EIU Sends Athletes to NCAA West Regional

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois track and field will be sending 11 athletes to compete at this year’s NCAA West Regional taking place in Austin, Texas this weekend.  The top 12 athletes in each event advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.

The five EIU women’s athletes heading to Austin are Maura Cummins (Newton High School graduate), Jalisa Paramore, Erika Ramos, Jade Riebold and Britney Whitehead.  The six EIU men’s athletes heading to Austin are Tyler Carter, Calvin Edwards, Dominique Hall, David Johansson, Pablo Ramirez and Mick Viken.

Maura Cummins (So., Newton, Ill.) will be competing in her second straight NCAA Regional after she set the EIU record in the high jump this season.  Cummins is ranked 19th in the West Region with a season best jump of 5’9.75’ coming at the OVC Championships.

Jalisa Paramore (Jr., Apopka, Fla.) will be making her second NCAA Regional appearance competing in the 100m hurdles.  Paramore is the school record holder in the event posting a career best time of 13.57 at the Louisville Twilight.  She is ranked 29th in the region.

Erika Ramos (Sr., Hoopeston, Ill.) will be making her first NCAA Regional appearance competing in the 800m run.  Ramos qualified for the event with a time of 2:07.35 at the Louisville Twilight.  That time ranks third on the EIU career list and places Ramos 22nd in the region.

Jade Riebold (Jr., Powell, Ohio) will be making her second straight NCAA Regional appearance for the Panthers competing in the pole vault.  Riebold holds both the EIU and OVC record for the event clearing a season best 14’3.25” at the WKU Relays.  Riebold is currently fourth in the region after placing second in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.  Last year she earned honorable mention All-American honors placing 20th at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.

Britney Whitehead (Sr., Elgin, Ill.) will be making a second straight NCAA Regional appearance in the 3,000m steeplechase.  Whitehead is currently 26th in the steeplechase with a season best time of 10:25.27 coming at the Drake Relays.  She set the O’Brien Stadium Record earlier this year in the event and holds the school record with a career best time of 10:23.91 set last year.

Tyler Carter (Sr., Tuscola, Ill.) will be making his second career NCAA Regional appearance with the previous one coming in 2011.  Carter will compete in the long jump with a season best mark of 24’3.75” coming in the season opening SIU Spring Classic.  Carter is tenth on the EIU career list with a career best of 24’8.25”.  He is ranked 41st in the region.

Calvin Edwards (Fr., Joliet, Ill.) was the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and will be competing in the NCAA Regional in the 200m dash.  Edwards season best time in the event was 21.20 at the WKU Relays.  He is ranked 28th in the region.

Dominique Hall (Sr., Belvidere, Ill.) will make his third straight NCAA Regional appearance competing in the 110m hurdles.  Hall ran a career best time of 14.11 at last year’s NCAA Regional which ranks seventh on the EIU career list.  His season best this year is 14.13 at the Louisville Twilight.  Hall is ranked 26th in the region.

David Johansson (So., Ahus, Sweden) was added as the final competitor in the javelin field following a medical scratch on Monday night.  Johansson is ranked 48th in the region and has a season best throw of 204’9” at the season opening SIU Spring Classic.  He was a NCAA Division III All-American in the javelin last year competing at North Park College.

Pablo Ramirez (Jr., Hoffman Estates, Ill.) will be making his first NCAA Regional appearance competing in the 10,000m run.  Ramirez is ranked 47th in the region in the event posting a season best time of 29:50.56 at the Mt. SAC Relays.  Ramirez time ranks fourth on the EIU career list.

Mick Viken (Jr., Rolling Meadows, Ill.) makes his third straight NCAA Regional appearance for EIU competing in the pole vault.  Viken holds both the EIU and OVC career records in the event.  His season best vault was 17’4.50” at the Drake Relays as he is ranked 23rd in the region.  Viken’s career best vault is 17’8.50”.  Last season he earned second team All-American honors placing 12th at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.