EIU Ready For OVC Cross Country Championship

The 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be run on Saturday at the Southern Hills Golf Course in Cookeville, Tenn. The women's 5K race will begin at 9 a.m. CT with the men's 8K race following at 9:45 a.m. CT. 

It marks the first time since the 1998 season that the OVC Cross Country Championship has been held in Cookeville. The meet is free and open to the public. 

This will be the 49th OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962. Eastern Kentucky has won the most OVC Championship (18), including the last four in a row and five of the last six. EKU has had the OVC Runner of the Year (top finisher) in each of the last six seasons, including Wesley Ruttoh a year ago. 

The women's championship will be determined for the 32nd time. Eastern Kentucky has won 24 of the previous 31 championships, including four in a row and six of the last eight. Despite winning all those team championships, EKU had gone five years in a row without having a Runner of the Year, until freshman Picoty Leitich won a year ago. 

Men's Preview 
Picked first in a preseason poll of OVC cross country coaches, Eastern Kentucky enters Saturday's championship as the favorite to claim its 19th championship. The Colonels spent most of the season ranked in the USTFCCCA regional rankings and are coming off running at the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind. two weeks ago. In that race freshman Soufiane Bouchikhi finished ninth in a field of 241 runners in the highly competitive field. That performance earned Bouchikhi his fourth OVC Runner of the Week honor of the 2010 season. The native of Antwerp, Belgium holds the fastest 8K time of the season in the OVC, a time of 23:17.99 on Sept. 25 at the Memphis Twilight Classic, an event he placed second in out of 264 runners. Sophomore Victor Kemboi and junior Evans Kiptoo are also among the runners who should be contenders for the individual tile. 

Eastern Illinois is the only other team besides Eastern Kentucky to win an OVC Championship over the last 14 seasons, winning titles in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. The Panthers were tabbed second in the preseason OVC poll and have been led by juniorBradley LaRocque, who was 15th at the OVC Championship as a freshman in 2007 and 20th a season ago after sitting out the 2008 season due to injury. 

Southeast Missouri has finished in the top four in each of the past four championships, including second in 2008 (when they were the host) and third a season ago. Senior Jason Lumpkin had his best 8K time of the season two weeks ago with a 24:50 time at the Bradley Classic, a performance that earned him OVC Co-Runner of the Week honors. Lumpkin placed eighth at the OVC Championship a season ago. 

Jacksonville State had two runners finish in the Top 10 at the OVC Championship a season ago, as the team was fourth overall. This season newcomer Matt Brick has led the Gamecocks in each race, including earning OVC Runner of the Week honors on Oct. 12. 

Host Tennessee Tech will look to use a familiar course to improve upon its finish at the OVC Championship. The Golden Eagles hosted a preview meet at Southern Hills on Oct. 1, taking second place in the team standings. Senior Sam Taylor has been one of TTU's top finishers all season long. 

UT Martin equaled its highest-ever OVC Championship finish a season ago by placing seventh at the meet in Nashville. This season the Skyhawks will look towards freshman Colin Johnson to pace them. Johnson earned just the second OVC Runner of the Week honor in program history earlier this season after winning the Tennessee Tech Invitational (held at Southern Hills Golf Course). 

Morehead State is coming off a trip to the Pre-Nationals two weeks ago where senior Josh Wakeman led the Eagles with an 8K time of 26:04.8. The Eagles also have senior Ron Duncan, who missed last year's meet with an injury but was seventh at the Championship in 2008. 

Austin Peay's top runner all season has been junior Enoch Langat, who was 28th at the OVC Championship a season ago. Langat earned OVC Runner of the Week honors the first week of this season (Sept. 7) after a strong performance at the Belmont-Vanderbilt Cross Country Opener. 

Murray State, under the direction of first year head coach Jenny Severns, was led by sophomore Derek Perry at its last meet, the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago. 

Tennessee State, who hosted the OVC Championship a season ago, was paced by junior Chris Hobbs at its last meet, the Front Runner Classic two weekends ago. 

Women's Preview 
Eastern Kentucky literally ran away with the OVC Championship a season ago, placing three runners among the top four runners overall, as Picoty Leitich earned OVC Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors by finishing the race in 19:29.05. Leitich is back this season to defend her title. If she accomplishes that feat, it would be the first time that has happened since the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Seniors Sylvia Bundotich (who was third a season ago) and Kat Pagano (who was fourth last year after a fifth place finish in 2008) also return to bolster the Colonel squad. Leitich and Pagano hold the top four 5K times in the OVC this season. 

Eastern Illinois sophomore Olivia Klaus has had a strong season, being named OVC Runner of the Week three times this year. Last year she earned All-OVC honors by placing eighth at the OVC Championship. Eastern Illinois claimed its only OVC crown in 2001, finished third a season ago and was picked second in this year's preseason poll. 

Murray State has been the runner-up at the Championship each of the past two seasons and had three All-OVC selections (top 14 finishers) a season ago. Senior Katelyn Jones has the Racers top 5K time of the season (18:27.41) and has finished in the top five at the OVC meet each of the past two seasons (third in 2008, fifth last season). Fellow senior Asenath NaAman led the team last week at the Evansville Invitational, finishing eighth overall, which was the best among the four OVC squads at the meet. 

In each of the last 18 OVC Championship meets Southeast Missouri has finished in the top half of the championship, including eight runner-up finishes. Senior Monica Noble was ninth at the OVC Championship a year ago and will look to lead the Redhawks again this season. 

Jacksonville State has been buoyed by sophomore Ericka Stam this season. Stam was named OVC Runner of the Week twice during the season, including the last time that JSU ran, which was at the JSU Foothills Invitational. Stam currently has the sixth-best 5K time in the OVC this season (18:15.17). 

Host Tennessee Tech is looking to improve on the seventh place finish it netted a season ago in Nashville. The Golden Eagles were led by freshman Peri Winborne for the first few meets of the season while fellow freshman Rebecca Cline has emerged in more recent meets as the team's top runner. 

Morehead State has finished sixth at each of the past two OVC Championships. Junior Liz Braunwart was 18th at the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago, the last meet the Eagles competed in. 

After finishing in a tie for seventh last season UT Martin has added several new runners who will compete this season. Sophomore Ellie Luze and freshman Hannah Wolters each had season bests at the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago. 

Junior Janelle Avery was 31st (the Lady Govs top finisher) at the OVC Championship a season ago for Austin Peay, who was ninth overall as a team. Avery tuned up for this year's meet with an eighth place finish at the Fast Cats Classic two weeks ago. 

Tennessee State will be looking toward junior newcomer Brittney Washington and freshman Tiffany Harris to pace the Tigerbelles squad this weekend.