Richmond, Ky. – On Wednesday, Eastern Kentucky University's Jacob Korir was named the Ohio Valley Conference Male Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, as voted on by the league's head coaches. This latest honor for Korir comes on the heels of him earning the OVC's Male Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Year award during the fall season.

A native of Nairobi, Kenya, Korir will be a top contender when EKU heads to the 2005 O’Reilly OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships this week in Charleston, Ill. (Feb. 25-26). He holds the league's top times this season in both the 3,000 meters (8:12.71) and the mile (4:12.91). His time in the 3,000 meters came at the University of Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial Meet on Jan. 29 and established a new school record.

Korir's Male Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Year award came after leading EKU to its first team title in five years by taking first at the OVC Championships with a time of 25:23.47.

He went on to finish sixth at the NCAA Southeast Cross Country Regionals, earning him a spot in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind. (where he placed in the top third).

Korir was the only athlete not from Southeast Missouri to win an indoor track postseason award, as the Redhawks claimed the remaining five accolades.

SEMO's Brooke Woodruff was named the OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year while Miles Smith was tabbed the OVC Male Track Athlete of the Year. Teammates Kathy Coleman and Brian Knippen were named OVC Female and Male Field Athletes of the Year, respectively. Coleman also earned OVC Female Freshman of the Year.

The awards were announced today in advance of the 2005 O’Reilly OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held February 25-26 at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Ill. Eastern Illinois plays host to the two-day event, which gets underway Friday at 4 p.m. (CST).