2011 OVC Cross Country Championship Headquarters

NOTE: THE START TIMES FOR THE RACES HAVE BEEN PUSHED BACK THIRTY MINUTES DUE TO THE CHANCE OF FROST IN THE MORNING. THE MEN’S RACE WILL NOW BEGIN AT 10:00 AM EST AND THE WOMEN’S RACE WILL BEGIN AT 11:00 AM EST.

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s and women’s cross country teams will look to continue their reign of excellence in the Ohio Valley Conference this Saturday when the Colonels host the OVC Cross Country Championship at the Arlington Club.

The men’s 8K race will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST, with the women’s 5K race following at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Both teams will attempt to extend EKU’s OVC cross country dynasty by winning their sixth consecutive league titles.

It marks the first time since the 2001 season that the OVC Cross Country Championship has been held in Richmond. The meet is free and open to the public.

This will be the 50th OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962. EKU has won the most OVC Championships (19), including the last five in a row and six of the last seven. EKU has had the individual champion in each of the last seven years, including sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi last year. The Colonels are looking to become the first host to win the men's championship since 2005 (when Eastern Illinois hosted and won).

The women's championship will be determined for the 33rd time this year. EKU has won 25 of the previous 32 championships, including five in a row and seven of the last nine. EKU has had the last two individual champions in the meet. The Colonels are looking to become the first host to win the women's championship since 1990 (when EKU hosted the event).

This year's meet will not include SIUE, who has one more year left in its reclassification to Division I. The Cougars will compete in the Championship next season, when the league also expands to include Belmont.

There is one slight change to the awards structure this season. Previously the OVC Runner of the Year award was given to the top finisher in each race while the OVC Freshman of the Year award was given to the top freshmen finisher in each race. Beginning this season those two awards will be voted on by the league head coaches prior to the meet, announced on Friday and awarded on Saturday following the Championship.

Men’s Preview

The EKU men swept the OVC Championship in 2010, finishing first through fifth for only the fourth time in conference history. Yet, the Colonels are an even stronger, deeper team in 2011, and they enter Saturday’s race as the overwhelming favorite. EKU is ranked No. 17 nationally by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the highest USTFCCCA ranking ever for an OVC team, and the Colonels are led again by Bouchikhi, the 2010 OVC Male Cross Country Runner of the Year. The Belgian has been named OVC Runner of the Week three times this fall and currently owns the top three 8K times in the league, including a season-best 24:15 at the Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago.

Senior Ben Cheruiyot, a transfer from Auburn, has consistently been the Colonels’ No. 2 runner this season and has the next three best 8K times in the OVC. Cheruiyot has the ability to be a top-20 runner in the country, as he finished 18th at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Another Southeastern Conference transfer, senior Peter Sigilai, is EKU’s No. 3 runner, while sophomore Adams Ronnoh, who has made great strides since his freshman campaign, is the Colonels’ No. 4 man.

The No. 5 spot has been erratic, with senior David Mutuse, junior Daniel Jones and freshman Thijs Nijhuis all showing the ability to occupy it throughout the season. Senior Evans Kiptoo, meanwhile, is the wildcard of the group, and proves just how deep the men’s team can go. Kiptoo is a two-time first team All-OVC cross country runner and a three-time OVC track and field champion, yet he has labored through injuries his entire career – this fall being no exception – and has yet to finish in the team’s top-five this season. If healthy, however, he has the potential to finish anywhere in the top-five.

Women’s Preview

Unlike the men’s team, the EKU women’s team has had to cope all year with the loss of two of its top five runners from last year, 2010-11 OVC Female Athlete of the Year Kat Pagano and Sylvia Bundotich. That loss, however, has been mitigated by the return of senior Lydia Kosgei, who missed all of last season with an injury. Kosgei, who finished 16th at the 2009 OVC Cross Country Championship, was named an honorable mention All-American in the 5,000 meters during the outdoor track season, taking 17th with a time of 16:10.81 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Kosgei has been EKU’s top runner, and one of the top runners in the region, all fall, winning the talent-laden Greater Louisville Invitational and placing 10th at the Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago.

Kosgei will be backed by a pair of first team All-OVC returners in juniors Picoty Leitich and Jackline Barkechir. Leitich won the OVC Championship as a freshman in 2009 and finished third last year, while Barkechir was last year’s runner-up, losing only to Pagano.

EKU’s top five will likely be rounded out by two of the following: senior Danielle Mason, sophomore Hannah Miller and freshman Ann Eason. The consistent Mason is a two-time second team All-OVC cross country runner, while Miller was last year’s OVC Cross Country Female Freshman of the Year and Eason has been a strong runner all year for the women, and actually finished third on the team at the Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago.

Check back to www.ekusports.com throughout the day for results and interviews with the winners.