RICHMOND, Ky. – It is conference championship time for the Eastern Kentucky University men's and women's track and field teams as they are set to compete in the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Conference Championships hosted by North Florida beginning Thursday and finishing Saturday.
 
The Colonels head to the River City loaded with talent, with nine individuals entering the competition with top-50 marks in at least one event for the East Region, looking to secure a place at the NCAA Regionals.
 
All three days of the competition will be live streamed on ESPN+ with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and at 5:55 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
 
On the track, EKU looks to continue to build on a historic season so far, with four program records already falling this season.
 
For the women, Bahiya El Arfaoui has claimed two of those records in the 800m and 1,500m this season with times of 2:04.51 and 4:07.31, ranking 31^st and 6^th in the region, respectively.
 
She enters the weekend with the second-fastest time in the ASUN in the 800m and will not compete in the 1,500m.
 
Fellow record holder Edna Chelulei will hit the track in the 5,000m with the top time in the conference this season at 15:43.67, the 15^th fastest time in the region. She will be joined by fellow freshman Vicody Chengetich and Khadija Ennasri, who have the fifth and ninth fastest times this season at 16:36 and 16:44.
 
In the 3,000m steeplechase, the Colonels have the two top runners in Karin Gosek and Khadija Ennasri, with Gosek having run the second fastest time in program history at the Wake Forest Invitational earlier this season with a time of 9:58.73.
 
For the men, Griffin Staude will lead EKU in the 10,000m on Thursday night with the fourth fastest of entered times this season at 30:00.64.
 
In the 800m on Friday, Aniol Borras looks to contend for the top spot on the podium, currently sitting less than a second off the best time of those entered to compete with a time of 1:48.23.
 
The men of Steeple U will close out the action on Friday night, led by Keeton Thornsberry, who ran a time of 8:53.32 earlier in the year. He will be joined brothers Tomas and German Vega, and Ben Thomas.
 
In the 1,500m, Taha Er Raouy and Jan Badia will go for gold with both sitting less than a second off the top entered competitor's time.
 
In the field, Lariah Wooden looks for the indoor-outdoor double in the women's shot put after claiming gold at the ASUN Indoor Championships this past season.
 
In the men's shot put, Matt See will look for another podium finish after taking silver at the indoor championship this season.
 
In the hammer, Senda Garma is second on the performance list for the women, entering the competition with a best throw of 54.48m (178'-9").
 
Two time ASUN Field Athlete of the Week, Javon Adams is primed for a strong championship appearance after taking fifth in the javelin at Kentucky's Jim Green Invitational and second in the triple jump to close out the regular season.