2024.01.24

Students celebrate the EIU underground line dancing club’s one year anniversary with a hoedown.

Coming off winning their conference, both teams look to reclaim the OVC champion titles for the 2024 season. Page 10

BOT approves coach contracts

By Rob Le Cates Editor-in-Chief | @robert_lecates

Eastern’s board of trustees revised two multiyear personnel contracts for the football and volleyball head coaches during its meeting Friday afternoon.

Both coaches led their teams to record-breaking seasons this past year. Both coaches will receive the standard terms offered to Eastern Illinois University coaches, according to the meetings agenda.

Volleyball coach Sara Thomas’ contract will begin Jan. 28, ending Dec. 31, 2027, with an annual salary of $85,000 per year, and a signing bonus of $7,000 for one year.

Grbovic overcomes adversity

By Patrick Schmitz Sports Reporter | @DEN_News

Everyone has a different journey to get to college. Some never go, while others have their eyes set on college from an early age.

Redshirt sophomore forward Lazar Grbovic was the former, never thinking he’d go to college. He didn’t even think he would be in America.

Grbovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbovic moved around some when he was younger, but at 7 years old he moved back to Belgrade and started playing basketball.

“I grew up in the capital city of Belgrade,” Grbovic said. “After three years, I moved to the south part of Serbia, and I stayed there for four years. I started first grade in Belgrade again because my dad got a job over there. I started playing basketball when I was seven years old.”

Doudna gets down with cover band

By Jacob Hamm Reporter | @DEN_News

Hundreds of community members and students packed into the Doudna Fine Arts Center for a performance by Kashmir, a cover band for the 1970s rock group Led Zeppelin, on Friday evening.

The concert took place in the Dvorak Concert Hall and started shortly after 7:30 p.m. The event lasted for approximately two hours.

In addition to the performance, the group took extra time after the show to sign merchandise and take pictures with fans.

The event was sold out almost a week in advance.

The audience was filled with passionate fans of the original group, both older and younger. There was also a segment of newer fans who were being introduced to music of a different era.

Kashmir was established in New York City in 2000 by lead vocalist Jean Violet. He is accompa-

nied by Kevin Slover, who plays guitar, Paul Cooper, their drummer and Felix Hanemann, who is the group’s bass and keys player.

All of the musicians have lengthy resumes when it comes to music, according to their band website. Violet has performed in multiple bands, forming two of them in the 1990’s. He has been performing since he was 18 years old. Slover has 40 years of experience playing guitar. Cooper has played drums since he was 9 years old and has performed with various bands while in college.

Hanemann is also a member of another band named Zebra, which continues to perform several times a year. He formed his first band when he was 14 years old. All of the band members have toured across the country. Violet has performed in international locations, such as Japan, prior to the formation of Kashmir.

(See KASHMIR PG 4)

BY IMMANUEL JOHNSON | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Lead vocalist Jean Violet of Kashmir performs live at Dvorak Hall in Doudna Friday night.

1811 Buzzard Hall Eastern Illinois University

(fax)

News Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Rob Le Cates DENeic@gmail.com

News Editor Cam’ron Hardy dennewsdesk@ gmail.com

Assistant News

Editor

Audra Gullquist dennewsdesk@ gmail.com

Photo Editor Sia Deykoontz denphotosdesk@ gmail.com

Design Editor Harper Hancock hahancock2@eiu. edu

Sports Editor Zaria Flippin densportsdesk@ gmail.com

Assistant Sports Editor Luther Yoder densportsdesk@ gmail.com

Opinions Editor Ellen Dooley denop.eds@gmail. com

Copy Chief Alli Hausman athausman@eiu.edu

Faculty Advisers

Editorial Adviser Tim Drachlis

Photo Adviser Greg Cooper

About

Publisher Joe Gisondi

Business Manager Betsy Jewell

The Daily Eastern News is produced by the students of Eastern Illinois University. It is published weekly on Wednesday, in Virden, Ill., during fall and spring semesters and online during the summer term except during university vacations or examinations. One copy per week is free to students and faculty. Additional copies can be obtained for 50 cents each in the Student Publications Office in Buzzard Hall.

Advertising

To place an advertisement or classified ad in The Daily Eastern News, call the ads office at 581-2812 or fax 581-2923. Visit our online advertisements at dailyeasternnews.com/classifieds.

Comments / Story Tips

Contact any of the above staff members if you believe your information is relevant.

Corrections

The Daily Eastern News is committed to accuracy in its coverage of the news. Any factual error the staff finds or is made aware of by its readers will be corrected as promptly as possible. Please report any factual error you find to Editor-in-Chief Rob Le Cates at 581-2812.

Trustees continued from PG 1>>

Thomas coached the program to win a conference championship, and the team made its first NCAA appearance since 2001.

Football coach Chris Wilkerson’s contract will extend by 11 months and five days, ending on Dec. 31, 2028. The annual salary of $200,000 will become effective at the beginning of February.

Wilkerson led the football team from a 2-9 record in 2022 to 8-3 in 2023.

Athletic director Tom Michael said he wanted to restructure the contracts now to retain coaches.

At the meeting, the board also approved three new academic programs: a masters in special education and two applied arts and sciences bachelor’s degrees in applied engineering and emergency management.

These programs will start in the fall, and they are designed to enable students to work in their field while pursuing higher education, interim Provost Ryan Hendrickson said.

Students will be able to achieve a one-year online masters in teaching for special education.

Hendrickson predicted the program will have around 15 students, and he said the program allows for a much easier and efficient path for those pursuing special education.

The 36-credit-hour residency places students in local communities with a curriculum based around classroom management, legal implications in special education and interpersonal communication with families and students.

Hendrickson said this program is to help combat the constant need for educators all across America but especially in the special education field.

The emergency management degree will be 45 credit hours and will replace the current bachelors in science in public health, emergency management and disaster preparedness program.

The need for this degree is in response to the profession’s increasing

educational requirements.

The applied engineering degree will be 34 credit hours and will offer students flexible courses. The program is catered toward those who have prior college or military credit.

Hendrickson said both programs are expected to see around 20 students.

During Faculty Senate Chairperson Todd Bruns’ report, he said the group will be discussing this semester a potential change in the grade-lettering system.

The proposed change will add pluses and minuses to grades and a pass/fail option.

The pass/fail option allows students to take a completion grade instead of a letter grade for certain classes.

Bruns said he favored the change because the proposal can reward students who work toward higher grades.

Bruns said he hopes this will be the subject of a forum this semester.

The board filled all its seats during this meeting welcoming two new mem-

bers: Dr. Bernie Ranchero and alum Timi Ngoboh.

Ranchero graduated from Xavier University School of Medicine in Oranjestad, Aruba, and he has several other graduate degrees from University of Illinois, a master of science in molecular and integrative physiology and a master of business administration with a concentration in public health administration from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.

He is an independent healthcare provider with Hospital Sisters Health System Multispecialty Clinic in Mattoon. Ngoboh graduated from Eastern in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and has a doctorate in business administration from the University of Liverpool in England.

The trustees will meet again on April 19 for their last meeting of the semester.

Rob Le Cates can be reached at 581-2812 or deneic@gmail.com.

Attention postmaster: Send address changes to:

BY AIDAN CUSACK| THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

University President Jay Gatrell speaks during Friday afternoon’s board of trustees meeting.

Students drop in on Panther Hoedown

Story by Chandler Smith and photos by Ashanti Thomas

After one year of line dancing with the underground line dancing club at Eastern, the club marked the accomplishment with a hoedown in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Ballroom on Friday.

The club has grown and several people had the chance to learn about line dancing for the first time.

“I am just now part of it,” said Paola Cuatepitzi-Rojas, a senior early childhood education major. “I came because I wanted to learn more dances from different cultures and stuff. So, I am out here supporting.”

The club’s biggest achievement has been the hoedown, which was coordinated with the university board.

“It was a small idea, and then it turned out to be something huge,” co-founder of the club Kayla Tomaszkiewicz said. “This is the biggest event that we’ve ever had, especially with the help of the university board.”

Cuatepitzi-Rojas said that her favorite song to dance to was “Shake It for Me” by Luke Bryan.

“I’m sweating and I did not think I was going to sweat, so that’s how fun it is. It is hard to do as well,” Cuatepitzi-Rojas said.

The club also danced to songs outside of the country genre, including Boyz II Men.

“We also have ‘Cupid Shuffle;’ we do ‘Church Clap.’ We have another one coming up, it’s called the ‘Biker Shuffle.’ That is also fun, and it has some rap in there,” said Tomaszkiewicz. “It has nothing to do with country music, but it is still fun.”

The club has also influenced many dancers in the community when it comes to teaching line dancing.

“I started attending the underground a year ago and started to check it out because I had heard about it in town, and they had a good setup. They had good teachers and good line dances,” Boot Scootin’ Barn dance instructor Sam Stowell said. “It influenced me because I have used a couple of their line dances for my own teaching stuff, and I really liked the simplicity of the dances they teach.”

The group of dancers view each other like a family.

“We just have a good group,” Tomaszkiewicz said. “We have a good family, like as you see it keeps growing and people will keep coming back and we just love that.”

Gabriel McElroy dances with Kayla Tomaszkiewicz, the president of the Underground Line Dancing club at their Panther Hoedown event on Saturday in the University Ballroom.

Members of the Underground Line Dancing club take pictures using the photo booth.

After a long night of line dancing, the treasurer of the club, Faith Hartke, puts away her cowboy boots.

Kashmir continued from PG 1 >>

The group has become one of the most well-known classic rock tribute bands. Kashmir aims to recreate the experience of attending a Led Zeppelin concert, calling the energy at their performances “The Zone.”

They incorporated elements into their performances from when Led Zeppelin was popular, such as 1970s fashion and flashing lights.

The band performed a total of 18 songs with a brief intermission in between the two sets. The group aimed to have a deeper and more intimate experience with the audience for the second set.

During the intermission, Violet took a few moments to establish the connection by assessing the audience’s mood and sharing personal stories and memories.

The sets included commercially successful songs such as “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven.”

The group used the latter song to pay tribute to one of their first talent agents who recently passed away. The concert also included a drum solo performed by Cooper towards the end of the show.

Violet described his preparation process for each show. He often takes at least 30 minutes to practice various vocal exercises prior to performing. He uses various vocal scales during his warmups.

“You ever hear of vocal fry? I make all of these weird noises,” Violet said.

His current favorite song to perform while touring is “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”

necticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania from now through the end of March.

Jacob Hamm can be reached at 581-2812 or at jahamm@eiu.edu.

Dalton Todd, a community member, attended the concert as a fan of classic rock. The group’s rendition of “Stairway to Heaven” is his personal favorite.

“I feel like Led Zeppelin is one of those bands where everyone knows two or three songs,” Todd said. Kashmir is currently touring across the U.S., with upcoming shows in Con-

BY IMMANUEL JOHNSON| THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS Kashmir performs live at Dvorak Hall in Doudna Fine Arts building. Kashmir was created by vocalist Jean Violet back in 2000.

BY IMMANUEL JOHNSON| THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS Lead vocal/ Harmonia of Kashmir Jean Violet. The band is planning on performing at nine different location during this tour.

Opinions

Students need healthier, more flexible latenight food choices

When voting, most people think about the biggest election race-- the presidential race.

But sometimes when we walk into the booth, we forget about the smaller positions and names on the ballot.

When we have elections, people may forget about the local elections. This mostly includes the county you reside in.

When was the last time you met or heard of your county representatives and what they do and what they stand for?

Do you even know who is in a certain position right now?

We at The News encourage readers to research and follow local politics just as much as national politics. Look at their social media and learn what they stand for and what they are working towards, or even

check their track record if they are already in an elected position.

As a nation, we tend to focus on our national leaders, but we tend to forget about our local leaders.

Who is establishing local taxes? Who is taking care of your town? Who is taking care of the roads?

It is important to know who is in charge in your local government. A lot of big politicians end up working their way through the ranks and become our governors and even top leading officials.

That being said, it is an entry level.

Some of these people are coming into the world of politics for the first time. This is why it is so important to pay attention to local politics.

A lot of people may just vote for their party, but you may never know what parties mean in a small setting. One person may align themselves with the democratic party, but their views could align completely differ -

ently.

It is a different animal at the local setting. Small things may just be enough to change your opinion. That is why it is so important to know who you are voting for.

At the local level, with less voters, your vote has a larger impact. Local elections affect you and your community directly.

Voting matters. Everyone has a voice and should vote as their civil duty.

No matter how big or small the election, person or position, these people have influences on your day to day lives.

So when you go into the polls in the upcoming year, make sure you know who and what you are voting for.

The Editorial Board can be reached at 581-2812 or deneic@gmail.com

COMIC BY ELLEN DOOLEY | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

‘300’: Action-packed, lacking storyline

By Cam’ron Hardy News Editor

“300” gives viewers a very minimal storyline with a lot of action.

“300” takes place in 480 B.C. in the midst of a war between Persia, led by King Xerxes-- played by Rodrigo Santoro, and Greece, which is led by Leonidas-- played by Gerard Butler. Greece, only having 300 soldiers, goes into the war knowing the inevitable outcome and motivates many other armies to unite.

The backstory to Leonidas was very entertaining. Showing how rough his upbringing was allowed audience members to know how he got into the position that he is in.

Despite his vigorous background, he treats all of his men with respect, making him a good leader. We see in multiple situations how Leonidas refuses his men of certain positions or acts and the way he goes about it ensures his leadership.

He went into the battles with a premeditated game plan, which works in some of the battles. Obviously, these are kind of bare minimums when it comes to being a good leader, but these are the ways that the film allows itself to be apparent to viewers.

The shot selection and camera work

are very impressive and unexpected. It seems that all scenes were structured constructively.

Some of the dialogue scenes were interesting to look at due to the cinematography.

The sped up/slowed down shots were stunning.

With that said, at times the CGI does not look good. Some of the bloodshed and background shots just look cheap. Most likely, if it was remade today with modern technology, it would improve.

Additionally, the entire film was shot on film, causing it to have a grainy visual effect.

According to the Chicago Tribune, a few parts of the set were constructed physically; everything else that was not physically constructed was accomplished through 1,300 visual effect shots.

For the time that it came out, it probably looked spectacular. However, with technology progressing, looking back at a somewhat dated film like “300,” it is easy to point out what could be improved. Again, the film is not horrible.

The dialogue was rather poor, which goes with why the storyline was poor as well.

Some of the conversations during the war scenes felt kind of forced and awkward.

For example, after the queen killed her rapist, she said the same thing her rapist to her as she killed him; it was just kind of cheap. There are other times when the dialogue was not that good.

Connecting to the poor storyline aspect, the story felt random in general. The audience is thrown in the middle of a war and have to just go with it.

More context would have made the story more interesting and immersive. Understanding how they got to where they got and more reasons as to why they are fighting could be more engaging.

The story began to improve towards the end with the queen killing her rapist and the messenger coming back with a larger army to take on the Persians, but unfortunately the movie ends right then.

Part two of the film, “300: Rise of an Empire,” came out eight years later, which could leave viewers uninterested after the hiatus.

The movie concluded very quickly. The cliff hanger with the messenger coming back was a satisfying ending, but the character did not seem to stand out enough to be exciting for a sequel.

The speech he gave at the end was motivating too, and the acting was great.

In general, throughout the film the acting was great. Additionally, for the Greeks to be outnumbered in the battles and have game plans and be victorious, they died very quickly at the end of the film.

It seemed they went in with no real procedure or method on how to approach the main war.

They had a little theatrical stunt when the man jumped out of the huddle, but that was it.

Obviously, they knew the odds of them winning were slim to none, but it looked like they did not even try.

The Persians presented them with the same attack plan earlier in the film, and the Greeks knew how to conquer it. But when the Greeks were presented with the plan a second time, they did not do anything.

The shot with the soldiers lying dead was beautiful. It looked like a renaissance painting or a beautiful historic piece. The fade out with that shot went along so well.

