Before the Early Bird Invite on Dec. 12, Eastern head track coach Tom Akers said one of the things he was looking for in this first meet of the year was not the times of his runners or the height of his pole vaulters, but for his teams to come together.

This may seem kind of strange because when one thinks of track, they think of it as an individual sport.

Results of a teammate’s event normally do not affect the results in another event.

However, during the meet’s final event, everyone in attendance could tell the importance of a team.

The Early Bird Invite was capped off by the men’s 4×400 meter relay, in which three teams each from EIU, Vincennes Community College and Indiana State and one team from Butler competed.

From the opening gun, it was obvious this was different from any other event.

As the race progressed, excitement filled the air.

With each pass of the baton and every finished lap, the intensity grew within Lantz Fieldhouse.

Soon everyone in Lantz was on their feet. Each Eastern athlete, runner or vaulter, men’s team or women’s team, made their way to the interior of the track to cheer on thier teammates as the lead teetered back and forth between Eastern, ISU and Vincennes.

When one team would take the lead, the other teammates lined up around the track to motivate the runner and give them that extra push.

Teammates willed their runners to the finish line, encouraging them to give everything they had to help win the event for the rest of the team.

In the end, ISU pulled off the comeback victory edging Eastern by three-tenths of a second.

Although Eastern lost the race, Akers has to be pleased by the rest of his team.

With only one meet so far this season, it appears the defending Ohio Valley Conference indoor champions for both men’s and women’s track are coming together.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.