GALLOWAY, N.J. — Eastern University Men's Track and Field launched the outdoor season in record-breaking fashion, setting five new program marks at Stockton University. Ni'Male Greenwood, Ian Hopkins, Foday Koroma, and Derrick Swain all etched their names in Eastern history with standout performances.
"The goal today was to reset, refocus, and have some fun," Head Coach Will Mills said. "We absolutely hit those goals. The energy was infectious, and our team locked in and competed hard."

Sprints & Hurdles Dominate the Track

Greenwood carried his indoor-season momentum outdoors, sprinting to a 10.72 in the 100 meters—shaving nearly two-tenths off his program record. Jason Bateman (11.07), James Ugorji (11.16), and Austin Boddie (11.2) secured three top-10 finishes, placing sixth, eighth, and ninth. Greenwood then made history in the 200 meters, clocking 21.87 despite a headwind, becoming the first Eastern runner to break 22 seconds.

Hopkins dominated the 110 High Hurdles, winning with a program-record 15.00 seconds, six-hundredths faster than the previous mark. Daniel Franklin finished sixth in the event, while Shamar Davis and Keyon Jones debuted in the 400 hurdles, both breaking one-minute and placing sixth and eighth.

Distance & Jumps Shine

Ryle Mellinger and Robert Walton pushed each other through the 1500 meters, finishing second and fourth, respectively. Mellinger's 4:02.6 stands as the second-fastest time in program history, while Walton clocked in at 4:06.65.

In the jumps, Eric Lewis soared to a second-place finish in the Triple Jump (13.71m), while Elijah McCullough claimed third in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Lawrence Day and Keyon Jones earned top finishes in the High Jump to round out a strong field performance.

Throwers Make Program History

Swain obliterated the Shot Put record, launching 13.47 meters—four feet beyond the previous mark. He then crushed the Discus record, throwing 41.17 meters, nearly 20 feet farther than the previous best.

Koroma continued the record-breaking trend, improving his Hammer Throw mark by nearly two meters. The Eagles' growing depth in the rotational throws marks a significant shift—in 2019, Eastern's only MAC Championship throwing points came from the Javelin.

"This meet sets us up well for the outdoor season," Mills concluded. "Now that we have benchmarks, we have focus and purpose as we move forward."

Eastern will return to action next weekend at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener.