NCAA Cross Country Championships Central I OVC Men in the NCAA Championships I OVC Women in the NCAA Championships | Live Video
RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s cross country team and senior
Lydia Kosgei will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday at the LaVerne Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
The men’s 10K race will begin at 12:08 p.m. EST, while the women’s 6K race is set to begin at 12:58 p.m. EST.
Both races will be webcast live on NCAA.com for free. Links to the actual webcast will likely be posted on NCAA.com a few hours before start time.
The EKU men – who come into the national championship meet ranked No. 19 in the country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) – became the first team in school history and the first Ohio Valley Conference school since 1980 to qualify for the NCAA Championships when they finished second at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships last Saturday, edging such notable teams as North Carolina and Louisville to earn the automatic bid.
Sophomore
Soufiane Bouchikhi, who finished 49th at last year’s NCAA Championships as an individual, led EKU at the regional meet, finishing sixth out of 218 runners with a 10K time of 30:05.1. Senior
Ben Cheruiyot was not far behind in 15th place with a time of 30:35.9. Bouchikhi and Cheruiyot both earned All-Southeast Region honors.
Seniors
Peter Sigilai,
David Mutuse and
Evans Kiptoo and sophomore
Adams Ronnoh are also expected to compete for the men’s team, along with either freshman
Thijs Nijhuis or junior
Daniel Jones.
Monday’s men’s race is expected to be a showdown between No. 1 Wisconsin and two-time defending national champion Oklahoma State.
Kosgei, who competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the spring, finished second overall in the women’s race with a 6K time of 20:05.4 to become the first woman in EKU history and only the sixth woman in OVC history to earn a spot in the national championship meet as an individual.
