The Eastern men’s and women’s track and field teams will be back in action for the first time in 2012 when it will host the John Craft Invitational.

Formerly the Mega Meet, the event was renamed after Craft, an Eastern alum, who competed on the United States Olympic team in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Craft had a jersey retired in his honor at the event last year.

Competing against Eastern will be Arkansas Baptist, Arkansas State, Chicago State, Greenville College, McKendree and Vincennes. Several other track and field clubs will also be in attendance.

The Panthers enter the event with several athletes nationally ranked.

Currently No. 12 in the nation in the men’s 60-meter dash and No. 13 in the nation in the men’s 200-meter dash is red-shirt senior Zye Boey. Boey, an All-American in the indoor 200-meter dash last year, will look to hold on to his national rank, as well as his top Ohio Valley Conference time.

Red-shirt senior thrower Donald Romero also finds himself among the nation’s best, ranking No. 14 nationally in the weight throw.

“I’ve worked really hard for it and it’s finally paying off,” Romero said after the team’s Early Bird Meet where he secured his national ranking.

The Eastern pole vaulters each have two competitors ranked inside the nation’s top twenty-five. Red-shirt sophomores Mick Viken and Jade Riebold rank at No. 19 and 22, respectively.

After the team’s last home meet, Viken said he thought he should be able to improve after the semester break.

“I feel like the next couple of bars should be there when we come back from winter break,” he said.

Viken was close to breaking his own school record at the last event, but was unable to successfully jump 17-feet, 4-inches.

Riebold will be making her second appearance in an Eastern uniform. In her first appearance, she broke the school indoor record. Riebold, a transfer from Georgia, jumped 12-feet, 11-inches in her last outing.

Also on the women’s pole vault team, junior Abigail Schmitz holds the No. 3 spot in the OVC, vaulting 11-feet, 11.75-inches.

Junior Erika Ramos and senior Olivia Klaus are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the OVC in the mile with a times of 4:53.69 and 5:07.17, respectively.

In other distance events, Red-shirt senior Caitlin Napoleoni, junior Elizabeth Dole and red-shirt junior Brittany Arthur are ranked in the OVC top 10 of the 3,000 meter run. Napoleoni is ranked No. 3 with a time of 10:40.16, Dole and Arthur are ranked No. 7 and 8 with a time of 10:46.25 and 10:50.39.

The John Craft Invitational is scheduled to being at 9 a.m. Saturday in Lantz Fieldhouse.

Dominic Renzetti and Olivia Sloss can be reached at densportsdesk@gmail.com.