It was a weekend of split squads and shattered records for the Eastern Michigan University track and field programs as they dominated two separate invites across the Midwest. From the high-stakes atmosphere of the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame to the grueling multi-events at the Jet’s Pizza Invitational in Saginaw, the Eagles proved their depth, walking away with seven personal bests and three marks that rewrote the program’s all-time top-10 lists.
Wiles joins the elite
The headline of the weekend belongs to Kian Wiles, who authored a performance for the ages in South Bend, Indiana. Competing in the Championship Mile at the Meyo Invitational, Wiles scorched the track with a blistering 3:59.78, earning an event win and officially breaking the prestigious four-minute barrier. Not only does this mark lead the Mid-American Conference, but it also cements Wiles as the No. 5 fastest miler in EMU history. To put the achievement in perspective, Wiles shaved over two seconds off his previous personal best of 4:01.84, set nearly a year ago.
The distance dominance didn’t stop there. Drew Graves clocked a personal best of 1:22.71 in the 600m, while Ty Dailey powered through the open mile to set a new career mark of 4:10.78. On the women’s side, Sophie Emin continued her upward trajectory, shaving time off her 800m performance for the second consecutive week with a personal best of 2:12.66. Liv Hatch also joined the personal-best club, crossing the finish line in the mile at 5:01.90.
Multi-Event athletes make their mark in Saginaw
While the distance runners were flying in South Bend, EMU’s multi-event athletes were grinding through a two-day test of will at Saginaw Valley State University. Shamoya Clemetson led the charge for the women, securing a podium finish with a third-place overall standing in the pentathlon. Clemetson’s 3,156-point performance was bolstered by a standout second-place finish in the long jump at 5.31m and third-place finishes in both the 60m hurdles and shot put.
The men’s heptathlon saw Cason Doolittle and Julien Badoo finish in fifth and ninth place, respectively. Doolittle dominated the high jump on day one, clearing 1.86m to take the event win. His relentless pace through day two earned him a score of 2,063 points, a mark that secured him a program top 10 spot…