BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – For the second time this season, Eastern Kentucky University senior Soufiane Bouchikhi and junior Ann Eason have been named the adidas Ohio Valley Conference Male and Female Cross Country Runners of the Week.
Bouchikhi dominated the University of Virginia / Panorama Farms Invitational on Saturday, simply running away from a field of 102 runners and scorching the 8K course in a time of 23:22.4. He defeated the second-place finisher (Virginia Tech’s Leoule Degfae) by nearly 30 seconds. Bouchikhi, a native of Antwerp, Belgium, was nearly named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week yesterday, but was edged out for that honor by Texas Tech’s Kennedy Kithuka, last year’s NCAA individual champion.
Eason also delivered a stellar performance on Saturday, finishing fifth out of 117 runners at the Panorama Farms Invite while completing the 5K course in a time of 16:58.3. Her performance led the EKU women to a third place finish, as the Colonels defeated such regionally-ranked foes as North Carolina (No. 4 in the Southeast Region), Harvard (No. 5 in the Northeast Region), Ole Miss (No. 6 in the South Region) and Auburn (No. 8 in the South Region). The Colonels are now ranked No. 5 in the Southeast Region and received a vote in the most recent USTFCCCA national poll.
Eason and the rest of the EKU women will compete again this weekend at the Greater Louisville Classic. A men’s ‘B’ team will also run at Louisville on Saturday.
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