With Zach Snyder directing, it was not a disappointing film. It was just kind of underwhelming.

As stated previously, the film seems perfect for someone who cares little to none about a storyline and would just like to sit back and enjoy all of the action that the film has to offer.

It’s not a bad movie to watch, and it’s not a waste of time.

There are just some things that can be improved to allow this movie to have a better rating.

Films like “300” are difficult to make, so there is a lot of respect for the entire curation of the movie.

There are not a lot of movies like that, there are only about three or four big Greek mythology movies in general (“300,” “Troy,” “Gladiator” and the “Percy Jackson” films).

Rate: 2.5/5

Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at cahardy@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.

Baker returns to coach runners

By Cam’ron Hardy News Editor | @DEN_news

Transitioning in from Bowling Green State University, first-year director of track and field James Gildon felt he needed someone to help bridge the gap between coach and athlete.

Luckily for him, eight-time first-team AllOhio Valley Conference sprinter and hurdler Riley Baker had just run out of eligibility and was looking to help coach track and field.

The former athlete has been a member of Eastern’s track team since 2019. Baker was a key contributor to Eastern’s past track and field success.

At the 2019 OVC Outdoor Championship meet, freshman Baker placed second in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 53.91. He placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles with another season-best time of 15.81. His efforts helped Eastern win the OVC that year and gave him a second-team All-OVC award.

His success continued into the 2020 indoor season, where his 4×400-meter relay team ran a 3:14:59 at the 2020 OVC Indoor Championships. The team was 0.06 seconds behind the first-place team, Tennessee State University. Eastern won the 2020 Indoor Championships and Baker received a second-team All-OVC nod yet again.

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 OVC Outdoor Championships, as well as the outdoor season, and 2021 Indoor Championships were not held. Baker showed off his academics during this stretch, earning his first two of four academic awards: The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic award and the OVC Academic Medal of Honor.

Baker came back to the 2023 OVC Indoor Championships after winning four first-team All-OVC nods in the 2022 season. His success from the prior season carried him into the OVC Championships, where he scored points in three different events: 60-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash and the 4×400-meter relay. Alongside his athletic accolades, Baker earned the Academic All-District award as well as his second OVC Academic Medal of Honor.

Amongst his athletic and academic achievements, Baker reportedly gained the respect of his teammates– respect that his teammates still have for him as a coach.

This respect was one of the reasons why Gildon wanted to have Baker on his staff. Gildon mentioned he needed someone the athletes already respected to help get his message across.

With Gildon being new to the program, Baker could aid him in establishing himself with the athletes, said Gildon.

“He can kind of help translate to the athletes and make [the messaging] a little bit better,” he said.

While it may seem at this point that Gildon guided the process of Baker becoming a coach, that is not the case. Baker had coaching in his sights while he was still competing at Eastern.

As his athletic career was coming to an end, Baker realized he wanted to stay involved in track. He figured coaching was the best path to take to stay involved in the sport.

“It kind of became more clear to me as

I went through my athletic career that coaching is what I wanted to do after I got done competing,” Baker said. “Just staying involved with the sport as much as I can was definitely something I wanted to continue doing, and coaching was that route for me.”

Baker said that wherever he may land in the future, coaching will be a part of it.

“I think being here is exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I think down the line, wherever I may be, I think coaching is going to be what I’m doing,” Baker said.

The transition from athlete to coach has not been without its drawbacks. Baker noted that there is a small part of him that misses the competition of track and field.

This small part was especially prevalent when the team first started competing at meets.

Yet, Baker said being able to see the athletes he has coached compete makes up for

it. “I think just being able to see the athletes kind of do the things that I didn’t do, or do the things that I did do, kind of makes up for the lack of being able to do that now,” Baker said.

Baker also emphasized how important it is to see the work he’s doing with athletes begin to pay off. He said the beginning of his track and field coaching career has been positive, largely because he is seeing his athletes improve.

“It’s been amazing,” Baker said. “Being on the different end and learning a brandnew side of the sport has been awesome to transition and get into. Then to just see the work that we put in on a daily basis with our athletes, seeing it pay off for them is the most rewarding part.”

Aidan Cusack can be reached at 5812812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.

FILE PHOTO | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Riley Baker is now a sprinter/hurdler coach for Eastern after graduating last December. During his time at EIU, he earned many 4x400 -meter relay conference awards.

COLUMN

Coaching professionally v. collegiately

By Luther Yoder Assistant Sports Editor

According to rivals.

com, 1,635 football players have entered the transfer portal since it opened after this past season. According to ncsasports. org, there are around 858 colleges that have a football program. That means that there are around two athletes in the transfer portal for every school.

Basketball produces similar numbers. According to on3.com, 1,134 basketball players entered the transfer portal last year.

College coaches are the ones that have to manage transfers. These coach-

COLUMN

es must recruit transfers to their school and persuade their players to stay. They must do this on top of planning for the next season, making sure that the athletes they have keep their grades up and recruiting players that are in high school.

This is why I believe that being a college head coach is harder than being the head coach of an NFL or NBA team.

An NFL or NBA head coach would only have to watch film of the draft prospects, see which free agents they want and plan for the next season while a college coach has to do what I mentioned.

An NFL or NBA head coach would not have to make sure that their players are attending class and getting good grades. In college, players can’t play if they don’t meet certain academic standards, so coaches must talk to players to make sure they’re doing their best academi -

cally so they can play in the games.

