BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky University distance runner Soufiane Bouchikhi has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Male Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year. The native of Antwerp, Belgium earned OVC Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year honors in February.

Bouchikhi owns the fastest 5,000 meters time in the OVC (14:01.71), which he ran at the prestigious Penn Relays last weekend. The time was almost fast enough to win the race as he lost to William and Mary’s Lewis Woodard at the finish line by just 0.2 seconds. The time, however, was fast enough to defeat several talented runners, including Florida’s Justin Taylor, Indiana’s Zachary Mayhew and Louisville’s Matt Bruce, and earn Bouchikhi OVC Co-Track Athlete of the Week honors.

Bouchikhi’s 14:01.71 is the fastest time in the conference by nearly 40 seconds (the second fastest time is 14:40.71, recorded by his teammate David Mutuse at the Penn Relays), and it is the second fastest time in school history behind Jacob Korir’s 13:29.12.

He will compete in the 5,000 meters and the 1,500 meters this weekend at the OVC Outdoor Championships, both of which will be run on Saturday.

Bouchikhi was named the Indoor Freshman of the Year in February and then went on to win the mile (4:13.42) and the 3,000 meters (8:41.39) at the Indoor Championships. He is the third EKU athlete to win the Male Freshman of the Year award. Elkana Kurgat and Shannon Davis won it consecutively in 2007 and 2008. The award was created in 2005.

A full list of this year’s winners:

Female Track Athlete of the Year - Megan Gingerich, EIU

Female Field Athlete of the Year - Kandace Arnold, EIU

Female Freshman Co-Athletes of the Year - Elizabeth Bond, JSU/Jerika Lewis, SEMO

Male Track Athlete of the Year - Chril Gill, SEMO

Male Field Athlete of the Year - Brandon Colbert, SEMO

Male Freshman of the Year - Soufiane Bouchikhi, EKU