Men’s track team earns No. 7 ranking in Midwest region poll
The weekly regional USTFCCCA rankings were released Tuesday morning, as the Panther men’s track and field team continues their climb to the top.
The Panthers are currently ranked No. 7 in the Midwest Region, moving up two spots from last week. The team started out the season ranked No. 11, but moved up to No. 9 after a stellar performance at the Illinois Intercollegiate.
Oklahoma has moved into the top spot, followed by Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wichita State. Illinois, who currently sits at No. 4, started out the season as the No. 1 team.
The Panthers also have two team members ranked in the NCAA. Red-shirt junior Zye Boey currently ranks third in the nation for the 200-meter dash and 25 in the nation for the 60-meter dash.
Boey has already qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200-meter dash. His time at last week’s Notre Dame Meyo Invite was the fastest recorded time in the nation for the weekend.
Boey’s time of 20.89 seconds was fast enough to break an Eastern school record, which Boey himself had already held. Boey was also named Ohio Valley Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season after his Invite performance.
Red-shirt freshman Mick Viken is ranked No. 20 in the nation in men’s pole vault event. Viken won the Notre Dame Meyo Invite last weekend and is currently tied for the Eastern school record at 17-feet-1-inch. Viken shares the title with current Eastern pole vault coach Kyle Ellis, who set the record in 2007.
The Panthers will travel to Iowa State this weekend to compete in the Iowa State Classic.
Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7944
or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.
Men’s track team earns No. 7 ranking in Midwest region poll
Mick Viken, a red-shirt freshman pole vaulter, launches himself over the bar Jan. 22 during the EIU Mega Meet in the Lantz Fieldhouse. (Danny Damiani