The NFL and NBA do deal with players leaving and coming onto their teams, but it’s not as many players as there are in college. In college, players usually leave because a better school is recruiting them, or they want more playing time.

This is true for Eastern too. Redshirt sophomore safety Blake Ruffin transferred to the University of Louisville, a school that is one division above Eastern. He is one of the seven players that entered the transfer portal for Eastern football. Four of those seven have now transferred.

The Eastern men’s basketball team is an example of how many athletes transfer schools. 11 of the 15 players on the team are transfers.

Name, image and likeness (NIL) laws are also a reason that being a college coach is harder than being a profession-

al coach. Under NIL, college athletes can be paid to use their name, image and likeness in ad campaigns, commercials, video games and more. While the college itself doesn’t pay for this, boosters do, and richer schools have more or richer boosters to pay their athletes.

Because of this, if a coach is at a smaller school, it is harder to persuade an athlete to choose their school over one that can pay the athletes more. A professional coach would not have to deal with this as much. In the NFL and NBA, there are salary caps that limit how much a team can spend, which puts all the teams on somewhat even ground.

A college coach has much more responsibility than an NFL or NBA coach, making their job harder.

Luther Yoder can be reached at 581-2812 or at lyoder@eiu.edu.

Coaches should not be allowed to stand on the court

By Zaria Flippin Sports Editor

Over the holiday break, I watched a lot of college basketball, and I feel like the act of coaches physically being on the basketball court is something that is never talked about.

This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed how coaches being on the court can cause some disruption, but I think there is a fine line between what is and isn’t acceptable.

I think if a coach is on the court while the ball is on that side of the court, there should be a technical foul given to the coach or the coach should be ejected.

This hasn’t been a problem at Eastern from what I have seen throughout my three years here, but this was just recently a problem for the Creighton Bluejays, a college basketball team I grew up watching.

When Creighton had the ball with a little

under two minutes left in a close game, Marquette’s head coach Shaka Smart physically got on the court and played defense on Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman, blocking Scheierman from driving to the basket.

This moment in the game had Creighton fans rightfully upset after Creighton lost to Marquette 72-67 on Dec. 30, 2023.

Although this hasn’t been a problem for the Panthers, this could come up in the future and have Panther fans upset with the opposing team’s coach.

It’s weird to me how common it is to see college coaches physically on the court, but I can’t name a single time in the past decade that there was a coach in the NBA that stood on the court.

Giving technical fouls out to coaches that affect the play like that will put all college coaches on notice in the future.

I don’t think it’s that difficult to stay off the court, especially when the ball is on the side that the coach is at.

We’re at a point in college basketball where I feel like the best thing to do to get rid of problems like this is punishing the coach.

When a college coach gets punished, they are more likely to stop whatever they did to get punished in the first place.

I think it would be a valid call if referees started handing out technical fouls and ejections if a coach steps onto the court while play is going on.

Sometimes, this will come down to a crucial play, and it’s heartbreaking to the opposing team who had to deal with another coach affecting their play.

Now, this also goes back to the referees and why they aren’t calling this even though this one of if not the biggest unspoken problem in college basketball.

I’m not saying that every college basketball coach is like this. I’ve been to numerous Eastern games with Marty Simmons as the head coach, and I can’t recall a time when Simmons has been on the court affecting play.

My biggest concern is that nobody is going to stop this behavior from college coaches, and it can end up costing a team a crucial win.

Zaria Flippin can be reached at 5812812 or zhflippin@eiu.edu.

Hardest event in track and field

By Sports Staff Staff Report | @DEN_News

The Sports Staff shared what event they think is the hardest in track and field.

Zaria Flippin (Sports Editor): Shot put

I think shot put is the most difficult event in track and field.

Shot put is an event that takes a lot of arm strength, but I don’t think people understand just how much leg strength the event also requires.

Shot put has to be one of if not the most technical event, as it requires strength, speed and power.

The shot, the metal ball shot putters have to throw, are 16 pounds for men and 8.8 pounds for women. What I think is incredibly hard about shot putting is that they can only throw it with one hand.

Also, the shot has to be released above the height of the shoulder. Athletes have to push up and out, which can be extremely difficult to do, especially if you’re timed. Shot putters only have 60 seconds to throw their shot as far as they can.

Luther Yoder (Assistant Sports Editor): 400-meter dash

I believe that the 400-meter dash is the hardest event in track and field. I think that it is the hardest because you have to run at a full sprint for 400 meters.

Last year to qualify for the Illinois High School Association state championships in the 400-meter dash, you had to run a time of 52.18 seconds. That is like running a 13 second 100-meter dash four times without ever slowing down.

The world record for the fastest 100-meter dash is held by Usain Bolt at 9.58 seconds. The world record for the fastest 400-meter dash is held by Wayde van Niekerk at 43.03 seconds. That time is like running a 10.76 second 100-meter dash four times.

This means that to set the world record in the 400, you would have to run

the 100-meter dash at a little over a second slower than the world record four times.

Payton Liggins (Sports Reporter): Shot put and Discus

Throwing events in track and field are notoriously challenging due to the unique combination of strength, technique and mental focus required to excel. Unlike running events where the primary focus is on speed and endurance, throwing events require athletes to generate explosive power and control to maximize their distance. This can be particularly difficult for those who are not naturally gifted in terms of strength or coordination.

In addition to the physical demands, throwing events also require a great deal of mental focus and strategizing. Athletes must be able to analyze their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses to determine the best approach for each throw. They must also be able to maintain their composure under pressure, as even the slightest mistake can result in a significant decrease in distance.

