EMU track and field student-athlete Michael Allen
EMU track and field student-athlete Michael Allen won the triple jump with a distance of 13.48m and took second in the long jump at 6.28m. He was also fifth in the 100m dash with a time of :11.49. Allen was one of three EMUers to win gold.

Track and Field Royals Claim Three Golds At Maroon Invitational

by James De Boer

The Eastern Mennonite men’s and women’s track and field teams opened up their outdoor slate over the weekend, participating in the Maroon Invitational in Salem, hosted by Roanoke College.

Despite the small numbers on the teams, each the men and women came home with at least one first-place finish.

Sophomore thrower Kori Penick won the shot put at her first meet just days after joining the track team.Sophomore thrower Kori Penick won the shot put at her first meet just days after joining the track team.

On the men’s side, freshman Nathaniel Freed (Quakertown, Pa./Christopher Dock) won the high jump. Both Freed and Roanoke’s Edward Curtis cleared the bar at 1.85m, but Freed claimed the gold based on jumps.

Michael Allen (Fork Union, Va./Louisa County) picked up where he left off his All-ODAC performances of the indoor season. The junior won the triple jump with a distance of 13.48m and took second in the long jump at 6.28m. Allen was also fifth in the 100m dash with a time of :11.49.

In the throws, Aaron Sloan (Ooltewah, Tn./McCallie School) took points in both of his events. He was fifth in the shot put at 10.39m and sixth in the discus at 28.83m.

The Royals finished with 39 team points, taking fourth out of the five teams at the meet.

For the women, newcomer Kori Penick (Lynchburg, Va./Virginia Episcopal) won the shot put just a few days after joining the EMU team. Penick finished with a distance of 11.65m, giving her the gold and the best mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference so far in the outdoor season.

Nathaniel Freed won the high jump at the Maroon Invitational.Nathaniel Freed won the high jump at the Maroon Invitational.

Sophomore Sophia Holmes (Berryville, Va./Clarke) took second in the 800m run, also clocking the top finish in the ODAC, with a time of 2:31.34.

Erica Garber (Canby, Or./Canby) had good finishes in all three of her events. She finished third in the triple jump at 10.41m, fourth in the 100m dash at :13.74, and fifth in the long jump at 4.79m.

Senior Brittany Burke (Stanley, Va./Page County) came in fourth in the discus with a toss of 28.57m. She was also sixth in the shot put at 10.65m.

The women grabbed 41 points as team, finishing just behind sixth-place Bridgewater at 52 points.

Both teams will be in Bridgewater this Saturday for the Jopson Invitational.