The Eastern men’s and women’s track and field team will head to Bloomington, Ind., for the Indiana Relays this weekend. The meet will feature perhaps the toughest competition the Panthers have seen so far this year, with several top programs competing.

Competing for the host Hoosiers will be junior distance runner Andy Bayer. Bayer was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week. Bayer made waves last year when he recorded the world’s second fastest 3,000-meter time of 2011 at the Gladstein Invitational. Bayer’s time of 7:48.35, breaking the Hoosier record.

No Eastern runners competed in last weekend’s 3,000-meter run at the John Craft Invitational, but junior Graham Morris won the event at the season opening Early Bird meet with a time of 8:27.26.

Another Hoosier athlete who will go toe to toe with the Panthers is junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe. Ahbe will be competing for the first time this season following a knee injury that sidelined her for two weeks. Ahbe is just one of four women ever to vault over 13-feet in Hoosier history. She vaulted 13-feet, 5.5-inches at the 2010 NCAA championship, where she finished 14th.

In an interview with the University of Indiana’s, Indiana Student Daily, Ahbe said she’s feeling healthy.

“I feel healthy and strong. I’m 100 percent healthy, and I feel great,” she said.

Ahbe will be going up against Eastern’s red-shirt sophomore Jade Riebold, who has gotten off to a hot start in just her first two meets as a Panther. Since transferring from the University of Georgia, Riebold has already knocked down the Eastern record twice, breaking her own record last week.

The Hoosier men’s team holds the top spot in the Great Lakes Regional, while the women are in second place.

Another team from the Great Lakes Regional competing at the Indiana Relays this weekend will be Michigan State, who is ranked No. 4 on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Michigan State is home to the nation’s No. 4 weight thrower, Jay Gillespie, who threw 68-feet, 9.25 inches at the Notre Dame Invite, as well as Lonnie Pugh, who is No. 10. Eastern’s red-shirt senior Donald Romero currently ranks No. 24.

Gillespie said he enjoys the ranking, but he focuses more on the team’s performance.

“I just do whatever I need to do to help our standings and seedings. I’m ecstatic about being ranked as high as fourth but I want to take that number as high as I can,” he said, in a press release.

Red-shirt senior sprinter Zye Boey, who is nationally ranked in two events, the men’s 60-meter and 200-meter dash, said he is excited about facing the tougher competition.

“I’m excited, it’s great competition, and I’m ready to go,” he said.

The two-day meet begins on Friday and concludes Saturday.

Dominic Renzetti can

be reached at 581-2812

or [email protected].