Indoor track season is in full swing in Ypsilanti, and the Eagles are home for their upcoming meet.
Eastern Michigan is hosting the Bob Parks Memorial Invitational for the second consecutive year at Bowen Fieldhouse, located around the central campus. The event will occur on Saturday, Jan. 25, starting at 10 a.m.
The meet is the Eagles' only regular-season indoor home meet and their second home meet overall in the last five seasons. Seven universities, including Eastern Michigan, are participating: Madonna University, University of Detroit Mercy, University of Windsor, Northwood University, Bowling Green State University and Central Michigan University.
Regarding how the events will work, on the field side, the top nine performers in each event will have the right to move on to the final. For track, the top eight finishers from the 60-meter and 60-meter hurdles will advance to the final, while the results of the other events will be determined as they come in.
A memorable name is returning for Eastern Michigan as Donald Scott competes in the Eagles' triple jump. Scott has had a lengthy career in the triple jump that started in Central Florida and ended up attending Eastern Michigan for his college career. During his time in Ypsilanti, his personal bests in the long jump include a 7.57m/24-foot for indoor in the 2015 MAC Championships and a 7.58m/24-foot effort at the 2015 Tennessee relays for outdoor.
Scott’s best indoor triple jump efforts are 16.84m/55 feet at the 2015 MAC Championships and 16.83m/55 feet at the 2015 MAC Outdoor Championships.
Scott earned eight MAC Championships, three NCAA All-American honors, and numerous MAC all-team honors at Eastern Michigan. His career wearing an Eastern Michigan singlet lasted five years, from 2010 to 2015.
After his career at EMU, Scott has since had a lengthy career as a professional, particularly in the triple jump. His first event on the national stage was the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Since then, he has competed for America in two Olympic games. His best Olympic finish was seventh place in Tokyo in 2021, with a 17.18-meter effort. But his career highlight came in 2022. He took the bronze medal in the triple jump at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, with a 17.21-meter effort.
Scott’s career-high ranking in the triple jump is 15th in the world. He will compete in the triple jump when he returns to Bowen Field House on Saturday.
Scott is not the only athlete returning for Eastern Michigan who once ran or was a field competitor for the Eagles; other names include Newlyn Stephenson, Natalie Cizmas, Almighty Williamson, and Cameron Hart.
Stephenson is participating in the weight throw, Cizmas is running the half-mile, Hart is in the high jump, and Williamson is in the 60-meter hurdles. All of these former Eagles are running in the meet as unattached athletes.
Eastern Michigan made 40 personal bests in their last time at the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor. They aim to improve on that mark on Saturday.
