Cross Country Heads To OVC Championships

COURSE / CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois will look to climb back into the top of the Ohio Valley Conference cross country standings as the Panthers travel to the OVC Championships to be held this Saturday at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. EIU was picked second in the men’s OVC preseason poll and fourth in the women’s preseason poll.

The Panther women will be looking to capture their second OVC title this season with one of their most experienced squads in recent years. Redshirt freshman Olivia Klaus has been named the OVC Female Runner of the Week on two occasions this season and holds the ninth fastest time in the OVC at 18:33.60. Teammate senior Erin O’Grady owns the sixth fastest time in the OVC this year at 18:27 and would like to end her career much the same way she started it when she won the OVC Freshman of the Year honor in 2006.

Two weeks ago EIU competed in an OVC preview race at the Evansville Invite in which six of the ten OVC schools fielded a team in the meet. EIU finished second overall slightly behind Murray State. Eastern Kentucky enters the weekend as the three-time defending league champion but Murray State was tabbed as the preseason conference favorite.

EIU will travel nine runners to Nashville with only seven able to compete in the championship. The women’s OVC championship roster includes Brittney Arthur, Olivia Klaus, Erin O’Grady, Danielle Dickman, Gabriela Duenas, Erika Foltys, Erika Ramos, Britney Whitehead and Megan Gingerich.

Eastern Illinois men’s team will look to return to the championship podium for the first time since the 2005 season. Since joining the OVC the Panthers have won seven conference championships including a string of four straight from 2000-03. EIU was picked to finish second in the preseason poll behind three-time defending champion Eastern Kentucky. Those two schools have been the only cross country programs to win the men’s title since EIU joined the OVC.

The Panthers competed in an OVC preview race at the Evansville Invite two weeks ago against six schools from the OVC. The Panthers placed first among OVC schools edging out Southeast Missouri. Eastern Kentucky was not in the race as the Colonels are ranked 8th in this week’s Southeast Regional rankings. EIU enters the OVC Championships without having posted an OVC top ten mark at the 8K distance but the Panthers are overcoming some early season injuries and getting healthy at the right time.

EIU will travel nine runners to Nashville with only seven able to compete in the championship. The men’s OVC championship roster includes Harrison Bueno, Matt Dettloff, Matt Feldhake, David Holm, Aaron Iaun, Connor Kustief, Bradley LaRocque, Jason Springer and Mario Castrejon. The men’s top 8K time this season has been 25:38 by Iaun at the Illinois Intercollegiate.

Following the OVC Championships the Panthers are scheduled to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Springfield, Mo.