Eastern Kentucky University junior All-American Charlotte Imer became the first EKU woman ever to run a sub-16:00 5,000 meters on Friday evening at the Stanford Invitational, shattering the school record with a personal-best 15:59.3.
Imer’s record-breaking performance highlighted a weekend in which the Eastern Kentucky University track and field team split between a trio of meets.
Imer and junior steeplechasers Jamaine Coleman and Jakob Abrahamsen competed at Stanford’s Cobb Track on Friday. Imer placed fourth out of 23 runners in her loaded heat, clocking a 15:59.3. The previous EKU record was 16:03.8, set by Ann Eason in 2014.
Imer is the reigning OVC 5,000 meters champion and she was a regional qualifier in the event last spring. The native of Melbourne, Australia earned All-America honors in the fall after placing 31st at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Coleman and Abrahamsen also found success on Cobb Track. Coleman – the 2017 OVC mile champion – won his heat of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 8:48.5. Abrahamsen was not far behind with an 8:51.9.
Abrahamsen and Coleman were the two top steeplechasers in the OVC last season and both qualified for the NCAA East Region Preliminaries in the event. Abrahamsen went on to finish 11th in the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, earning second team All-America honors.
The newest Colonel steeplechaser, freshman Samuel Abascal, made his collegiate debut in the event 30 miles north at the San Fransisco State Distance Carnival earlier in the day on Friday. Abascal placed third out of more than 70 runners with a time of 8:54.8.
The remainder of the track and field team competed at Cincinnati’s Oliver Nikoloff Open on Saturday.
Junior Haley Yost shined at the meet, winning the women’s 800 meters with a personal and OVC-best time of 2:11.47.
Other notable performances from Cincinnati included: sophomore Gladys Cheruiyot winning the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 17:27.8, junior Nigel Bethel finishing second in the men’s 100 meters with a time of 10.99 (No. 5 in the OVC) and freshman Ke’Asia Johnson-Bell placing fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.69 (No. 7 in the OVC).
Both the EKU men and women finished third out of a field that included teams such as Cincinnati, Dayton, Ball State, Xavier and Toledo.
The Colonels return to action next weekend at the WKU Hilltopper Relays in Bowling Green.
— www.EKUSports.com —
Steve Fohl
Associate Director of EKUSports Communications
