Junior cross country runner Erika Ramos rewrote Eastern history at this past weekend’s Bradley Classic. Ramos finished with a time of 21:47.28, finishing in 11th place in the 6K event.

Ramos was the team’s top finisher, while her time also broke the Eastern record for fastest female 6K finish. The previous record was held by Jordan Johnson, set in 2003.

Ramos said after the way her season turned out last year, she was nervous for a repeat of results.

“Before the race I was really nervous because last year during my season at this time it was when I started to get a little bit off track, and I just kind of died off the rest of the season,” she said. “It was just a bad rest of the season for me, pretty much.”

The 6K race, which is longer than what Ramos is used to, only added to her nerves entering the Bradly Classic.

“I was kind of expecting that to happen again during the race because it’s a 6K, which is a little bit longer,” said Ramos. “It’s one of the longest races that I do since I’m not a distance runner; I was really nervous, I guess, from the start.”

However, as soon as the race began, Ramos felt her mood change as she began to pace past her competition.

“The gun went off and I it just all went away and I felt like I had a bunch of confidence because I was passing people the entire time,” she said.

Ramos did not initially know she had broken the school record after she finally crossed the finish line, but says the feeling is great.

“I had a lot of support from everybody and people congratulating me all the time just makes it that much better,” she said.

Now, with the Ohio Valley Conference championship meet just around the corner, Ramos said she feels that her big finish at the Bradley Classic adds a load of confidence for herself going in.

Ramos is not only confident in herself, but in the team’s chances going into the OVC championship.

“I think that this year we have a better chance to win it because our team is a little bit stronger this year,” she said. “We have some girls who were out of the season last year, who were held back and other girls who are stepping it up a little bit more.”

She said she likes her team’s chances of winning the OVC championship.

“I feel like our team is just 100 percent stronger than it was last year and we have a great chance to win.”

Ramos and the Panthers will compete in the OVC championship on October 29 in Richmond, Ky.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.