BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s cross country team has been deemed the team to beat in the OVC for the fourth consecutive year, according to a preseason poll of conference head coaches. 

The men’s team won its third straight OVC title last year with one of the most dominant team performances in conference championships history as five of the top six finishers in the race were Colonels.

The Colonel women, who have also won three straight league titles, were picked to finish second behind Murray State. The women’s team edged the Racers by just five points at last year’s conference championships.

“I think the men are certainly capable of defending their title,” 38-time (men and women combined) OVC Cross Country Coach of the Year Rick Erdmann said. “With the women, the challenge will be to finish in the top three. Like every year, though, it will all depend on the attitude the kids bring to practice and how they progress throughout the season.”

The men’s team will be without 2008 OVC Cross Country Runner of the Year Joseph Maina; however, that is about the extent of their losses.

Of the top 10 returning runners in the conference (based on last year’s OVC finish), five are Colonels. Of the top four, all are Colonels.

Senior Stanley Mugo (2nd/25:24.4) is back and fresh off a spring season in which he was named the Co-OVC Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

He will be pushed all season by junior Evans Kiptoo (3rd/25:30.0), who won the 5,000 meters at the OVC Outdoor Track and Field championships with a time of 14:40.51, edging Maina by just over a second.

Senior veterans Chris Rengifo (5th/26:02.0) and Elkana Kurgat (6th/26:04.0) also return to provide the men’s team with depth. Rengifo will try to bounce back from injuries that kept him sidelined through 2009’s track and field season. Kurgat, meanwhile, has finished in the top six at the OVC Cross Country Championships the past three seasons.

Junior David Willis (11th/26:22.3) is listed as the eighth top returnee in the conference after earning second All-OVC honors last year.

Sophomores Chris Rice (16th/26:41.3) and Alex Dreyer (23rd/27:06.4), as well as junior Josephat Melly, will also look to emerge in 2009.

The women’s team scored a gutsy victory over upstart Murray State at last year’s conference championships, but will have to cope with the losses of such veterans as Barbara Phelan (6th/18:59.8) and Alli McMaster (13th/19:30.3).

Murray State, meanwhile, returns its nucleus from last year’s team, including junior Katelyn Jones, who is the top returnee in the conference (per last year’s OVC finish).

The EKU women’s roster is far from decimated, however. The Colonels’ top runner from 2008, junior Katherine Pagano (5th/18:56.9), is back and fresh off her 5,000 meters title at the 2009 OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Also returning for the women’s team is senior Maria Doerger (10th/19:15.8), whose status for the season is questionable due to lingering injuries, sophomore Danielle Mason (16th/19:43.2), junior Ashli Joseph (17th/19:48.8) and sophomore Ashley Chisholm (27th/20:20.1).

The Colonel cross country teams begin their season on Friday, September 4, when they host Marshall on campus at the Wood Chip Trail. The meet is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.

The OVC Championships are scheduled for October 31 in Nashville.


2009 OVC MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(as voted on by the OVC head cross country coaches)

TEAM POINTS
1. Eastern Kentucky (8 first-place votes) 80
2. Eastern Illinois (1) 74
3. Southeast Missouri State (1) 69
4. Morehead State 61
5. Jacksonville State 49
6. Austin Peay 37
7. Murray State 30
Tennessee Tech 30
9. UT Martin 18
10. Tennessee State 10

(Teams awarded 9 points for a first-place vote, 8 for second, etc.)

Top 10 Men’s Cross Country Returnees
(Based on Finish at 2008 OVC Championship)

Runner Yr. 2008 Finish (Time)
Stanley Mugo, Eastern Kentucky Sr. 2nd (25:24.4)
Evans Kiptoo, Eastern Kentucky Jr. 3rd (25:30.0)
Chris Rengifo, Eastern Kentucky Sr. 5th (26:02.0)
Elkana Kurgat, Eastern Kentucky Sr. 6th (26:04.0)
Ron Duncan, Morehead State Sr. 7th (26:05.6)
Derek Ericson, Eastern Illinois Jr. 8th (26:09.9)
George Kiplagat, Jacksonville State Jr. 9th (26:13.3)
David Willis, Eastern Kentucky Jr. 11th (26:22.3)
Nate Shipley, Southeast Missouri So. 12th (26:22.6)
Matt Dotson, Morehead State Sr. 14th (26:30.6)

2009 OVC WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(as voted on by the OVC head cross country coaches)

TEAM POINTS
1. Murray State (7 first-place votes) 79
2. Eastern Kentucky (2) 74
3. Southeast Missouri State (1) 66
4. Eastern Illinois 57
5. Tennessee Tech 41
6. Austin Peay 40
7. Jacksonville State 32
Morehead State 32
9. UT Martin 20
10. Tennessee State 10

(Teams awarded 9 points for a first-place vote, 8 for second, etc.)


Top 10 Women’s Cross Country Returnees
(Based on Finish at 2008 OVC Championship)

Runner Yr. 2008 Finish (Time)
Katelyn Jones, Murray State Jr. 3rd (18:47.7)
Kathrine Pagano, Eastern Kentucky Jr. 5th (18:56.9)
Taylor Crawford, Murray State Sr. 7th (19:00.2)
Karissa Magnuson, Murray State So. 8th (19:09.4)
Monica Noble, Southeast Missouri Jr. 9th (19:15.2)
Linnea Woldtvedt, Southeast Missouri Sr. 14th (19:31.3)
Liz Speicher, Southeast Missouri So. 15th (19:41.0)
Danielle Mason, Eastern Kentucky So. 16th (19:43.2)
Ashli Joseph, Eastern Kentucky Jr. 17th (19:48.8)
Erin O’Grady, Eastern Illinois Sr. 18th (19:50.2)