The Eastern track and field team will finish a chapter of its indoor season this weekend with the OVC Indoor Championship.

This will be the meet the team has looked forward to since the start of the year. The team will get to once again show its dominance in the OVC, as they have won the title the last two seasons on both the men’s and women’s levels.

I do not think this year will be any different. Talent wise, I believe the Panthers are miles ahead any team in the OVC. The Panther men are the only OVC team to be ranked in the top 130 teams in the nation, currently standing at No. 51. The Panthers have competed, and won, against teams ranked much higher than them, including teams sitting inside the top 10.

I do not like to sound cocky, but I do not think the Panthers will win this weekend, I think they will dominate. There is absolutely nobody in the OVC who can compete with them. Eastern track and field is simply on another level compared to other teams in the OVC.

In fact, I think the only non-Panther athlete in the OVC who will present any realistic challenge is sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi of Eastern Kentucky. Bouchikhi, who comes to Eastern Kentucky from Belgium, is the No. 35 ranked athlete in the nation in the 3,000-meter run.

Bouchikhi dominated the OVC during cross country season, setting numerous OVC and Eastern Kentucky records. Bouchikhi took first at the OVC cross country championship, and was also named Runner of the Year. Bouchikhi also finished just inside the top 50 at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. The Panthers have a lot of great distance runners, but they will certainly need to step it up if they want to compete with Bouchikhi this weekend.

The Panthers have been phenomenal this indoor season, which should have players and fans alike excited to see what they can do in the outdoors. I think the OVC Indoor Championship will be a great way to punctuate an already fantastic season for the Panthers, and set a great tone going into the outdoor season.

The OVC Indoor Championship starts at 3 p.m. Friday in the Panthers’ very own Lantz Fieldhouse.

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