Results (PDF)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - On a weekend where the Panthers honored both their men and women seniors, the Eastern Illinois Track & Field teams pushed through to post eleven first place finishes all together during the 2024 Big Blue Classic at O'Brien Field.
To begin the field events on Saturday,
Ramsey Hunt took first place in the men's long jump with a distance of 7.47m (24' 6"), with Gregory Downs finishing third (6.62m/21' 8.75") followed by
Shawn Lacy in fourth (6.51m/21' 4.25"). On the women's side,
Holly Vogt posted a second place finish with a distance of 5.65m (18' 6.50") while
Abby Venhaus finished fourth with a distance of 5.46m (17' 11").
In the javelin throw,
Caroline Lendy posted a third place finish on the women's side with a distance of 38.66m (126' 10") while Hunt (53.60m/175' 10") and
Aiden Meyer (50.19m/ 164' 8") ranked second and third respectively on the men's side.Â
Moving on to the men's and women's discus,
Matthew Gladieux took third place with a distance of 49.92m (163' 9") and
Sam Bradbury posted a fourth place finish with a mark of 45.79m (150' 3") for the men, while
Gracie Cox finished third (46.56m/152' 9") followed by Jenna Grzsekowiak in fourth at a mark of 41.56m (136'4").
In the men's high jump, the Panthers posted two top five finishes, as
Porter Conroy finished in second place with a mark of 1.90m (6' 2.75") and
Landon Webb finished right behind him with a mark of 1.85m (6' 0.75").
Declan Ritzenthaler won the men's pole vault for the Panthers after reaching the 4.85m (15' 11") mark.
The running events began with the women's 3000m steeple, where the Panthers posted another top five finish with
Chloe Proffitt taking fifth place at a time of 12:24.78.
In the 4x100m relay, EIU ranked both first and second, as the quartet of
Brailyn Johnson,
Ricky Johnson,
Jahleel Perrin, and
Cameron Yarbrough won the gold with a time of 40.73, and were followed by the quartet of
Taji Mathis-Akinremi,
Billy Bailey Jr.,
Ramsey Hunt, and
Nathan Kirby winning the silver with a time of 41.80.
In the women's 1500 meter dash,
Brenda Torres won the gold with a time of 4:37.34 and
Sarah Carr took third place with a time of 4:39.36.
On the men's side of the 1500m, EIU swept the event with
Adam Swanson finishing first (3:54.32),
Richie Jacobo coming in second (3:58.98),
Isai Morales in third (3:59.98), and
Cale Smith in fourth (4:01.60).Â
In the men's 100 meter dash,
Ricky Johnson posted a third place finish with a time of 10.72,
Taji Mathis-Akinremi finished fourth with a time of 10.95, and
Billy Bailey Jr. fifth at the 10.97 mark. In the men's 110 meter hurdles,
Elijah Skutt finished sixth with a time of 15.66.
In the women's 400 meter dash,
Devin Johnston posted a third place finish with a time of 1:00.07.
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In the 4x400m relay, EIU would post a third place finish with a team of
Taji Mathis-Akinremi,
Greg Downs,
Brailyn Johnson, and
Nathan Kirby crossing the finish line at the 3:27.81 mark.
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Looking ahead, the Panthers will kick off their away meets in St Louis, Mo., with the Saint Louis Billiken Invitational, which will be held on Friday, April 5th.
