The indoor track and field season has come to an end, and the Panthers had numerous athletes compete in the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship. 

Eastern’s men’s team finished in third place with 134 points, and the women’s team finished in fifth place with 55.5 points. 

The Panthers had 10 athletes place within the top three in specific categories. 

Sophomore jumper Abby Venhaus secured the first medal of the day after earning a silver medal in the long jump category with a distance of 5.81 meters. 

Senior high jumper/hurdler Elijah Skutt recorded a height of 2.05 meters in the high jump category, earning silver in the championship. 

Graduate hurdler/jumper Ramsey Hunt received a gold medal for his long jump distance of 7.67 meters. 

To wrap up the first day of events, graduate thrower Matthew Gladieux and sophomore distance runner Joe Stoddard secured bronze medals for the Panthers. Gladieux ended the day with a 17.38-meter weight throw, and Stoddard finished the 5,000 meter with a time of 14:44.08. 

On the second day of the championship, graduate student Isabella Fabrizio recorded a shot-put distance of 13.45 meters, securing the silver medal. 

Freshman jumper Abraham Johnson and sophomore sprinter Daniel Lacy both secured gold medals for the Panthers. For Johnson, his gold medal came in the triple jump with a 15.60-meter distance. For Lacy, his 400-meter race time of 48.17 gave him the gold medal. 

Sophomores Ayden Cothern and Cale Smith finished with bronze medals in their respective events. For Cothern, his 21.40 time in the 200-meter race got him the bronze medial. Smith’s final time for the mile run, 4:13.43, got him the third place finish. 

To conclude the final day of the championships, Cothern, Lacy, sophomore Billy Bailey Jr. and freshman Josh Berry received the silver medal in the 4×400 meter race, ending with a final time of 3:14.69. 

At the end of the two-day event, Johnson won the OVC male co-freshmen of the year award. 

Junior thrower Sam Bradbury said the men’s team mostly consists of freshmen and sophomores, and the award that Johnson won helps motivate the younger guys on the team. 

“A lot of the men’s team is made up of freshmen and sophomores, so we are a young squad,” Bradbury said. “We are putting all the bits and pieces together, to grow as a team more. For the last two years, we have had the OVC freshmen of the year on our team. That motivates the team and other younger athletes on their competition.” 

Sophomore sprinter Taji Mathis-Akinremi said the indoor season started slow, but leadership on the team is what helped their momentum throughout the indoor season. 

“The indoor season for the team started slow, but we picked up fast throughout the season,” Mathis-Akinremi said. “We wouldn’t have done it without the leadership from Jahleel [Perrin] and Porter [Conroy] who keep us going in practice reminding us of our goals.” 

On the women’s side, freshman hurdler/jumper Anna Jones thinks a lot of people improved throughout the indoor season, and she’s ready to take the improvements she gained in the indoor season and execute on them in the outdoor season. 

“I feel like the season went pretty well,” Jones said, “Lots of improvement from many people across the board. Individually, I feel like I learned lots of new techniques making me more hopeful for the outdoor season coming up.” 

The outdoor season for track and field starts on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Panthers compete at the WashU Distance Carnival. 

Berry says he’s excited for the outdoor season to begin, hoping to score well in as many categories as possible. 

“I’m excited for it because I couldn’t run much indoor, but I’m hoping to score big in outdoor, and I’m excited to be doing long jump this time around,” Berry said. 

Mathis-Akinremi dealt with injuries throughout the season, including a sprained left Achilles and tendonitis in both knees, but he’s excited to show his full potential in the outdoor season. 

“I had a very slow indoor season battling with injuries,” Mathis-Akinremi said. “I didn’t see my full capability indoor[s]. Outdoor is where the big dawgs come out. Being healthy now and feeling better and better everyday, I am very excited for what’s to come.” 

Eastern’s home meet is scheduled for April 4 and April 5 at O’Brien Field.

Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or at zhflippin@eiu.edu.