Eastern Illinois battled at the Missouri Invitational on Friday in a highly competitive field of teams. EIU was highlighted by Abby Venhaus, Ashlyn Denney, Analena Peterson, Spencer Wilson, Kaden Salisbury, and Maliek Bush, each earning personal records or placing in the Eastern Illinois top ten finishes.
Men's Track:
Daniel Lacy earned the Panthers first top three finish at the Missouri Invitational, earning a bronze medal in the Men's 400m with a time of 48.18. Spencer Wilson followed Lacy in the next event, earning a personal record and finishing fourth in the Men's 800m with a time of 1:55.02. Cale Smith earned a silver medal in the Men's Mile with a time of 4:10.92, resulting in a personal record. Bradley Ahrens rounded out the top five in the mile with a time of 4:14.42. After an OVC Athlete of the Week award, Nathan Kirby continued his momentum in the Men's 60m Hurdles, earning gold with a time of 8.10 seconds. Shortly after, the Men's 4x400 Relay squad, consisting of Daniel Lacy, Spencer Wilson, Weston Averkamp, and Tyler Miller, won with a time of 3:18.35. In the field events, Maliek Bush earned second in the Men's Long Jump with a 7.27m mark, which is a personal record. Machi Nelson earned a first-place finish in the Men's Triple with a 14.36m mark, scoring a personal record. Kaden Salisbury completed the meet for the Panthers with a personal record and a third-place finish in the Men's Shot Put with a 15.56m mark.
Women's Track:
Abby Venhaus jumped out of the gate in the Women's 60m with a third-place finish with a time of 7.59 seconds, which is a PR and ranks 5th all-time in EIU history. Venhaus also placed first in the Women's Long Jump with a 5.97m mark, ranking 5th all-time in program history. Analena Peterson followed in the next event, scoring a PR, earning a second-place finish in the Women's 200m with a time of 24.20, which ranks tied for the fastest time in EIU history. In the Women's 800m, Ashlyn Denney earned a silver medal and a personal record with a time of 2:12.16, ranking 5th fastest in the program record book. NeVaeh Bryant earned gold and set a personal record in the Women's Triple Jump with an 11.99m mark, which ranks 8th all-time. Bryant also placed 5th in the Women's 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.96 seconds. The Panthers 4x400 Relay team, consisting of Devin Johnston, Analena Peterson, Ashlyn Denney, and Makenna McBride placed 4th with a time of 3:55.23. Rylea Borgic recorded a personal best, placing 6th in the Women's Mile with a time of 5:04.40.
Up Next: The Panthers will travel to the DePaul Alumni Classic on Friday, February 13th.
