The U20 Track and Field Championships are in the books, and the Eastern Michigan Eagles had plenty of success. Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta) and Ryan Johnson (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) took a combined four gold medals total in the Canadian and U.S. Olympic Trials.
The Canadian trials took place from June 26 to 30 in Montreal, Quebec. McEachern won three golds in the trials, including in the hammer and discus throws and shot put. The first one came in the hammer throw, where he threw it 67.32 meters to win this category on June 27.
The discus and shot put came on June 28 and June 30, respectively. The Alberta native tallied a 49.22 and 15.93 meter throw in the shot put and discus throw.
Johnson placed first in the hammer throw with a 71.06-meter effort. This ended up being Eastern Michigan’s best effort in this event. This came at the United States Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 13.
Both freshman athletes have had very successful years to start their collegiate careers. Johnson was selected as a member of the first team All-MAC for the indoor and outdoor seasons, and McEachern earned second team honors for the outdoor season.
The overall careers at Eastern Michigan for McEachern and Johnson have grown to greater heights in their first season. They already rank in the top 10 for career points; Johnson is second in the Hammer Throw, and McEachern is seventh on this all-time list.
The next event for these athletes will occur at the end of August. The U20 World Championships will be held on August 27 in Lima, Peru.
