Indoor Track Takes Top Times To Wisconsin

CHARLESTON, Ill. - With only one meet under its belt for the 2010-11 indoor season the Eastern Illinois men's and women's track and field teams will head to Wisconsin looking to maintain several of the nation's top marks. 

EIU will compete at the Wisconsin Invite on Saturday with the meet scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EIU's lone meet to date this season was hosting the EIU Early Bird back on Dec. 10. As a result of that meet three EIU athletes were honored earlier this week by the Ohio Valley Conference as the track and field athletes of the week. Zye Boey, Mick Viken and Erika Ramos all collected honors. 

Boey enters the Wisconsin meet ranked 5th in the nation in 200m and 10th in the nation in the 60m. He won both events at the EIU Early Bird. Teammates Jacob Mitchell and Darren Patterson have also posted top 30 marks with Mitchell currently ranking 29th in the 60m while Patterson has the nation's 15th best 200m time. 

Ramos holds the second best 800m mark this season as her time of 2:12.96 landed third on the EIU career list. 

Tyler Carter holds the nation's 15th best time in the 60m hurdles while Viken's pole vault mark of 16'9.50" is fourth in the nation. Viken's height at the EIU Early Bird was the second best in EIU indoor history. 

The men's and women's distance medley crews also have posted early season top 25 times with the EIU men ranking 24th and the Panther women landing at 8th. 

Following the Wisconsin Invite, EIU will host the Mega Meet on Saturday, Jan. 22. During that meet the Panthers will retire a jersey in honor of former Olympic triple jumper John Craft.