The Eastern Michigan University track and field team competed at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships from Thursday, May 12, through Saturday, May 14 at Kanley Track & Field Complex in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The Eagles produced wins in five events on the final day, cementing the men’s team second place finish with 155 points and the women’s third place finish with 108 points.
Kent State took home the men’s title as they produced 196 points in the event. Akron took home the women’s title, tallying 124 points.
The first day of the MAC Outdoor Championships was highlighted by the distance runners in the 10,000m race. Junior standout Balvin Magnusson participated in his first 10K race since 2019. Magnusson won the event with a time of 30:14.23. Sophomore Toby Gualter finished third in the event alongside classmate Chris Devaney. Devaney made his collegiate debut in the 10k, recording a fourth place finish.
Junior Sofia Ivanko produced a career-best time of 35:08.92 to finish fifth place for the women’s distance runners. Ivanko’s performance marked the fourth-best time in the history of EMU’s track and field program.
In the women’s 200m dash, junior Mair Edwards finished in second place with a 24.15 time. Sophomore Kilani Harvey finished fourth with a time of 24.38, freshman Saraiah Walkes took fifth place with a time of 24.45, and senior Keypathwa Gibson finished in eighth place with a 24.64 time. All runners qualified for the finals.
In the field, senior Joe Duff was EMU’s first champion of the day. Duff earned his first MAC title in the javelin competition. Duff recorded a career-high throw of 68.00m, marking the second-farthest throw in program history. Duff also became the first thrower to win the event since former EMU thrower Derek Ziegenfuss, who won the event in 2017.
Concluding the first day with the hammer throw event, junior Newlyn Stephenson finished third with a toss of 63.83m.
The second day of the MAC Championships was led by the men’s and women’s hurdlers, as five Eagles qualified for Saturday’s finals.
Sophomore Almighty Williamson led the men’s hurdles, finishing first with a time of 14.27. Junior Payne Wylie recorded a second place finish with a 14.269 time. Classmate Dante Lander earned fifth place with a 14.61 finish.
Junior Alysse Wade kicked off the women’s hurdles event, finishing in second place as she produced a time of 13.77. Junior Angel Gazaway finished in eighth place with a time of 14.12.
In the field, Senior Chukwusom Enekwechi earned silver in shot put with a throw of 17.81m. Classmate Kadian Clarke finished just outside of the podium with a throw of 15.48m.
Senior Baboucar Sallah-Mohammed stood out in the long jump, finishing in second place of a season-best performance of 7.42m. The Eagles added another podium finish in the field, sophomore Maura Lane earned bronze in pole vault, reaching a height of 3.59m.
The third and final day of the MAC Championships witnessed the women’s 4x100 relay team earn hardware. Freshman Saraiah Walkes, junior Mair Edwards, sophomore Kilani Harvey, and senior Keypathwa Gibson produced a time of 45.70 to earn gold. The performance at the MAC Outdoor Championships records the sixth consecutive title in the event for the women’s program.
Mair Edwards add to the Eagles hardware count with a first-place finish in the 400m, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 54.24. Edwards is the first Eagle to earn a first-place finish in the 400m event since 2017. Edwards claimed another podium finish, placing second in the 200m event.
Junior Baldvin Magnusson won the 1500m race, producing a time of 3:47.52. Continuing his dominance, Magnusson earned his third gold medal of the weekend in the 5k event. In recognition for his tremendous display during the MAC Outdoor Championships, Magnusson was named the men’s Most Valuable Performer.
The Eagles dominated in the men’s hurdles 110H event. Sophomore Almighty Williamson finished first place, producing a 13.73 time, while juniors Payne Wylie finished second, and Dante Lander finished fourth.
Lander and Wylie produced podium finishes in the 400H event. Lander produced a personal-best time of 51.87 for second place, while Wylie came in third with a 54.10 time.
In the women’s 100H event, Alysse Wade finished with a 13.68 time for bronze.
In the field, Enekwechi earned his second silver medal on the weekend with a season-best performance in the discus throw, earning a 50.73m throw.
Sophomore Ousman Kamara performed in the high-jump, where he recorded a career-high of 2.07 for second. Freshman Brendan Hill took third at 2.04m, while senior Quintella Johnson finished third with a clearance of 1.70m.
Next up, the Eagles wait to see who qualifies for the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Championships, which take place on Wednesday, May 25, through Saturday, May 28, 2022.
For more information and to stay up to date on all EMU track and field, you can visit EMUEagles.com.
