Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Paupore Wins 5000m Title at MAC Indoor Championships; Chippewas 9th After Day 1
2/23/2024 9:43:00 PM | Track & Field
MAC Day 1 RecapX: @CMUTrackFriday/Saturday Event ScheduleAll-Access Interview: Jenny SwietonEmily Paupore Interview
Emily Paupore won her first Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship title on Friday; Handful of Chippewas to Contend for Titles on Saturday
YPSILANTI, Mich. — "A great day and a fun race."
A great day it was indeed for Central Michigan Track and Field's Emily Paupore, as she made more waves in CMU history on Friday.
The Negaunee redshirt junior not only shattered the program's indoor 5000m record, but won a Mid-American Conference title on day one of the Indoor MAC Championships at Eastern Michigan.
Paupore's win is the first MAC title a CMU track and field athlete has won in indoor track since 2020, and is the first ever indoor 5,000m title in program history.
"I was just really excited," Paupore said. "It's always fun to go out there and do it with your teammates, too, there were four of us in the 5k and before the race we were just hanging out, having a good time, and I think that's what makes racing even better."
Paupore finished the race in 16:16.81, which put her beyond track and field and cross country alum Megan O'Neil's previous held record of 16:34.19, set in 2019, and marked a 25-second improvement from her previous personal best. Paupore won the race by 8 seconds, ahead of EMU's Esme Davies and Miami's Ava Nuttall.
"(Emily) really does push herself harder than anybody maybe that I've ever met when it comes to a race day," CMU Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Jenny Swieton said. "She's really good at giving everything she has on that day and you know, no matter what, going into a race, she's going to give all she has, and if all she has is winning a Championship, that's what she's going to give, which is super awesome.
"I've just learned to watch in awe, and it's super exciting to be a part of. This whole season, I'm just taking it all in, because it doesn't happen very often to have such a great season from not just Emily, but also Anya (Turner), Natalie (Newcombe), and a bunch of people who have made these huge steps forward. It's really fun and really exciting."
Cheering on Paupore were her teammates, both in the stands and alongside her competing on Friday, including Jelena Prescott, Kate Jenkins and Kara Terakedis,who all also competed in the 5000m.
Anya Turner, Natalie Newcombe, Peyton Korytkowski, Ericka Bigham and Payton Sabourin qualified for Saturday's finals in each of their respective events.
Turner will compete in the mile and 800m finals on Saturday, alongside Newcombe (mile) and Bigham (800m). Korytkowski qualified for the finals in the 60 hurdles, as did Payton Sabourin in the 400m.
The Chippewas rounded out the Friday track events with the distance medley relay, where the team of Jessie Gibbins, Emma Fountain, Libby Munderloh and Maya Guikema finished 9th in a field of all 12 MAC institutions.
Representing the maroon and gold in the field events on Friday were Emily McLean and Gracie Merrick (WT), Sarah Daniel (LJ) and Emily Yoshino (PV).
Daniel was 8th of 20 in the long jump with a career-best mark of 5.66m.
Yoshino finished 11th in the pole vault; McLean and Merrick were 18th and 21st in the weight throw, respectively.
At the end of the first day, CMU is ninth as a team with 11 points. Eastern Michigan leads both the men's and women's team rankings.
"At the end of the day, any time any of our women step on the line, the goal is to give everything they have on that day," Swieton said. "we do a pretty good job at keeping it in perspective and trying to give everything we have in the moment, and I think that helps them achieve accolades, like winning MAC Championships."
The second and final day of the MAC Championships picks up tomorrow at 10 a.m., where the Chippewas will begin with the shot put.
McLean is set to compete in the shot put, followed by Angelina Horn in the triple jump.
The mile final will place the Saturday track events into motion at 1:30 p.m, where Turner and Newcombe will contend. Following the mile is the 60H (Korytkowski), 400m (Sabourin), 800m (Turner, Bigham), 3,000m (Paupore, Newcombe), and the 4x400 relay, where Sabourin, Korytkowski, Bigham and Emma Fountain (sub. Robyn Watts) will compete.
"The most exciting part is that we're doing it all together," Swieton said. "It's not just that we have (multiple people competing in different things), but also almost every person on our team has come down to watch and support.
"I think that's the most exciting thing going into tomorrow, we have the opportunity to score more points and do some really big things, but with the support of our whole team, and that just makes it so much more fun."
A great day it was indeed for Central Michigan Track and Field's Emily Paupore, as she made more waves in CMU history on Friday.
The Negaunee redshirt junior not only shattered the program's indoor 5000m record, but won a Mid-American Conference title on day one of the Indoor MAC Championships at Eastern Michigan.
Paupore's win is the first MAC title a CMU track and field athlete has won in indoor track since 2020, and is the first ever indoor 5,000m title in program history.
"I was just really excited," Paupore said. "It's always fun to go out there and do it with your teammates, too, there were four of us in the 5k and before the race we were just hanging out, having a good time, and I think that's what makes racing even better."
Paupore finished the race in 16:16.81, which put her beyond track and field and cross country alum Megan O'Neil's previous held record of 16:34.19, set in 2019, and marked a 25-second improvement from her previous personal best. Paupore won the race by 8 seconds, ahead of EMU's Esme Davies and Miami's Ava Nuttall.
"(Emily) really does push herself harder than anybody maybe that I've ever met when it comes to a race day," CMU Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Jenny Swieton said. "She's really good at giving everything she has on that day and you know, no matter what, going into a race, she's going to give all she has, and if all she has is winning a Championship, that's what she's going to give, which is super awesome.
"I've just learned to watch in awe, and it's super exciting to be a part of. This whole season, I'm just taking it all in, because it doesn't happen very often to have such a great season from not just Emily, but also Anya (Turner), Natalie (Newcombe), and a bunch of people who have made these huge steps forward. It's really fun and really exciting."
Cheering on Paupore were her teammates, both in the stands and alongside her competing on Friday, including Jelena Prescott, Kate Jenkins and Kara Terakedis,who all also competed in the 5000m.
Anya Turner, Natalie Newcombe, Peyton Korytkowski, Ericka Bigham and Payton Sabourin qualified for Saturday's finals in each of their respective events.
Turner will compete in the mile and 800m finals on Saturday, alongside Newcombe (mile) and Bigham (800m). Korytkowski qualified for the finals in the 60 hurdles, as did Payton Sabourin in the 400m.
The Chippewas rounded out the Friday track events with the distance medley relay, where the team of Jessie Gibbins, Emma Fountain, Libby Munderloh and Maya Guikema finished 9th in a field of all 12 MAC institutions.
Representing the maroon and gold in the field events on Friday were Emily McLean and Gracie Merrick (WT), Sarah Daniel (LJ) and Emily Yoshino (PV).
Daniel was 8th of 20 in the long jump with a career-best mark of 5.66m.
Yoshino finished 11th in the pole vault; McLean and Merrick were 18th and 21st in the weight throw, respectively.
At the end of the first day, CMU is ninth as a team with 11 points. Eastern Michigan leads both the men's and women's team rankings.
"At the end of the day, any time any of our women step on the line, the goal is to give everything they have on that day," Swieton said. "we do a pretty good job at keeping it in perspective and trying to give everything we have in the moment, and I think that helps them achieve accolades, like winning MAC Championships."
The second and final day of the MAC Championships picks up tomorrow at 10 a.m., where the Chippewas will begin with the shot put.
McLean is set to compete in the shot put, followed by Angelina Horn in the triple jump.
The mile final will place the Saturday track events into motion at 1:30 p.m, where Turner and Newcombe will contend. Following the mile is the 60H (Korytkowski), 400m (Sabourin), 800m (Turner, Bigham), 3,000m (Paupore, Newcombe), and the 4x400 relay, where Sabourin, Korytkowski, Bigham and Emma Fountain (sub. Robyn Watts) will compete.
"The most exciting part is that we're doing it all together," Swieton said. "It's not just that we have (multiple people competing in different things), but also almost every person on our team has come down to watch and support.
"I think that's the most exciting thing going into tomorrow, we have the opportunity to score more points and do some really big things, but with the support of our whole team, and that just makes it so much more fun."
Players Mentioned
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Vault
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