Assistant track coach Mary Wallace has a good problem on her hands.

Wallace, coaching the jumps this season, has four or five triple and long jumpers who she can use at her disposal – most of them are underclassmen.

Sophomore Tyler Carter, freshman Sodiq Alliu, freshman Bryce Hogan, red-shirt freshman Lamarr Pottinger and senior Ian Winston can be thrown into the mix.

Carter and Wallace agree the group pushes each other and since most are underclassmen, they will motivate each other in the long run.

“It’s a really solid group,” Wallace said. “We’ve got athletes that I think are capable of going a lot farther. They kind of have to grow and mature and stay healthy.”

Carter is the top athlete among the group, posting the third best mark in the Ohio Valley Conference in the long jump this season, and also a personal-best leap of 23 feet, 9 inches at the Big Blue Classic. Carter is also a sprinter and runs in the 110-meter hurdles.

“Tyler’s just a really good athlete, a really strong athlete,” Wallace said.

Carter was set to go this season until a knee injury limited his abilities until the OVC Indoor Championships.

Carter’s high school pedigree speaks for itself, so there were high expectations. He was a state long jump champion, 110-meter hurdles champion and placed second in the triple jump and fourth on the 800-meter relay team.

He transferred that athleticism into college and won the 60-meter hurdles at the OVC Championships as a freshman. Carter also finished fourth and fifth in the triple jump and long jump, respectively. At the OVC Outdoor Championships in the triple jump last season, only Winston bested him.

Carter embraces the team atmosphere this season.

“It’s fun,” Carter said. “Not most teams have the chemistry we have. It’s fun practicing and competing against each other. We all help each other.”

Winston, in turn, battling through injuries, came out at the OVC Indoor Championships in February and finished second in the triple jump.

Wallace said she talked with Eastern head coach Tom Akers and Winston will try to get in some triple jump work in addition to his high jump work.

The key to this year’s freshman class has been freshman Bryce Hogan. Hogan and Carter both competed in the Okaw Valley Conference in high school and also both competed at the state championships at O’Brien Stadium.

Hogan’s season slowed because of an ankle/heal injury.

“We’re kind of getting a late start on him in the outdoor season,” Wallace said. “We’re going to try to switch his feet and protect his sore ankle.”

He jumped more than 45 feet in the triple jump at the Mega Meet in December, but at the Western Illinois Lee Calhoun Invitational, he jumped just 37 feet, 10 inches.

Wallace said those jumps aren’t the best indication of Hogan’s ability since his best jumps were foul. Hogan was fifth in the long and triple jump at the OVC Indoor Championships.

Pottinger also competed in the hurdles, like Carter, but is trying to contribute in long jump as well. He finished eighth at the OVC Indoor Championships with 22 feet, 3 inches.

Carter said Pottinger is the group’s jokester and keeps the team in a light mood.

Alliu is slowly progressing, jumping 43 feet, 9 inches at the EIU Invitational in March.

“He’s had some really good practices,” Wallace said.

Jason Stark (2004) and Qunicy Jackson (2001) have been the only Eastern male track athletes to win the long jump during the outdoor season. It gets better in the triple jump as Winston is the defending OVC triple jump champion. In each of the six years of the OVC Outdoor Championships, an Eastern athlete has won the triple jump.

“It’s who is jumping well and who can get on the board that day,” Wallace said. “It’s a matter of who gets the best mark. I think we do have good group of guys that do compete hard and compete well.”

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected]