YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With the loss of reliable harriers George Rodriguez and Mark Pogliano, Head Coach Bob Parks was once again tasked with molding his runners into tough Mid-American Conference competitors. In the preseason polls, fellow league coaches picked Eastern Michigan to finish fifth, which was a fair assessment according to Parks. However, Mark Dailey was back, and they had a fresh face on campus in John Griffiths.
Western Michigan handled EMU in the season's first dual meet, 21-34. Paul Kerbey paced the Green and Gold with a fourth-place finish in 26:36, followed closely behind by Jeff Grainger in fifth (26:45).