BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky University distance runners Soufiane Bouchikhi and Lydia Kosgei have been named the Ohio Valley Conference Male and Female Indoor Track Athletes of the Year, the league announced on Thursday.

Bouchikhi, the two-time defending OVC Male Cross Country Runner of the Year, was named the OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week four times this winter. He owns the fastest 5,000 meters time (13:46.06) and 3,000 meters time (7:53.99) in the conference, and he has posted the second-fastest mile time (4:06.50) in the conference, trailing only teammate Peter Sigilai (4:03.60). Bouchikhi’s 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters times, both of which he ran at the University of Washington Flotrack Husky Classic two weeks ago in Seattle, broke indoor school records once held by former EKU All-American Jacob Korir. The junior from Antwerp, Belgium is currently ranked 13th in the country in the 5,000 meters and 19th in the country in the 3,000 meters, and he hopes to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in his career.

This is the second consecutive winter Kosgei has been named the OVC Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Last year, she shared the honor with teammate Kat Pagano. This year, she has been far more dominant, as she was named the OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week five times this season. The senior from Eldoret, Kenya owns the fastest times in the conference in the 5,000 meters (16:03.66), 3,000 meters (9:30.33) and mile (4:45.57), and she has posted the third-fastest time in the 800 meters (2:10.30). Her 5,000 meters time, which she also ran at the Flotrack Husky Classic, broke Sue Schaefer’s 34-year old school record of 16:05.0. Kosgei is currently ranked 14th in the country in the 5,000 meters, and she will try to cap her storied career by qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships in that event. Kosgei was named a cross country All-American this fall and an honorable mention All-American in the outdoor 5,000 meters last spring.

Other winners include Eastern Illinois’ Jade Riebold and Tennesssee State’s Daniecce Ward (Female Field Athletes of the Year), Southeast Missouri’s Josh Uchtman (Male Field Athlete of the Year), Murray State’s Tonia Pratt (Female Freshman of the Year) and SEMO’s Jacob Kent and SIUE’s Ahmad Evans (Male Freshmen of the Year.

Bouchikhi is the fourth EKU male to be named the OVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, while Kosgei is the seventh EKU female to earn the award since its creation in 1990. Senior sprinter Diamond Benjamin, who was named the OVC Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year as a sophomore in 2010, is the only other active Colonel to have earned the award.

Bouchikhi and Kosgei will both be busy this weekend as the EKU track and field team competes at the OVC Indoor Championships in Nashville. Bouchikhi, a seven-time OVC track champion, will try to defend his indoor titles in the mile and 3,000 meters and will also compete in the distance medley relay. Kosgei, a three-time OVC track champion, will try to defend her title in the indoor mile while also competing in the 800 meters, 3,000 meters and the distance medley relay.