Future solid for women’s distance
Sophomore Olivia Klaus finished eighth at the Ohio Valley Conference cross country championships.
Klaus started the outdoor track season with a second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run. Junior Caitlin Napoleoni is finally starting to feel healthy. Freshman Britney Whitehead won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the EIU Invitational. Add in the rest of the freshmen, the women’s mid-distance and distance crew appears to have a solid scoring punch for the women’s track team this season.
They get another test this weekend with the Big Blue Classic.
While Eastern will graduate Eastern senior Erin O’Grady, her career isn’t over yet. She started to peak at the end of the cross country season and at the indoor track season. The senior may have a bad meet within the final weeks, but her leadership has carried her portion of the track team.
This is all without a formal mid-distance coach. The team has two volunteer distance coaches, but O’Grady and red-shirt sophomore Megan Gingerich are there to lead the way.
Sophomore Brittany Arthur has also stood out as a top runner.
The freshman class is critical because there are so many. Danielle Dickman, Gaby Duenas, Britney Whitehead and Paige Biehler are a part of that class.
Don’t forget about freshman Liz Dole, who Eastern head track coach Tom Akers calls a ‘fighter’.
Dole picked up one point at the OVC Indoor Track Championships in the 3,000-meter run.
Sophomore Erika Ramos and Erika Foltys also lead the pack in the sophomore class.
Ramos was seventh in the mile at the same meet, and Klaus was fourth at the mile as well. Foltys and Biehler were fourth and sixth in the 800-meter run at the indoor conference championships. And Gingerich and Foltys were part of the winning distance medley relay team at the indoor conference championships.
Even if these athletes aren’t the best, their numbers alone are going to help in track meets.
The Eastern women’s cross country team finished third at the conference meet, only mere points behind Murray State. This will bode well for the future.
O’Grady’s relished this opportunity to lead this young pack this season.
“We haven’t shown how good our program is,” O’Grady said right before the OVC cross country championships. “I feel we have a whole new team dynamic this season.”
Well, the Panthers executed then.
They should continue to execute in the OVC outdoor championships and the rest of their careers.
Kevin Murphy can be reached
at 581-7944 or kjmurphy@eiu.edu
Future solid for women’s distance
Kara Taylor and Rosa Varela will be graduating from Eastern this spring and on April 22 they, along with other soon-to-be graduates were recognized for their achievements during their college careers.
