The busy spring semester for Eastern athletics got busier over the weekend when the Eastern track and field and cross country teams began their seasons.

The men’s and women’s track teams competed at Indiana State University Jan. 23 and each team picked up three first-place finishes in the meet.

On the women’s side, sophomore Akiya Kollore finished in first place in the 60 meter hurdles and senior Makenna Wilson placed first in the shotput. The team of Taylor Wright, Zakiya Johnson, Danielle Frank and Alicia Adams placed first in the 4×400 meter relay.

For the men’s team, junior Riley Baker placed first in the 400 meters and senior Tadiwa Mhonde did the same in the 200 meters.

Baker and Mhonde were joined by Damian Clay and Gregory Downs in the 4×400 meter relay, where they placed first.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams competed on the road against Southeast Missouri, with the men’s team finishing third out of five teams and the women’s team finishing fifth.

The men had five runners finish in the top 15, led by sophomore Adam Swanson in sixth place. Katie Springer was the highest finisher on the women’s team, which only had five runners available due to COVID restrictions. Springer came in 13th place.

The Sports Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or densportsdesk@gmail.com.