Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Gersham breaks EMU record
Walt Middleton Photography

Five Eagles Headed to Track National Championships

DMR Team, Gerald Gersham all hit qualifying marks

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team will send five athletes to Fayetteville, Ark., March 12-13 to compete in the NCAA National Championships.

Gerald Gersham (Southfield, Mich.-Southfield), a 2009 Mid-American Conference champion and NCAA qualifier, set a school record earlier this season in the shot put after hurling the 16-pound apparatus a career-best 62-01.25 feet. The mark, at that point, was the fourth-best in the nation, and it ended the season as the ninth-best throw of any in the country. The previous school record of 61-10.00 feet was established by David Adamek in 2006. Gersham will be one of 15 shot putters to compete for the NCAA Title in the event.

This marks the second consecutive year Gersham has competed at nationals. Last year he finished 14th in the nation in the shot put, en route to setting then-career-bests in the event.

The other Eagles to compete at nationals are Curtis Vollmar (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc), Ackeem Forde (Haynesville, Barbados-Colleridge & Parry School), David Brent (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's) and Blake Figgins (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford-Missouri). The quartet broke a 15-year-old school record by posting an NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 9:32.72 in the Distance Medley Relay at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind. last weekend.

Vollmar ran the first leg of the race, the 1,200-meter run, with a split of 2:57.27 before Forde posted a 47.09 mark in the 400-meter portion. Figgins, the 800-meter runner, finished his split in1:49.01, and Brent posted a mile-time of 3:59.35.  The team's time is the sixth-fastest in the nation this year.

EMU's previous record (9:35.21) in the event was established in 1995 by the team of Jeff Beyst, Tiberia Patterson, Jason Boothroyd and Paul McMullen. Brent, Forde and Vollmar each won Mid-American Conference Titles last week at the MAC Championship, while Figgins finished second.


Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Now Playing:

Related Stories