The Eastern track and field team opened its indoor season by hosting the EIU Early Bird meet Friday. The Panthers finished with a combined 12 first place finishes between the men’s and women’s teams.

Picking up right were they left off last year, red-shirt senior Zye Boey and red-shirt sophomore Mick Viken each took first place in their respective events. Boey, who was last season’s Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the year, finished in first place in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Boey finished with times of 6.71 seconds and 21.73 seconds, which both stand as Early Bird records. Viken, last year’s OVC Freshman of the Year, took first place in the men’s pole vault with a mark of 17-feet. Viken was unable to land 17-feet, 4-inches, which would have broken the Eastern indoor record of 17-feet, 1.5-inches, which Viken set last season.

Viken says he should be able to improve his jump 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 said he performed better this time around than he did in last year’s first meet, which he says shows some strides in his progress.

In the women’s pole vault, red-shirt sophomore Jade Riebold broke the Eastern indoor record in her debut as a Panther. Riebold, a transfer from Georgia, jumped 12-feet, 11-inches, trumping the previous record of 12-feet, 5.5-inches, set by Mary Wood in 2005.

Also making her Eastern debut, freshman Maura Cummins won the high jump with a mark of 5-feet, 6-inches, which ranks third all-time at Eastern.

Also moving into the Eastern all-time list, junior Erika Ramos won the mile-run with a time of 4:55.59. Her time ranks third on the all-time Eastern list. Ramos, who is coming off a record-breaking cross country season, said that the momentum from the cross country season is already carrying over to the track season.

“I was half a second off the school record, so it was pretty exciting,” she said.

Red-shirt senior Donald Romero also moved up on the Eastern all-time list, as well as onto the national list. Romero won the weight throw, notching 64-feet, 1.25-inches. His throw lands him number three on the all-time Eastern list, and was, at the time, the No. 2 throw in the nation.

Romero said it’s a great accomplishment for him to be in the top ten.

“I’ve got mixed emotions,” Romero said. “I’ve worked really hard for it and it’s finally paying off.”

Eastern finished in first place in both the men’s and women’s long jump, as juniors Bryce Hogan and Jaimee Roy each finished in first place. Hogan jumped 23-feet, 2-inches, and Roy jumped 17-feet, 9.75-inches.

Junior Sean Wiggin and red-shirt junior Graham Morris won the 1,000-meter run and the 4,000 meter run, while sophomore Cody Boarman won the 400-meter dash. Boarman was also a part of the 4×400-meter relay team that also took first place. Boarman was joined by freshman Stefan Gorgol, red-shirt junior Joe Augustine and Boey.

The Panthers will return to action again when they host the John Craft Invitational on January 21 at Lantz Fieldhouse.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].