EIU Big Blue Meet
O'Brien Field | Charleston, Ill.
April 4-5 | 1pm (Fri) 11am (Sat)
Schedule  |  Live Stats  | ESPN+ (Saturday Running Events)

ON-TAP: The Eastern Illinois Indoor Track and Field is set to host their only home meet of the 2025 outdoor season with the Big Blue Classic at O'Brien Field on April 4-5.

EIU EARLY BIRD RECAP: The Panthers kicked off their outdoor season this past week as participants in the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Mo. and the Pacesetter Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.

WashU Distance Carnival
Four EIU distance runners excelled at the two-day event. Kylie Haacke finished ninth in the 10,000m with a time of 37:05.56, while Olivia Esche placed 19th with a time of 40:57.25. On the men's side, Mason Stoegner took 11th in the 10,000m with a time of 33:17.09, and Michael Atkins finished 14th with 32:05.96.

Visiting teams and participants will include Judson, Oakland City, Evansville, Southern Indiana, Maryville, St. Mary's of the Woods, Rose-Hulman, and Bradlay.

Pacesetter Invitational
EIU claimed six podium finishes at the Pacesetter Invitational. Shawn Lacy earned third in the javelin with a throw of 52.41m as Rylea Borgic and Chloe Proffitt finished second and fourth in the women's 5000m. Borgic finished with a time of 18:12.23 and Proffitt crossed the finish line in 18:49.44. In the men's sprints, Jahleel Perrin took third in the 100m (10.70), Daniel Lacy finished fourth in the 200m (21.22), and Isai Morales placed fifth in the 800m (1:54.89).

The men's 4x100m relay team of Perrin, Lacy, Ayden Cothern, and Billy Bailey earned silver with a time of 41.80, while the women's team—Abby Venhaus, Devin Johnston, Kenyetietta Quinn, and Angela Dobbins—placed fourth with a time of 47.44. Taryn Tarquin and Ethan McBride rounded out the evening for the Panthers, both winning gold in the triple jump. Tarquin jumped 11.65m to secure the top spot on the podium while McBride cleared 13.47m for his first-place finish.

Personal Records
Macie Russell | 800m | 2:23.13
Sam Bradbury | Discus | 50.31m
Ethan McBride's | Triple Jump | 13.47m
Alex Stout | Hammer Throw & Shot Put | 54.05m & 16.28m

OVC TOP THREE: Four Panther athletes, along with the men's and women's 4x100m Relay teams, currently sit in one of the top three spots in the OVC for their respective events.

The Panther men's 4x100m Relay team, consisting of Jahleel Perrin, Daniel Lacy, Ayden Cothern, and Billy Bailey, ran a time of 41.80 last weekend at Indiana State to notch a third-place finish. The women's 4x100m Relay team of Abby Venhaus, Kenyetietta Quinn, Devin Johnston, and Angela Dobbins also finished in third place after crossing the finish line in 47.44.

Two EIU sprinters also sit at the top of the OVC, as Daniel Lacy's performance in the 200m dash earned him sole possession of first place while Jahleel Perrin's effort in the 100m puts him in the third-place spot. Sam Bradbury and Izabella Fabrizio fill out the leaderboard for the Panthers in the field events, as Bradbury (discus) and Fabrizio (shot put) both sit in third place in their events.

NEXT UP: The Panthers are back in action the following weekend as they stay in-state and head north to Illinois State for the Normal Invite on April 11-12.