Going against some of the strongest girls in the country made me realize how much time and effort shot putters really put into their workouts and conditioning.

Chloe Proffitt (Sports Reporter): 800-meter run

In my opinion, the 800-meter run is the hardest event in track.

The 800 is a true test of speed but also endurance; it is practically an allout sprint.

As a distance runner, the 800 always tests me and leaves me beyond exhausted. It is one event I would prefer not to race.Many could also argue the 400-meter hurdle event is right up there with the 800.

400m hurdles are also extremely challenging. The 400-meter run is difficult enough to begin with; adding the extra obstacles makes it significantly more exhausting.

Maurice Phipps (Sports Reporter): 400-meter dash

I think the hardest track event would

be the 400-meter dash. You’d assume the fastest runner on the team would be able to run the 400 the fastest, but you’d be wrong in that assumption.

The thing about the 400 is that it takes the right balance of speed and pacing yourself.

I used to wonder why when I’d watch the Olympics I didn’t see the same runners participate in the 400-meter dash that raced in the 100-meter dash. It’s because you’re running an entirely different race.Running a 400 with 100 pace means that you’ll burn out way before you need to use your speed. It’s a balancing act, and I don’t think most people are aware of that.

The 400 is also considered a sprint. Sprinting in general is something that people generally don’t do for long, so sprinting for as long as it takes to complete a 400-meter dash seems ridiculous.

Patrick Schmitz (Sports Reporter): 400-meter dash

In track and field, there are many exceedingly difficult events that athletes compete in. However, one stands out as the most difficult to me: the 400-meter dash.

The 400-meter is called a dash for a reason. The runners must sprint a lap around the track without slowing down. It is the longest event where you must sprint the entire race. Some people might say that you must sprint in the 800-meter dash, but most runners pace themselves for the first 600 meters and then sprint.

In short, all events in track and field are difficult. I would not be good at any of them. However, the one event I would never want to try is the 400. I would not want to sprint around the track at full speed for a good minute straight.

Cameron Thomas (Sports Reporter): Shot Put

I think the hardest track and field event is the shot put. I think that it is the hardest because you need to have great upper body strength, great balance and great technique.

The technique is hard because you

have to get every step down from the placement of the shot put, to the angle of the starting position and even the rotation of your hips. Unlike running track, shot put is so technical, which makes it harder to master than the other events.

Shot put also requires a lot of mobility because you can mess up your shoulder. If your technique is off, your throw won’t get anywhere, and you can’t say the same for sprinters. Shot put requires a lot more strength than other events, and it can be difficult for many to put on muscle.

The shot put can injure athletes’ knees, hands and backs. These issues can persist on to later in life

Aidan Cusack (Sports Reporter): Shot Put

The most difficult event in all of track and field has to be the shot put.

I will admit that shot put has some strong competitors, as there are no easy events in track. Both the 400- and 800-meter dashes are physically grueling, while the technique required for both javelin and triple jump is tough to truly master. Yet, the shot put combines delicate technical skill with impressive physical prowess, making it my pick for hardest event in track.

If we define hard as the most difficult event for an average student to compete in, then without a doubt shot put would be the hardest. Some students could put up an ok time in the 3000-meter. Some students could put up an ok mark in the high jump.

Even if some students managed to hold the shot put properly, the chances they would be able to throw farther than ten feet are slim, if not none.

In other words, if a person picked up track and field with no prior experience, the shot put would be the hardest to succeed in.

Also, I have to shout out the throwers, who rarely get love from the media.

The sports staff can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@

FILE PHOTO | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

(From Left to Right) Rachel Koon (12), Kylie Decker (11), Kathryn Cichon (3) and Brenda Torres (2) vie for positioning at the beginning of the mile run during at the John Craft Invite earlier this month.

Spring season previews

Incoming, returning players give team a new look for 2024

By Patrick Schmitz Sports Reporter | @DEN_News

Eastern’s softball team is preparing to defend its title as Ohio Valley Conference champions.

Last season, the Panthers went 3421 overall and 16-6 in conference play, leading them to the regionals of the NCAA Tournament.

As Eastern looks to continue through the NCAA Tournament, there are some new players on the team.

The Panthers have several transfers and freshmen coming in, so they are looking to see what this team is made of.

“I think we’re just excited to see this team get out on the field and figure out who we are as a team,” head softball coach Tara Archibald said. “Although we returned a lot of pieces, it’s also a very new team so [we’re] just excited to get out and compete and see what we’ve got.”

With a lot of new players, the team is adapting.

“I think the preparation right now is finding our identity as a team offensively and defensively and working to become the best version of ourselves.” Archibald said. “Right now, it’s just getting to know each other really well, building good team chemistry and getting ready to compete.”

Eastern has many players returning that helped clinch their spot in the NCAA Tournament last season.

One of those returning players was

2023’s OVC female athlete of the year, Olivia Price.

Price, the senior pitcher, appeared in 31 games with a 1.85 ERA last season.

“We have a lot of great returners,” Archibald said. “Obviously, Olivia Price returning to the mound; She had an incredible season last year. She will lead us in the circle. Rachel Kaufman, who had an incredible year last year. Bri Gonzalez, Kendall Grover, a lot of strong returners [are] coming back.”

Grover was named OVC freshman of the year last season, and she was also on the OVC first team as part of the infield.

