Women Win, Men Take Second. Ten Earn All-Conference.
Saturday, October 29 2011 - OVC Championships (XC)It marked the sixth-straight championship (and 20th overall) for Eastern Kentucky and the second overall title for Eastern Illinois (and first since 2001).
In the men's race Eastern Kentucky, ranked No. 17 nationally, had the top two finishers and seven of the top nine runners overall. They became the first hosts to win the OVC Championship on the men's side since 2005. The Colonels had a point total of 18 which was 44 points better than second-place Eastern Illinois (62). Southeast Missouri State finished third (65) and was followed by Morehead State (149), UT Martin (159), Jacksonville State (164), Tennessee Tech (175), Austin Peay (201), Tennessee State (289) and Murray State (316).
It marked the second runner-up finish for Eastern Illinois in the last three years. The fourth-place finish for Morehead State marked the second-year in a row the Eagles have finished in that spot while the fifth-place finish for UT Martin is the highest for the program since joining the OVC in 1992.
In the women's race, Eastern Illinois had a point total of 41 in unseating Eastern Kentucky who had won the last five OVC Championships and 25 of the 32 overall championships since the event was first ran in 1979. EKU was second (57) and followed by Southeast Missouri (88), Jacksonville State (103), Murray State (116), Morehead State (142), Austin Peay (161), UT Martin (206), Tennessee Tech (223) and Tennessee State (321).
Jacksonville State's fourth-place finish for the second-straight year, matched its highest-ever finish at the OVC Championship.
In the individual competition Eastern Kentucky sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi claimed his second-straight OVC Championship by covering the 8K course in 24:54.83, two seconds faster than his winning time a season ago. His victory marks the eighth-straight year that a runner from Eastern Kentucky has won the OVC Championship. Bouchikhi, who was also voted the OVC Male Athlete of the Year by the league's head coaches, was 26 seconds ahead of his teammate, sophomore Adams Ronnoh, who finished in second (25:20.77). Southeast Missouri State junior Nathan Shipley finished third (25:32.54), and was the only non-EKU runner in the top six. EKU's David Mutuse (25:34.25), Thijs Nijhuis (25:39.46) and Daniel Jones(25:44.93) finished fourth through sixth while Eastern Illinois senior Bradley LaRocque finished seventh to complete the All-OVC first-team.
On the women's side Eastern Kentucky redshirt senior Lydia Kosgei won her first OVC Championship, topping the field of 75 runners by 17 seconds. Kosgei covered the 5K course in 17:43.69 (the fastest winning time since 2007) to become the third-straight runner from EKU to win the race. Kosgei was also named OVC Runner of the Year in a vote of league head coaches. Jacksonville State's Giselle Slotboom, the OVC Freshman of the Year, finished second in a time of 18:00.58, marking the highest-ever finish for a JSU runner at the event. EKU's Picoty Leitich, the 2009 OVC Champion, finished third (18:09.00) and was followed by the EIU duo of Erika Ramos (18:18.72) and Olivia Klaus (18:25.83). Southeast Missouri freshman Rebekah Lawson was sixth (18:29.51) and EIU senior Caitlin Napoleoni rounded out the All-OVC first-team by placing seventh (18:35.02).
Eastern Kentucky's Rick Erdmann was named Men's Coach of the Year, the 18th time he has been bestowed with that honor (and sixth year in a row). Eastern Illinois' Erin Howarth was named OVC Women's Coach of the Year for the first time.
Men's Awards
Athlete of the Year: Soufiane Bouchikhi, Eastern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Rick Erdmann, Eastern Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Thijs Nijhuis, Eastern Kentucky
All-OVC First Team
Soufiane Bouchikhi, Eastern Kentucky
Adams Ronnoh, Eastern Kentucky
Nathan Shipley, Southeast Missouri
David Mutuse, Eastern Kentucky
Thijs Nijhuis, Eastern Kentucky
Daniel Jones, Eastern Kentucky
Bradley LaRocque, Eastern Illinois
All-OVC Second Team
Alex Dreyer, Eastern Kentucky
Musa Kimuli, Eastern Kentucky
Brent Collins, Southeast Missouri
Bryce Basting, Eastern Illinois
Colin Johnson, UT Martin
Matt Feldhake, Eastern Illinois
Danny Delaney, Eastern Illinois
Women's Awards
Athlete of the Year: Lydia Kosgei, Eastern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Erin Howarth, Eastern Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Giselle Slotboom, Jacksonville State
All-OVC First Team
Lydia Kosgei, Eastern Kentucky
Giselle Slotboom, Jacksonville State
Picoty Leitich, Eastern Kentucky
Erika Ramos, Eastern Illinois
Olivia Klaus, Eastern Illinois
Rebekah Lawson, Southeast Missouri
Caitlin Napoleoni, Eastern Illinois
All-OVC Second Team
Carolyn Tanui, Murray State
Ann Eason, Eastern Kentucky
Xiamar Richards, Austin Peay
Britney Whitehead, Eastern Illinois
Jenny Govero, Southeast Missouri
Kailey Jensen, Jacksonville State
Gaby Duenas, Eastern Illinois
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