Jacob Mitchell is going to run out of fingers before he accumulates more Ohio Valley Conference championship rings.

The red-shirt freshman on the men’s track and football teams will have two this season and possibly a third in the outdoor season.

But Mitchell loves track and wanted to help the men’s track team take home another OVC title. He did that by winning the 55-meter dash in his first collegiate event. He competed unattached at the Friday Night Special, waiting to see if he would be useful for the conference championships. And he was.

Although Mitchell simply ran a race, it was a needed 10 points for the Panthers who edged conference rival Southeast Missouri 178-150 in the team competition.

Because the men’s teams only compete against three other teams at conference, points are at a premium by swinging rankings one way or the other.

“It brings me back to high school,” Mitchell said. “I wanted to get another ring by running track as well.”

Mitchell was a 2007 and 2008 state champion as a member of the 400-meter relay team and placed seventh in the 100-meter dash in 2008 after a third-place finish in 2007 at Springfield Lanphier.

Mitchell said Eastern head coach Tom Akers has helped his agility and mobility on the track, an aspect that will benefit him with spring football practice and the rest of his Eastern football career.

Although the decision was a last-minute deal, he is glad he made the choice.

“I won that, and I was surprised I won,” he said. “I didn’t expect that.I had a whole year off from high school. When I came out and won I was like, ‘Oh, Snap, I’m really kind of good at this.’

Then when it came to conference, I kind of lucked out.”

While it’s common to see a football player run track, Mitchell stepped onto the track and ran two 8.3 marks in the 55-meter dash at the Gentry Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday at the OVC Championships. He beat out Eastern Kentucky’s Shannon Davis in the 55-meter dash.

Davis also plays football for the Colonels and was the 2008 OVC Male Track Freshman of the Year and the 2008 Male Athlete of the OVC Championships.

Mitchell plans to try and balance the spring football season and track. Ideally, he plans to practice football and try to attend track practice on the football non-practice days.

“I’m not too sure,” he said. “We haven’t had a real conversation about that yet. I just want to win and help the team get better.”

Mitchell fills in the role of short sprints in place of red-shirt sophomore Zye Boey, who’s recovering from his knee injury. Mitchell knew Boey and junior Darren Patterson since they were a part of the program and because they were strong competitors from high school.

“I came in and wanted to be another powerhouse with them,” he said. “We can do a lot of big things.”

On the football field, Mitchell’s progression is slowly progressing, but defensive backs coach Bobby Babich is taking notice.

“The first thing you talk about is his speed,” Babich said. “He’s a big guy who can run.”

Babich said Mitchell is an unselfish person, someone who puts the team first. Mitchell has the size and athletic ability to be a good football player.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmurphy@eiu.edu

Freshman red-shirt sprinter Jacob Mitchell stretches during practice on Wednesday afternoon in the Lantz Fieldhouse; Mitchell earned 10 points for the Panthers against Southeast Missouri. (Amir Prellberg / The Daily eastern news)

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