Complete Results
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – In dramatic come-from-behind fashion, the Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team did what it had done 20 times previous, as it captured another Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday, May 15, in Buffalo N.Y. The title, Eastern's 21st in the 36 years in which the MAC has awarded it, also gives the Eagles the first Indoor-Outdoor sweep in the MAC since 2007 when it was again the Green and White taking home both titles.
After coming into the final day in fifth place and trailing by 40 points to first place Akron, the Eagles wasted no time in making up ground. In the first race of the day for the men, three Eagles, Clint Allen, Koleon Prescott and Jairus Saunders, scored points for EMU. Allen won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.50, while Prescott took third (10.70) and Saunders finished seventh (10.92). Prescott and Saunders also scored in the 200-meter dash, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, and teammate Ackeem Forde joined the party with a third place, 21.11-second finish.
Forde continued his brilliance as the senior won the 400-meter dash in a time of 47.27 and Nathan Blackwell added another point for the Eagles with his eighth place finish. Senior Blake Figgins, who finished fourth in the 800-meter preliminaries Friday, also finished fourth in the finals.
The Eagles thrived in the distances races, making up the most ground after a 1-2-3 finish in the 1,500-meter run by Cole Sanseverino, David Brent and Austin Hendrix, and a 1-2 finish in the 5,000-meter run by Terefe Ejigu and Curtis Vollmar. Ejigu was named the Most Valuable Performer after earning his second title at the Outdoor Championship. He won the 10,000-meter run on Thursday, the first day of competition. Hendrix also earned a point for EMU by finishing eighth in the race behind Vollmar and Ejigu.
At that point, the Eagles still trailed Akron by a slight margin, as the Zips were placing well in the events also. But Eastern was able to catch up with UA when freshman standout Vanier Joseph earned another MAC Title by winning the 110-meter hurdles. The 2009 Michigan High School Class B hurdling champion posted a 14.03 time, edging out Akron's Tyshaun Peoples, and teammate Kevin Lanier, fresh off of being named the MAC Track Athlete of the Week, finished third in the race. Lanier also placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles while Daniel Collins placed seventh in the event.
In the final two events of the day, Eastern mixed skill with, perhaps, a bit of luck. The Eagles, trailing by the slimmest of margins to UA (168.5-168),went into the 4x100-meter relay knowing they needed to make up ground. They didn't disappoint. EMU stormed out the gates and never let up, crossing the finish line in first place just .11 seconds before Akron.
Going into the 4x400-meter relay, the final event of the day, EMU had made up a 40-point disadvantage and needed to finish one spot ahead of UA if they finished third or better in order to lay claims to an unprecedented 21st MAC title.
After an intense first leg of the race as the Eagles and the Zips were fighting neck and neck for the advantage, UA's Phil Ferguson was called for a lane violation for going outside of his designated lane, thus disqualifying Akron from the race. EMU would continue to a second place finish and the ultimate hardware.
In addition to winning the MAC Title, the Eagles also placed eight performers on the All-MAC squad. Ejigu was named the Most Valuable Performer, and Interim Head Coach John Goodridge was named the Coach of the Year, an award he also garnered at the finish of the indoor MAC Championship season.
