Since competing in the Ohio Valley Conference championship in Cookeville, Tenn. Saturday, the Eastern cross country team now has a week to rest and get reloaded for the NCAA Regionals next week.

After the OVC championship, junior Megan Gingerich, who placed 11th, said one thing she needed to work on was staying mentally tough throughout the race.

Gingrich said she felt this meet was her best race mentally.

The Panthers will look to prepare for the NCAA Regionals held at Bradley University in Peoria.

The Panthers have raced on the track at Bradley once this season. The Panthers competed in the Bradley Classic on Oct. 15.

The women took 4th in the meet, while the men took 13th.

Around the OVC

Eastern Kentucky runners held the top five positions in the men’s 8 kilometer race this weekend.

EKU’s Soufiane Bouchikhi took first place, followed by Victor Kemboi, Evans Kiptoo, David Mutuse and Ole Hesselbjerg.

Bouchikhi was one of the most dominant runners in the OVC this season, being named OVC Male Runner of the Week four times.

Eastern Kentucky won the meet with a total of 15 points.

EKU also dominated the women’s division, placing runners in the top three positions.

EKU’s Katherine Pagano finished in first place in the 5K followed by Jackline Barkechir and Picoty Leitich.

Eastern Kentucky won the meet with a total of 25 points.

Finishing just behind Eastern Kentucky in the men’s division was Southeast Missouri. SEMO finished the meet with a total of 55 points, 40 points behind EKU.

The top finisher for SEMO was senior Jason Lumpkin, who came in sixth place.

Also, SEMO had runners finish in eighth and nineth place.

Chris Loseman posted a time of 25:56.32, finishing eighth and Nate Shipley finished the race in 9th posting a time of 25:58.93.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7944 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.

A cross country runner starts a workout run during practice on Tuesday, Sept. 28. (Jordan Boner

(more…)