The track and field team has made their presence known in the Ohio Valley Conference this season by posting 36 top-five event marks among conference competitors.

Two Panthers and one men’s relay team are currently the best in the conference. Senior Jamal Robinson has the conference’s best 100-meter dash time at 10.55 seconds. Senior Ruth Garippo recently moved into the top spot in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 35 minutes, 20.52 seconds, surpassing second-place runner Sydney O’Brien of Southeast Missouri by just under 20 seconds.

The men’s 4×100-meter relay team is the top squad after making a time of 40.99 seconds at the EIU Big Blue Classic.

Eastern holds the top three positions in the men’s 100-meter dash. Following Robinson is junior Davion McManis and sophomore Brandan Lane. McManis clocks in just 19 seconds under Robinson’s leading time while Lane holds the bronze with a time of 10.76 seconds. Robinson is also tied for second in the 200-meter dash event.

Three Panthers also snatched consecutive slots in the men’s long jump. McManis is second behind Tennessee State’s Kareem Nicholas with a mark of 25’1.75”. Junior Chrisford Stevens follows in third place with measurement of 23’8”, and junior Kendall Williams is fourth in the conference.

Stevens holds another OVC record in the triple jump. He is fourth behind competitors from Tennessee State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Senior Riley McInerney is also a multi-place holder in three events. He is currently third in the conference in the steeplechase, third in the 5,000-meter run and fifth in the 1,500-meter run.

In the women’s 800-meter run, seniors Kristen Paris and Julie James hold third and fifth, respectively. Senior Ivy Handley joins Garippo on the list for the 10,000-meter run in fourth place with a time of 36:35.94.

Senior Bryn Buckwalter is currently second in the hammer throw and third in shot put. Her furthest hammer throw measures at 173’5”, and her season high in shot put is 48’3.25”.

Senior Haleigh Knapp leads in the women’s high jump. She is currently the best in the conference with a mark of 5’8.75”. This height is 0.75 inches higher than second-place Cyra Beard’s highest mark for Tennessee State.

On the men’s side, sophomore Ashton Wilson is second in the high jump. He sits behind Tequan Claitt of Eastern Kentucky whose conference-best mark checks in at 7’5.75”. Wilson’s conference placing measures 6’7”.

Sophomore Adam Kessler and senior Riley Kittridge are within the top five in the men’s shot put event. Kessler is currently second in the conference followed by Kittridge in third. Kittridge is also third in the conference in discus.

The Panthers also hold top-five conference positions in the women’s 100-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, steeplechase, 4×100-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay, long jump, triple jump and discus throw.

The men have also placed in the 800-meter run, 10,000-meter run, 4×400-meter relay, long jump, hammer throw and javelin throw.

Kaitlin Cordes can be reached at 581-2812 or krcordes@eiu.edu