Distance coach Geoff Masanet said Eastern did not keep a normal line-up for many events at the Friday Night Special.

Some events were not run at all to allow some athletes rest in preparation for this weekend’s Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Senior Jillian Blondell, along with many other athletes, was put in shorter running events than what she is used to.

Blondell ran the mile on Friday but normally runs the 3,000-meter or the 5,000-meter race.

“The race started out really slow and I am not used to going out in the mile that slow,” Blondell said. “I am not used to taking the lead in the mile either. So when I was out in front, I knew we were slow but I was too nervous to pick it up.”

Because she didn’t know how to gage the mile, when the Southern Illinois runner started to kick, Blondell couldn’t react to it and pick it up too, she said.

Team battling illness before OVC’s

Many of the women, along with Blondell, have been battling some sort of flu or cold, men’s head coach Tom Akers said.

Sophomore distance runner Kim Archer couldn’t even come on Friday night because she was at home and in bed, Masanet said.

Masanet said he also pulled senior Nicole Flounders from the 800-meter race because she was sick and wanted her to get better for the OVCs.

Masanet said he also pulled all the women from the distance medley and only put a limited amount of runners in each event.

“We have been hacking and coughing most of the year but as a whole we are as healthy as we’ve been physically for a long time,” Akers said.

Season bests made at Friday Night Special

Senior pole-vaulter Nicolene Galas, and sophomore Tricia Gaumer had seasonal bests for the weekend with vaults of 11 feet, 2.5 inches.

Freshman Anci Borozan also had a season best vault of 10 feet, 2.75 inches.

Sophomores Chandra Golden (8.88 seconds) and Samantha Manto (9.64) along with freshman Caitlin Finnegan (9.27) had season bests in the 60-meter hurdles.

Sophomore jumper Jenna Uhe (37 feet, 7.75 inches in the triple jump) and sophomore thrower Angela Stoczynski (44 feet, four inches in the 20-pound weight throw) also gained season bests on Friday night.

The 800-meter race was packed with season bests from senior Sarah Selby (2:25.26) and freshmen Erin O’Grady (2:20.83) and Meghan Carney (2:25.35).

Carney’s 800-meter finish was also a personal best because it was the first time she has ever run that event.

Carney said it was interesting to run the race for the first time considering the longest she has ever run was the 600-meter race.

Tough competition helps Eastern

The big-time competition the Panthers faced earlier this season will be an advantage at OVCs next weekend, Akers said.

Eastern competed in the Indiana Invitational and Iowa State Invitational, which consisted of some major track programs.

The Panthers competed against teams from bigger schools such as Minnesota, Kansas State, Missouri, Alabama and Michigan State.

The competition last Friday night was mild compared to what Eastern had been up against and what it is expecting for OVCs, said sophomore sprinter Shawana Smith.

The Friday Night Special gave the Panthers an opportunity to stay competitive but was not as straining as the past couple weeks, said women’s head coach Mary Wallace.

Eastern saw some of the OVC teams already this season when they competed against Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri at the Indiana Invitational. SEMO and Eastern Illinois also competed against each other at the Iowa State Invitational.

“That (OVC) competition will be tough,” Akers said. “It won’t be as tough as Iowa State or Indiana but it is a competition that means more to us. The conference championships are something we point towards and one of our team goals for the year.”