The Eastern Kentucky University track and field team will open the indoor season at the Kentucky Invitational this weekend inside Nutter Fieldhouse in Lexington.
Technically, junior Charlotte Imer kicked off the indoor season by competing in the 5,000 meters at the Hoosier Open in Bloomington on December 9. However, this weekend’s meet will serve as the first action for a majority of the team.
Events get underway on Friday night with the distance medley relays, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
A majority of the action will take place on Saturday, beginning with the high jump at 9:00 a.m. and ending with the mile relays around 4:30 p.m.
WHAT TO KNOW FOR THE INDOOR SEASON
– Imer opened the season by clocking a personal-best time of 16:16.05 in the 5,000 meters at the Hoosier Open in Bloomington in December. That time is currently the fastest in the OVC and the 10th fastest in the country. It is also the third-fastest indoor 5,000 meters time in EKU history. Imer will look to build off a super-successful cross country season in which she was voted OVC Female Runner of the Year and earned All-America honors after finishing 31st at the NCAA Championships in November.
– Imer led the women’s cross country team to its 10th OVC title in the last 11 years in the fall. Several members of that team will look to have productive indoor seasons, including juniors Luisa Boschan (2016 NCAA All-Southeast Region in cross country), Ciara Scott (2016 OVC bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase) and Haley Yost (fifth in the indoor 800 meters and mile at the 2016 OVC Indoor Championships), sophomore Meggan Grams (fourth in the indoor mile at the 2016 OVC Indoor Championships) and freshman Lilian Jeptoo Kiborus (2016 OVC Cross Country Female of the Year).
– Junior jumpers Maryssa Stewart (38-1.25) and Darrian Botts (38-0.75) both cracked EKU’s top-five list in the triple jump last spring, and both will look to continue their success this season.
– The EKU men return seven athletes who qualified for the NCAA East Regional last outdoor season: junior Jakob Abrahamsen (second team All-American in the 3,000-meter steeplechase), senior Jaime Escriche (10,000 meters), junior Jamaine Coleman (3,000-meter steeplechase), sophomore Tequan Claitt (high jump), seniors Ambrose Maritim and Luis Luna (5,000 meters) and sophomore Erick Rotich (5,000 meters).
– Junior hurdler Isaac Lee and junior multi-athlete Yoshua Reed also medaled at the OVC level last year and will look to build off that success this time around.
UP NEXT
Following this weekend’s meet, the track and field team returns to action at the Gladstein Invitational January 20-21 in Bloomington, Indiana.
— www.EKUSports.com —
Steve Fohl
Associate Director of EKUSports Communications