Both Eastern teams will be back in action this Friday as they host the ‘Friday Night Special’ at the Lantz Fieldhouse.

On the women’s side, Illinois State, Bradley University and Jackson State will all make the trip to Charleston in what head coach Mary Wallace believes will be an exciting meet.

“It’s going to be a competitive meet,” Wallace said. “This is the last week before conference so everyone is peaking.”

Wallace expects local rival ISU to be at their best. The Redbirds have a solid squad and Jene Klostermann, a middle-distance runner, was named the Missouri Valley Conference Track Athlete of the Week after she set a personal best in the 800-meters.

“Illinois State is bringing in a good squad,” Wallace said. “(The Friday Night Special) is going to come down to how teams place their athletes in certain events.”

Wallace said the Panthers will try to do a little fine tuning with its lineup during the ‘Friday Night Special’ to prepare for the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championship next week also to be held in Lantz.

“We’re just going to try to size up athletes for the OVC Championship,” Wallace said. “This will be more of a tuneup for next week.”

One runner who does not need a tuneup is sophomore sprinter Alicia Harris. The Wheaton native has broken two records during the last two meets at Butler and Indiana.

Harris now holds the top time in the 200-meter dash (25.33), and her time of 56.32 in the 400-meter shattered the old record of 56.74.

“Alicia is on a big roll,” Wallace said. “She works extremely hard and does more than just practice. She goes on morning runs and it is starting to pay off. She is dedicated to running fast.”

Another Panther to look out for is Angie Simone who took home first place in the 5,000-meter run last weekend at Southern Illinois.

Simone’s time of 18:04.38 was more than 20 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

“Angie had a nice win last week,” Wallace said. “She will run the mile this weekend, which is not her best event, but her times (in the mile) have been dropping.”

The men look to build off a strong showing at the USA Track and Field Open, which was held last weekend at SIU.

The event was not team scored, but several Panthers had an impressive meet.

In the 35-pound weight throw, sophomore Aaron Grobengeiser had a personal best of 51 feet 8 one-fourth inches which improved his season best by four feet. Grobengeiser’s launch was good enough for a fifth-place finish on the day.

Always in the mix for the Panthers is last year’s ‘OVC Athlete of the Year’ Kyle O’Brien. The talented senior from Danville ran last weekend at the Canon IV Classic and finished eighth-place in the 5,000-meter run.

Men’s head coach Tom Akers was pleased with O’Brien’s performance and noted the senior never gives up and proudly wears the Eastern blue and gray.

Besides the positive momentum the Panthers have heading into the ‘Friday Night Special’, a big plus for the men and women is the proximity of the event. Wallace believes hosting the event will benefit the Panthers.

“I think any time you can have an event at home it is a bonus,” Wallace said. “The athletes know the course like the back of their hand, and they are always ready to go at home.”

The ‘Friday Night Special’ will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the 35-pound weight throw and conclude at 7:30 p.m. with the men’s and women’s 800-meter run.