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Day Two

On the women’s side, Buffalo’s 12-point lead was cut in half, but the Bulls still are maintaining the top spot in a tight race. Through seven events, three schools—Kent State, Ball State and Western Michigan—are within 14 points of first place.

Central Michigan’s men garnered 30 points on day two and increased their lead to 27 points over second-place Kent State. Miami fell to third place, while Eastern Michigan moved up to fourth place.

The 2005 MAC Championships will come to a close Saturday at Goldsberry Track. Events are set to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s triple and conclude with the 4X400 relays at 4:10 p.m.


Day One

Through four events, the Central Michigan men took an impressive early lead. The Chippewas collected 59 points on day one, 24 ahead of second-place Miami. Kent State (30), Akron (23.5), Eastern Michigan (6.5) and Ohio (2), respectively, round out the field with two days of competition remaining.

Central Michigan scored 23 points in the 10,000 meter run, led by a first-place finish for Jeff Powers. David Jones tacked on another 10 points for the Chippewas in the pole vault and three top-five finishers in the hammer throw cemented Central Michigan’s early lead in the championships.

Seven NCAA Regional marks were recorded on day one on the men’s side, including Miami’s Jake Dunkleberger, who set a new facility record with a mark of 207-10 in the hammer throw.

Half of the men’s decathlon was completed Thursday. Buffalo’s Todd Joki led the way with a pair of first-place finishes, taking the top spot in the long jump and 100-meter dash. He leads with 3,872 points and is trailed in second by Central’s Jacob Friess with 3,778 points.

With two events complete, Buffalo holds a narrow lead in the team standings on the women’s side with 21 points. Ball State scored 12 points and Central Michigan trails with 10 points in third place. Kent State (8), Western Michigan (8), Akron (5), Northern Illinois (5), Ohio (4), Toledo (3) and Bowling Green (2) round out the scoring teams after day one.

The Bulls were led by a first-place finish from Faith Thompson in the hammer throw. Thompson set a new facility record and hit the NCAA Regional mark with a toss of 198-10.

Ball State’s Jill Scully ran away from the field in the 10,000 meter race, reaching an NCAA provisional time with a mark of 34:43.28 to claim first. Kent State’s Molly Hammer took second, finishing 48 seconds off the pace.


The Schedule

The three-day affair will kick off Thursday morning with the men’s hammer throw and continue throughout the day. Action will pick back up again on Friday with the continuation of the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon. The event will conclude Saturday.

The Field

All 13 MAC programs will field a women’s squad at this spring’s event. Seven MAC schools—Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami and Ohio—also feature men’s teams.

The Venue

Ohio’s Goldsberry Track is a state-of-the-art running surface completed in May of 2000. The surface consists of rekortan, a material mixed of rubber granules and a liquid fixative atop asphalt. Located west of Bob Wren Stadium, the track surrounds Peggy Pruitt Field, the artificial-turf surface that is home to Ohio’s field hockey and lacrosse programs.

Athens, Ohio was the site of the 1948 men’s MAC Championships and has played host to the event 11 times overall, including 1982 when the women’s meet was held at Ohio and the men’s meet was in Toledo.

The last time the Bobcats hosted the event, 1994, the Ohio women won their third team crown and head coach Elmore Banton earned Coach of the Year honors. This week’s event marks the first in Athens with Clay Calkins at the helm of the Bobcat program.

The History

Eastern Michigan has established itself as the class of the league in terms of outdoor track and field, earning more team titles than any other school in the men’s and women’s divisions.

Last spring’s event, on the campus of Miami University, Kent State ran away with the team title on the men’s side, while Central Michigan took the women’s crown. Eastern Michigan’s Jordan Desilets was named men’s Most Valuable Performer and Briana Shook from Toledo earned the honor on the women’s side.

The Results

Individual results will be updated throughout each day of the event on the official website of Ohio Athletics, www.ohiobobcats.com. Scores will also be posted continuously at Goldsberry Track. Complete results will be available immediately following the conclusion of the event Saturday evening.

The Spectators

Fans are permitted to enter the track and field complex one hour prior to the first event on each day of competition. Admission for Thursday’s events is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Friday and Saturday admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. All-Session passes are available for $15 for adults and $10 for children.

MAC Championships programs will be available for purchase at the gate for $3. Heat sheets will also be available for $3. Both can be purchased together for $5.

Parking on Thursday will be offered in lot 143. Lots 127, 128 and 143 will be offered on Friday and parking on Saturday is open. A detailed parking map is available by following the link atop this page.