“It’s a big honor, but I just have to focus on what I want to do this season and how I can bring myself to compete with this team and for this team. I’m going to try and do everything I can,” Grover said.

Graduate student pitcher and designated player Rachel Kaufman, one of the most dynamic players on the Panthers last year, looks to continue to grow and become even more versatile this season. Last season, she had 30 appearances and a 2.17 ERA.

“I’ve been practicing a little bit of different positions, so mainly focusing on getting better at first base and pitching,” Kaufman said.

Patrick Schmitz can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@ gmail.com.

Baseball looks to defend second straight conference title

By Payton Liggins Sports Reporter | @paytonannette27

Eastern’s baseball team, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference champions, are ready to hit the field.

The Panthers finished last season with an overall record of 38-21 and a conference record of 13-11. This year, the Panthers have several key players returning alongside some talented newcomers.

“We have some pretty good experience on the team,” head baseball coach Jason Anderson said. “A lot of new guys that you’re excited about, but we’re in the process of trying to figure out how we utilize them best within the framework of a baseball game to have success.”

Last season, the team had three players earn first-team All-OVC honors. One of those three players has another year of eligibility to play with the Panthers this season: fifth-year right-handed pitcher Zane Robbins. Robbins, a bullpen pitcher, was chosen as the first-team All-OVC relief pitcher.

Robbins has won this award for the past two seasons.

BY ROB LE CATES | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

players’ potentials.

“We’ve had a lot of success with the program because of the culture and the type of people we’ve had in the program,” Anderson said. “We’re ready to go see if we can put it all together and win big games on the field.”

Eastern’s baseball program has achieved great success over the years. One of the team’s most notable accomplishments was winning the OVC Championship.

“When we all come into the program, that’s our expectation to win. Win a championship and make it to a regional,” Robbins said. “So, we go into it this year and we’re trying to one up from last year, trying to make it to a regional, but we’re also trying to win a regional this year.”

Anderson is taking this season one step at a time, looking forward to all the games and, most importantly, his team improving each step of the way.

In the OVC, he is ranked first in saves (seven) and fourth in appearances (27).

“I mean, we all knew our role was expected out of us,” Robbins said.

Last season, Robbins made 27 appearances and had a 1.57 ERA. Robbins is currently tied for first place in saves in program history with 18 across his career.

“Whenever there were some guys to step up, they did and made best of the moment, which led us to a championship.”

The Panthers have 24 new faces being added to the rosters. Anderson was a little concerned at first but overall excited to see the

“It’s kind of a buildup phase for us, but knock on wood everybody’s healthy, and we’re ready to go at this point,” Anderson said.

Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@

Fifth-year right-handed pitcher Zane Robbins warms up his arm during baseball practice in the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse on Thursday evening. Robbins had 50 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work.

FILE PHOTO | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

The team’s first game is on Friday, Feb. 9 against University of Texas at Arlington in Youngsville, Louisiana, in the Mardi Gras Mambo. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Grbovic overcomes adversity

GRBOVIC CONTINUED FROM PG 1 >>

Grbovic eventually got to the age where he could play for a club team in Serbia.

Club teams work very differently compared to high school teams in America. In Europe, there are many teams for certain ages; however, if you are good enough, you can play in the ages above you.

The biggest difference, however, is the schooling and practices.

“You’re not going to school, which is great,” Grbovic said. “You’re going to school; you just [take an] exam, pass exam, one test and you’re good for the rest of the year for that subject. Then you just basically practice like a professional player, which is a big difference than here. You have to go to class every day and then after that you go to practice. It’s a pretty busy day.”

Grbovic ended up playing on the U19 Serbian national team in the under 19 Fiba World Cup.

“We had a really good team. We’ve won the Europa championship here before, and then we lost in the quarter final against another team,” Grbovic explained. “We also played against the USA National Team. I remember I guarded Cade Cunningham that game, and he was first speaking about the draft. This was a really good experience for me.”

After playing in the Fiba World Cup, COVID-19 happened. COVID-19 shut down everything in Europe, including basketball.

Grbovic had no choice but to come to America to keep playing basketball.

“I actually never wanted to come in America,” he said.

Grbovic said he didn’t know where to go, having no club to play in.

“One dude from America, he’s like he’s helping players come over to America to get the scholarship, you know, he called me. He asked me ‘Are you interested to go to America to play Division I basketball?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know,’” Grbovic said. “After a few months, I talked to my parents. I didn’t speak in English at that time. I decided to come over here because it’s a great opportunity because I can graduate at same time play[ing] basketball at a high level.”

Grbovic first played at Arkansas State during the shortened COVID-19 season

sophomore Lazar Grbovic listening to the coaches

and left after two years only playing 24 games in total.

Grbovic left to go to Moberly Area Community College, which was a top 10 ranked junior college team in the country. However, he tore his ACL before the season even started.

Eastern decided to take a chance on him even with his recent injury.

“He loves basketball and so really there really wasn’t a lot of a concern because we know how much he wanted to get back to the to the floor,” Head basketball coach Marty Simmons said. “He told us he had people that he was working with to make sure he was doing his rehab.”

Coming to America to begin with was a challenge for Grbovic. He had to learn a completely new language, so he had a tough time figuring out plays and un -

derstanding his teammates and coaches.

