
From a game-winning layup to seal a win for women’s basketball to both men’s and women’s tennis recording their first wins of the season, here is what happened within Eastern’s athletics this past weekend:
Women’s Basketball
The Panthers are now 13-6 overall and 10-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
With nine seconds of regulation left sophomore guard Lalani Ellis sank a jumper and free throw to lift Eastern Illinois to a 51-49 win over Southern Indiana in a game between two of the top teams in the conference.
EIU lost two key players during the fourth quarter as senior forward Macy McGlone and senior guard Kiyley Flowers both fouled out.
McGlone led all scorers with 22 points and 16 rebounds going nine-of-16 from the floor.
EIU is away this week. The team’s first game will be Thursday at 5 p.m. against Western Illinois.
Men’s Basketball
The Panthers fell against USI, and they are now 5-15 overall and 1-8 in the OVC.
After one of his best games with a career-high 38-point performance on Thursday against Morehead State, senior guard NaKyel Shelton finished Saturday’s game with 12 points.
Senior forward Kooper Jacobi collected his eighth double-double this season. Currently he is leading all players with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Junior guard Zion Fruster finished the game with 15 points, and he extended his streak of making at least one three-pointer to 19.
Eastern is set to play Little Rock at Lindenwood on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Eastern’s women’s tennis lost its weekend match Saturday afternoon 7-0 against Northern Illinois.
Even though the Panthers lost two of the three doubles points, junior Aleyla Wooten and sophomore Michelle Kostadinova clinched the win 7-5.
With some players out due to injury for singles play, Eastern had to move players up one spot.
Two Panthers pushed their matches to three sets at No. 1 and No. 4 singles.
On Sunday, Eastern defeated Northern Iowa 4-3 to record its first win of the season. Senior Luisa Renovales Salazar, junior Emma Pilipovic-Kljajic, sophomore Charleigh Fay and freshman Ornella Lomenzo each won their singles matches.
Eastern is set to play IU Indy this Friday starting at 3:30 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Eastern Illinois men’s tennis opened its weekend with a 6-1 loss at Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Senior Zach White clinched a win for the Panthers playing at No. 3 singles. White defeated Chiao Bu Suo Nan 6-4 and 6-1.
In singles play, the Panthers pushed matches at No. 4 and No. 6 singles to three sets before NIU victories.
Freshman Ludolph Wiggett lost in three sets at No. 4 singles falling to Federico Scotuzzi 3-6, 6-1 and 6-1.
Freshman Duarte Trocado lost in three sets at No. 6 singles to Angus Howard 3-6, 6-2 and 10-8.
On Sunday, Eastern bounced back to defeat Judson University 7-0 to record the team’s first win of the season.
Along with White and Wiggett, seniors Tyler Carlin and Pieke Bouman, junior William Hays, and freshmen Fabien Planchard and Alex Aldaz won their matches against the Eagles.
Eastern is set to play IU Indy this Friday starting at 3:30 p.m.
Men’s Swimming
The men’s swim team recorded its first win of the season after defeating USI 164.5-129.5 from being down 32-0, having no dive team.
The men’s team won every swim event excluding the 100 individual medley.
Senior Dismas Dillon recorded first place finishes in the 50 freestyle (21.27) and the 100 freestyle (46.83).
Freshman Eddie Meyers recorded three first place finishes in 1,000 freestyle (9:54.74), the 50 backstroke (24.88) and the 500 freestyle (4:46.88).
Women’s Swimming
On the women’s side, the Panthers fell short to USI 196-96.
Senior Corinne Staneart recorded a school record time in the 100 individual medley with a 57.70 time.
Track and Field
The Panthers’ men’s and women’s track and field teams competed across two different events over the course of the weekend.
Eastern split between the Fighting Illini Challenge in Champaign and the Missouri Bob Teel Invitational in Columbia, Missouri.
Fighting Illini Challenge
On day one, senior Elijah Skutt and graduate student Ramsey Hunt were quick to get on the podium in Champaign.
Skutt finished high jump in second place, as he recorded a jump of 2.00m.
Hunt finished long jump in first place, as he recorded a jump of 7.51m.
For day two at the Illini, athletes Isabella Fabrizio, Anna Jones, Carolyn Cronin, Angela Dobbins and Abraham Johnson all finished in the top three.
Fabrizio recorded a throw of 13.13 in the shot put.
Jones finished third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.38.
Cronin finished third in the high jump with a height of 1.55m.
Dobbins finished the high jump in second place with a height of 1.55m.
Johnson finished the long jump in third place with a distance of 14.71m.
Missouri Bob Teel Invitational
This invitational featured a larger group of athletes, as four EIU athletes found themselves in the top five of their respective events.
Senior Hallee Thomas finished in fifth place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.06.
Sophomore Ayden Cothern finished in third in the 200m with a time of 22.23, but he also ran the 60m and finished in fifth with a time of 7.01.
Sophomore Billy Bailey and Isai Morales both finished in fourth place in their events. Billy ran the 400m race with a time of 48.98 and Morales ran the 800m with a time of 1:53.65.
The Panthers will travel to Chicago to compete in the DePaul Blue Demon Alumni Classic.
Zaria Flippin and Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.