Track Wins Eleven Events At Memphis Invite

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois posted its second straight week with a team championship as the Panthers men's and women's track teams head towards the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference championships. On Saturday the EIU men won the team title while the women placed second at the Memphis Tiger Invite.

EIU men's team scored 188.5 points to win the scoring title contested among the five NCAA Division I schools in the field. The EIU women scored 132 points and placed second behind host Memphis with seven Division I women's programs represented.

The Panthers were represented by seven individual first place finishers and four relay team champions as several athletes cracked the EIU career top ten or hit NCAA Regional marks.

Chandra Golden added her name to the list of EIU athletes who have now qualified for the NCAA Regional meet as she won the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.70 which matches her EIU career record time set last season. Golden was the second place finisher in the 400m hurdles with Samantha Manto placing third.

Shawana Smith won the women's 200m sprint with a time of 24.04 while her time of 12.03 in the 100m was the fastest this season by a Panther but good enough for second in Memphis.

On the men's side Tyler Arnholt won the discus with a personal best of 166'06". That throw was good enough to land Arnholt in 10th place on the Panthers career list. Ian Winston picked up EIU's other field event victory winning the high jump at 6'8.75".

On the track teammates DeMarcus Brooks and Zye Boey battled each other for top honors in the 100m and 200m sprints. Brooks had the edge in the 100m winning the event in a time of 10.33 while Boey was second at 10.35. Brooks time moved him into a tie for 4th on the EIU career list with Boey. In the 200m Boey had the edge with a time of 20.97 with Brooks right behind at 21.12. Both runners times in both events cracked the NCAA Regional standard.  Brandon Jelks was third in the 100m.

In the men's 400m Brenton Pegues won with a time of 48.70 with Marcus Williams in second at 49.00.

All four EIU relay teams posted victories with the men and women sweeping the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. The men's quartet in the 4x100 relay posted a winning time of 40.85 which registers in 10th place on the EIU career list.

Megan Gingerich posted the only other mark that cracked the EIU top ten as she placed second in the 800m run. Gingerich's time was 2:14.69 which moved up to seventh all-time. Erika Foltys was third in the event at 2:16.63. Kandace Arnold passed the NCAA Regional mark for the fourth time this season in the shot put with a second place throw of 47'0.25"

Other top three finishers on the EIU men's side included Jason Springer and Clint Coffey placing second and third in the 800m run, Pat Tortorici was third in the 400m hurdles, Dorrian White was third in the pole vault and Ian Winston was third in the triple jump.

Additional top three finishers for the EIU women included Tarra Grant third in the 400m, Erin O'Grady third in the 1,500m, Nicole Walcott second in the high jump and Kandace Arnold third in the discus.

Next week EIU will split its squad with some athletes competing in the Drake Relays while others will head to the SIU Edwardsville Twilight.