“We just as a staff have got to take a little extra time and just make sure that he understands our offensive sets and out of bound sets and ball screen coverages. When we’re going through scouts and things like that, he’s got a lot on his plate,” Simmons said. “He’s a hard worker, and he’s someone that cares a lot about his performance again whether it’s on the floor or in the classroom. So, he’s constantly working really hard, but I do think that there is a little bit of difficulty there with the [language] barrier.”

One more difficulty for Grbovic was adapting to the American play style.

Grbovic said that basketball in America is much more individual and focused on one-on-one situations, where

Panthers of the Week

The junior forward from Greenville, Wisconsin recorded her 14th double-double of the 20232024 season against the Lindenwood Lions Saturday afternoon.

This was McGlone’s seventh straight double-double this season. McGlone recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds.

McGlone also recorded two assists, two steals and one block as the Panthers beat the Lions 68-60 in Robert F. Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.

in Serbia he was taught more how to read the game and respond to situations on the floor.

“I would say that’s the biggest difference and the players in America are more athletic than the players from Europe, but I would say the players from Europe read the game better. They recognize situations on the court better,” he said.

After all of these challenges in the road for Grbovic, he hopes that he can make a difference here at Eastern and continue to play at a high level, including trying to get to the next level in Europe or becoming a coach to high school aged athletes.

Patrick Schmitz can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@ gmail.com

The junior guard from Chicago was one of three Panthers to score 16 points against the Lindenwood Lions on Saturday afternoon.

Shelton also recorded four assists, three rebounds and one steal. The Panthers beat the Lions 78-68 in Robert F. Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.

The Panthers are now 9-10 overall with their Ohio Valley Conference record being 3-3.

MACY MCGLONE

NAKYEL SHELTON

BY SIA DEYKOONTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Redshirt

instruction during basketball practice in Groniger arena on Eastern Illinois university, Wednesday evening.

EIU swim loses 2 home meets

By Chloe Proffitt Sports Reporter | @DEN_News

Men and women’s swim kicked off 2024 with back-to-back meets, starting with a dual meet on Friday against the University of Southern Indiana and then on Saturday against the University of Evansville and Wabash College.

This is the men’s first time competing in the water this season since their suspension due to hazing was uplifted at the start of 2024.

The team fell short with a score of 93168 against USI on Friday. Saturday, the team fell to Evansville 41-157 and put up a fight against Wabash, losing 94-111.

On Friday, the men had an exhilarating first-place finish from junior Conner Colston with a time of 1:43.95 in the 200yard freestyle, which beat second place by four seconds. Colston also got first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.87, closely followed by junior Dismas Dillon with a time of 47.95. Senior Jackson Penny also got first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:02.30.

“I think the entire men’s team performed great, gave it 100 percent and left it all out in the water,” Colston said. “It’s hard to have such a major setback this season then go right into a month-long break and have to hold yourself accountable to make the practices and hit the weights until you come back to school. We all held each other accountable and were lucky enough to come back conditioned and ready to race.”

There were many second-place finishes for Eastern including sophomore Sebastian Rosales in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.01, Dillon in the 50yard freestyle with 21.40, freshman Landon

Badstibner in the 200-yard butterfly with 2:05.59 and freshman Nolan Wallace who lost by 0.04 in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.24.

On Saturday, the men opened up with a silver finish in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:37.10. The relay consisted of freshman Eli Westbrook, freshman Gabe Berry, Rosales and Dillon.

Colston put up a fight in the 200-yard freestyle, falling less than half a second short with a time of 1:44.98. Dillon also got second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.55.

Eastern concluded Saturday with the 200-yard freestyle relay, which consisted of Dillon, Colston, Berry and junior Jacob

Wienants. The Panthers were able to get second place with a time of 1:26.79.

With a quick turnaround and minimal experience competing this season, the men hope to focus on getting in some technical work along with some power, which they were able to incorporate last week. They will also continue to keep their endurance levels high.

On the women’s side, the Panthers fell short both days, losing to USI on Friday 109-149 and Evansville on Saturday 81114.

They were able to get off to a great start, winning the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:50.78.

Other first-place finishes include junior

Autumn Grinter in the 50-yard freestyle, 24.54, and the 100-yard freestyle, 54.22, freshman Erika Barber with a time of 2:13.18 in the 200-yard backstroke, junior Corinne Staneart in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:25.07. They were also able to get another relay win from Grinter, senior Phoebe Croston, junior Izzy Glasgow and junior Kaylan Ottosen in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:41.88.

On Saturday, Eastern was able to get another win in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:50.48 from Glasgow, Staneart, junior Olivia Viele and Grinter. Grinter then followed that performance up with another win in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.57. Staneart was able to get second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time 2:12.62, falling just short of first place by 0.12 seconds.

With an undefeated two days, Grinter said she is feeling confident going into the next few weeks as they compete at Butler next weekend and the conference championships after. When it comes to working as a team, Grinter said she is excited to swim against senior Camryn Lewis in the 50-yard freestyle, where they will work together and try to push each other.

There was notable second place finishes in the meet against Evansville from Croston in the 200-yard freestyle with 2:03.95, Viele in the 100-yard backstroke, 1:04.17, and freshman Erika Baber in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:27.31.

Both teams put up a fight and will be returning in the water next weekend at Butler University in Indianapolis, on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Chloe Proffitt can be reached at 5812812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com

BY ABE ORTIZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

The men’s swim lost 168-93 against the University of Southern Indiana. This is the first met the mens swim team has participated in.

BY ABE ORTIZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

The women’s swim team lost their first home meet of 2024 149-109 against the University of Southern Indiana.