RICHMOND, Ky. - A trio of all-time list performances and a new name entering the record books highlighted a successful opening day for the Eastern Kentucky track & field teams as they opened the indoor portion of the 2024-25 schedule on Saturday at the Commonwealth Classic in Louisville, KY and the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, MA.

Matthew See was the star of the day for the Colonels as he etched his name into the EKU record books in the men's weight throw. In his first ever appearance in the event at an official meet, the previous record set at 54'-1.5" by Randy Hopkins in 2009 was shattered by over two feet as See uncorked a throw of 56'-1.75" (17.11m) on his third attempt en route to a gold medal in the event. The appearance was See's first-ever in the weight throw at an official meet. A trio of Colonels further rounded out the top-five in the event with Evan Smith, JJ Love, and Cooper Brummett taking 3rd, 4th, and 5th-place respectively.

See was not the only one to make his mark on the program's all-time top-five lists, however, as freshman Lariah Wooden made a statement in her Colonel debut in the women's shot put. In her final attempt of the event, Wooden recorded a throw of 45'-4.25" (13.82m) to secure a silver medal. The throw comes in at second-best all-time in the EKU record books for the event, only trailing Angie Barker's 51'-11.25" set in 1986.

A new top-five mark was recorded on the track as well, as Justine Kipkoech continued the impressive form he showed during the cross country season. Competing as the lone Colonel at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, Kipkoech finished 15th-place in the men's 3000m for his debut on the track for EKU. He recorded a time of 7:51.23, taking the second-place spot on the Colonel all-time board, less than four seconds behind Olympian Ahmed Jaziri's 7:47.34 from 2022.

A myriad of Colonels found success in other events as well. Ty Blair and Lucy Thornton swept the top spot of the podium in the men's and women's 3000m at the Commonwealth Classic. Blair clocked a time of 8:33.46 in his first-ever race in the Maroon & White while Thornton finished with a 10:10.27, winning the event for the second year in a row. 

In the 1000m, Aidan Herman set a new personal best on his way to a gold medal in the men's race with a time of 2:30.13 while Irene Rubio Miralles grabbed second-place in the women's race with a 2:57.47. T'ya Suber also recorded a podium finish for the Colonels in the women's 300m, securing third-place with a time of 40.71.

Back in the throwing events, Senda Garma got her second year as a Colonel off to a great start in the women's weight throw with a gold medal performance. With her last attempt, Garma tossed a distance of 53'-10.25" (16.41m) to secure first-place, though even her second attempt distance of 51'-9.0" would have been enough for the gold. Freshman Kristan Simmons also finished third-place in the event with a distance of 50'-2.5" (15.30m).

See also grabbed a silver medal in the men's shot put to compliment his new school record, throwing a distance of 49'-7.0" (15.11m) on his fifth attempt.

UP NEXT

The Colonels take a few weeks off for the holiday break before gearing back up for the Bellarmine Open on Friday, Jan. 17th as they make their second of four trips to Louisville and the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center.

Follow us
Keep up with everything EKU Track and Field on Instagram (@eku_xctf), X (@EKU_XCTF), and Facebook (EKU Track & Field / XC).