Eastern red-shirt freshman Zye Boey and senior David Holm were guaranteed spots at the NCAA Indoor National Track and Field Championships.

It was official on Monday night.

Boey qualified for the 200-meter dash, and Holm qualified for the 800-meter run.

It is each athlete’s first appearance at the national championships.

The last Panther to participate at the indoor national meet was Gabe Spezia in 2000.

Holm is ranked 12th in the 800-meter run (1 minute, 48.86 seconds). The automatic time is 1:48. Oregon junior Andrew Keating leads the field (1:47.03). Only three runners hit the automatic time this season.

“I’m just really, really happy right now,” Holm said. “It’s really cool.”

Holm said Boey, the coaches and himself will have one more workout before leaving on Wednesday.

In the 200-meter dash, Boey is ranked 12th in 20.93 seconds. The automatic time is 20.83 seconds. Baylor junior Trey Harts leads the field with a season best time of 20.66 seconds. Only three other athletes were able to hit the automatic time.

“Zye has a really good chance,” Holm said. “He has a good chance of making it to finals.”

Fourteen athletes will compete in the 200-meter dash.

Boey is one of five freshmen in the event.

The national championships are being held Friday and Saturday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

The men’s 800-meter preliminary run is at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, and the men’s 200-meter preliminary dash is at 6:45 p.m. on Friday.

Finals of the 200-meter dash will be run at 8:10 p.m. on Friday.

The finals of the 800-meter run are at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Men’s golf in 11th place at Samford Invitational

The Eastern men’s golf team opened its season with an 11th-place showing at the Samford Invitational at the 6,000-yard par-72 Limestone Springs Golf Course in Oneonta, Ala.

The Panthers played two rounds (36 holes) on Monday and wrap with one round (18 holes) at 8:30 a.m. today.

The Panthers are 11th of 14 teams with 605 strokes.

Freshman Gino Parrodi leads the Panthers with a 5-over-par 149-stroke showing.

Parrodi is tied for 27nd.

Senior Matt Davis is second for the Panthers with a 6-over-par 150-stroke showing.

Davis is tied for 35th.

Sophomore Francisco Cherizola is third for the Panthers with 153-strokes, and junior Lucas Mannix posted a 155-stroke count.

Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State leads the field with 564 strokes.

Kennesaw State is second with 576 strokes. Illinois State is third with 578 strokes.

Host and former OVC member, Samford, is tied for fourth with 586 strokes.

Nicholls State is 10th with 598 strokes. OVC member Tennessee Martin is 12th with 608 strokes.

Murray State sophomore Cameron Carrico leads the field with an 8-under-par 136. Clayton State senior Will Wilcox is second with a 6-under-par 138. Illinois State Ben Murphy fired a 5-under-par 139.

Golf Results:

Par-72, Limestone Springs Golf Course, Oneonta, Ala.

Day 1 of 2 (36 holes)

1. Murray State (564)*

2. Kennesaw State (576)

3. Illinois State (578)

6. Eastern Kentucky (587)*

11. Eastern Illinois (605)*

12. Tennessee Martin (608)*

* Ohio Valley Conference schools

Individual Leaderboard

1. Cameron Carrico, Murray State (136)

2. Will Wilcox, Clayton State (138)

3. Ben Murphy, Illinois State (139)

Eastern Illinois scores

27. Gino Parrodi (149)

35. Matt Davis (150)

46. Francisco Cherizola (153)

54. Lucas Mannix (155)

66. Matt Bird (160)

Melvin named Temple assistant coach

Former Eastern football player and assistant coach Randy Melvin was hired Thursday as the Temple defensive line coach.

Melvin spent the last four seasons as the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Melvin has also been the defensive line coach at Illinois and Rutgers.

He has also coached at Wyoming, Purdue and with the New England Patriots. Melvin coached the defensive line from 1988-1994. Melvin was a starter on the defensive line for the Panthers for three seasons and received AP All-America recognition (Division II) in 1979 and 1980. He also earned his master’s degree from the school in 1993. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame at Eastern in 1995.

“I am extremely excited about joining the Temple football and University family,” Melvin said in a press release. “I look forward to working with these young men.”

The Temple Owls finished 5-7 last season, which is the most number of wins since 1990.

-Compiled by Sports Editor Kevin Murphy. He can be reached at 581-7944 or at DENsportsdesk@gmail.com.

With no visitors or re-enactors around, a ram sleeps during the early afternoon Thursday in a fenced area at the Lincoln Log Cabin historical site in Lerna. The site closed down after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich made tax cuts in the state budget. (Karolin

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