Men's All-MAC
First Team
Terefe Ejigu (Eastern Michigan)
David Brent (Eastern Michigan)
Ackeem Forde (Eastern Michigan)
Oliver Walther (Eastern Michigan)
Vanier Joseph (Eastern Michigan)
Cole Sanseverino (Eastern Michigan)
Clint Allen (Eastern Michigan)
Michael Uhle (Akron)
James Eric (Kent State)
Casey Garbaty (Buffalo)
Collister Fahie (Akron)
Rob Golabek (Buffalo)
David Kinsey (Akron)
Destin Heasley (Kent State)
Brandon Post (Central Michigan)
Phil Ferguson (Akron)
Michael McCall (Akron)
Greg Pilling (Central Michigan)
Second Team
Marcus Briedinger (Central Michigan)
Matt Pfleger (Kent State)
Brian Florek (Kent State)
Andrew Carnes (Kent State)
Michael McCarty (Miami)
Curtis Vollmar (Eastern Michigan)
Keith Huebner (Akron)
Bjorn Johansson (Akron)
Brandon Bailey (Kent State)
Tyshaun Peoples (Akron)
Brian Smith (Buffalo)
Willie Brown (Akron)
J'Lani Pryce (Akron)
David Serrano (Miami)
Matt Gac (Buffalo)
Specialty Awards
Men's Coach of the Year: John Goodridge (Eastern Michigan)
Men's Most Valuable Performer: Terefe Ejigu (Eastern Michigan)
Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer: Phil Ferguson (Akron)
Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer: Casey Garbaty (Buffalo)
All EMU Results
1) Eastern Michigan 186
2) Akron 175.50
3) Kent State 149.50
4) Buffalo 136
5) Central Michigan 96
6) Miami 66
100-meter dash (Prelims)
2. Clint Allen 10.52
5. Koleon Prescott 10.58
6. Jairus Saunders 10.71
100-meter dash (Finals)
1. Clint Allen 10.50
3. Koleon Prescott 10.70
7. Jairus Saunders 10.92
200-meter dash (Prelims)
3. Ackeem Forde 21.36
5. Koleon Prescott 21.44
6. Jairus Saunders 21.77
200-meter dash (Finals)
3. Ackeem Forde 21.11
4. Koleon Prescott 21.68
5. Jairus Saunders 21.94
400-meter dash (Prelims)
1. Ackeem Forde 48.90
8. Nathan Blackwell 50.28
400-meter dash (Finals)
1. Ackeem Forde 47.27
8. Nathan Blackwell 49.21
800-meter run (Prelims)|
|4. Blake Figgins 1:55.39
10. Nathan Blackwell 1:57.61
800-meter run (Finals)
4. Blake Figgins 1:51.33
1,500-meter run
1. Cole Sanseverino 3:50.93
2. David Brent 3:51.14
3. Austin Hendrix 3:51.49
5,000-meter run
1. Terefe Ejigu 14:34.03
2. Curtis Vollmar 14:35.86
8. Austin Hendrix 14:57.12
110-meter hurdles (Prelims)
1. Vanier Joseph 14.16
4. Kevin Lanier 14.51
14. Xavier Clais 15.46
110-meter hurdles (Finals)
1. Vanier Joseph 14.03
3. Kevin Lanier 14.38
400-meter hurdles (Prelims)
7. Kevin Lanier 55.14
8. Daniel Collins 56.01
400-meter hurdles (Finals)
6. Kevin Lanier 55.51
7. Daniel Collins 55.71
4x100-meter relay
1. Joseph, Forde, Prescott, Allen 40.27
4x400-meter relay
2. Saunders, Figgins, Blackwell, Forde 3:14.88
3,000-meter steeplechase
1. David Brent 9:00.02
2. Curtis Vollmar 9:00.08
8. Matt Hammersmith 9:30.93
Long Jump
7. Oliver Walther 22-05.75
12. Xavier Clais 21-00.00
Shot Put
7. Gerald Gersham 55-00.25
9. Andrew Meyer 53-04.50
High Jump
4. Xavier Clais 6-09.00
Triple Jump
1. Oliver Walther 48-05.25
11. Anthony Bradley 43-05.00
10,000-meter run
1. Terefe Ejigu 30:01.17
7. R.P. White 31:13.64
9. James Hughes 31:51.63
Pole Vault|
8. Joe Tesner 15-01.50
10. Adam McMillian 15-01.50
Javelin
11. Gregor Harzer 159-08
Hammer Throw
11. Andrew Meyer 157-09
Decathlon
6. Gregor Harzer 6,324
