor track season after competing in cross country this past fall. She earned Second Team All-OVC during the 2020 season in indoor track. She finished with a second place finish in the indoor mile at the OVC Indoor Track Championship with a time of 4:55.76.
UPCOMING: The Panthers will be back in action after Christmas break when they host the EIU John Craft Invite. The meet will take place between Friday, Jan. 14 and Saturday, Jan. 15 and will be held in the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse.
HEAD COACH: Keith Roberts was hired as the new Director of Track and Field for the Panthers, and is entering his first season as the head track and field coach. He becomes just the fourth director of track and field in the program's NCAA Division I history. Roberts arrives at EIU after serving six years as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh. During his time there, Roberts helped with Pitt's transition from the Big East to the ACC. With his assistance the men's track and field team rose from 11th in the conference to 4th place. Roberts has recruited and coached ACC scorers in the women's 60 hurdles, men's 60 hurdles, women's 100m dash, men's 200m dash, women's 400m dash, men's 400m dash, women's 400 hurdles, men's 400 hurdles, men's and women's 4x100 relay and men's and women's 4x400 relay.
