Cummins, Roy Take Finishes for EIU

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men’s track won its fifth straight Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse.  Southeast Missouri won the women’s indoor title ending EIU’s run of four straight OVC Indoor women’s titles.  The Panther women placed third.

EIU scored 199 points on the men’s side to win the title by 83.5 points over second place SEMO.  SEMO scored 115.5 with Eastern Kentucky third at 104, SIU Edwardsville fourth at 82, Tennessee State fifth at 78.5 and Belmont sixth at 29.

SEMO won the women’s title in a closely contested championship.  The Redhawks scored 101 points with TSU second at 95 and EIU third at 88.  Murray State was just behind in fourth place with 87 points.  SIUE placed fifth at 74, EKU sixth at 67, Jacksonville State seventh at 54, Austin Peay eighth at 41 and Belmont ninth at 17.  Tennessee Tech failed to score any points in the championship.

Eastern Illinois Tom Akers was named the OVC Coach of the Year for the men while Southeast Missouri coach Eric Crumpecker was the OVC Coach of the Year for the women.  The Championship MVP’s will be named early next week.

Two local athletes competed for Eastern Illinois. Newton graduate Maura Cummins finished second in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7 1/4 inches.

Neoga graduate Jaimee Roy finished sixth in the long jump with a jump of 18 feet, 5 3/4 inches and took 13th in the triple jump at 35-3 1/4.