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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s and women’s track and field teams both finished third at the OVC Outdoor Championships on Saturday at Tucker Stadium on the campus of Tennessee Tech. The Colonels won eight individual titles at the meet.

Eastern Illinois repeated as women's and men's champions in the meet, which ended without finishing the final two events due to bad weather conditions. As it was, Saturday's action took place in bouts of rain and wind, making for difficult conditions.

On the men’s side, EIU won it with 261 points, Southeast Missouri State took second with 128 points, EKU was third with 106 points, Tennessee State was fourth with 61 points and Morehead State was fifth with 22 points.

On the women’s side, EIU took first place with 212 points, SEMO was second with 155.5 points, EKU was third with 131 points, Jacksonville State was fourth with 73.5 points, Tennessee Tech was fifth with 67 points, Austin Peay was sixth with 66.5 points, TSU was seventh with 42.5 points, Murray State was eighth with 30 points and Morehead State was ninth with one point.

Sophomore Diamond Benjamin won the women’s 100 meters with a time of 11.94. It is Benjamin’s fourth career individual OVC title but her first career outdoor title.

Junior Lydia Kosgei delivered a title in the women’s 1,500 meters, winning the race with a time of 4:39.99. Junior Kat Pagano then won her second career outdoor title by finishing first in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 17:29.35. In doing so, she defeated TTU’s Stephanie Place, who beat her in the 10,000 meters on Friday.

The women’s 4x100 meter relay team – composed of Benjamin, sophomore Lutisha Bowen and freshmen Jazzmin Jeter and DanHeisha Harding – also won on Saturday with a time of 46.65.

For the men’s team, freshman Soufiane Bouchikhi – who was named the OVC Male Track and Field Freshman of the Year on Thursday – won the men’s 5,000 meters with a time of 15:00.37, his third career OVC title and first career outdoor title.

Senior Christopher Rengifo then earned his first career OVC championship, winning the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 3:54.19.

Senior Joseph Maina (10,000 meters) and sophomore David Mutuse (3,000-meter steeplechase) both won individual titles on Friday.

Members of the EKU track and field team will compete at Georgia Tech from May 14-15 in an attempt to record a qualifying time for the East Region Championships, which will take place from May 27-29 in Greensboro, N.C.