EIU Track Adds Five Athletes

CHARLESTON, Ill. - Just days after the 2009 IHSA State Track Championships, Eastern Illinois director of track and field Tom Akers has announced the signing of four state qualifiers and one former state champion as the Panthers had four male athletes and one female athlete sign national letters of intent.

Joining the EIU men’s track program are Bryce Hogan, Graham Morris, Matthew Page and Darren Patterson. Paige Biehler signed to join the EIU women’s team.

Hogan qualified for the 2009 IHSA Class 1A State championships in four events competing for Moweaqua Central A&M High School. He won the long jump and triple jump at the Moweaqua Sectional while placing second in the 200m. His sectional long jump mark was 21’3” while he cleared 43’9” in the sectional triple jump. He posted a 22.84 in the 200m while also qualifying as a member of the 4x100 relay team. He placed fifth as a senior at the IHSA Class A meet with a distance of 44’4.75” after finishing ninth in the long jump as a junior. Hogan also earned a trip to the IHSA state meet in the triple jump as a sophomore.

Morris was a two event IHSA Class 1A State qualifier in both the 3200m and 1600m run after placing second in both events at the sectional meet for Lawrenceville High School. His 1600m sectional time of 4:33.24 ranked eighth in the state and he ran a 4:23.31 to finish fifth at the State championships. He was a third place finisher in the 1600m as a junior posting a 4:26.72 and also earned a state trip in the 1600m as a sophomore. On the cross country circuit, Morris placed fifth in the Class 1A state championships as a senior running a 3-mile time of 15:27.

Page competed in the pole vault for Chicago Heights Bloom Twp. High School. He placed third in the Lockport sectional as a junior going on to clear 14’ at the 2008 IHSA state championships where he finished 14th.

Patterson will join the Panthers after a two-year stint at Rend Lake College where he helped the team win the 2008 NJCAA Indoor National Championship. In 2009 he placed sixth in the 200m at the NJCAA Indoor Nationals. This spring he qualified for the NJCAA Outdoor National Meet running the 200m. As a prep athlete Patterson competed for Waukegan High School and holds the 27th and 28th fastest times in IHSA history in the 200m dash at 21.51 and 21.68. He was the 2007 IHSA Class 2A state champion in the 200m.

Biehler signed with the women’s track team after competing for nearby Shelbyville High School. She placed second in the 800m run at the IHSA Class 1A state championships with a time of 59.94. She was a four-event state qualifier competing in the 400m, 800m 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay. She holds the school record in both the 400m and 800m with the second best sectional time in the 800m and fourth fastest state sectional time in the 400m. Biehler was named an Illinois State Scholar.