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Watch above as Bouchikhi competes at the Pre-Nationals!

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – For the fourth time this fall, Eastern Kentucky University freshman Soufiane Bouchikhi has been named the OVC Co-Male Cross Country Runner of the Week. The native of Antwerp, Belgium finished ninth out of 241 of some of the best distance runners in the country at the NCAA Pre-Nationals this weekend in Terre Haute, Ind.

Bouchikhi covered the rugged 8K trail at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in a time of 23:54.5, edging Western Kentucky’s Shadrack Kipchirchir by a nose at the finish line. His performance led the EKU men’s team to a 14th place finish in the highly-competitive 36-team White Race.

Led by the performance of Bouchikhi, the Colonel men defeated such regionally-ranked teams as Providence (No. 3 in the Northeast), Cal Poly (No. 12 in the West), Harvard (No. 9 in the Northeast), Air Force (No. 7 in the Mountain), Arizona State (No. 6 in the West), Butler (No. 11 in the Great Lakes), host Indiana State (No. 7 in the Great Lakes), Washington State (No. 7 in the West), Kansas (No. 10 in the Midwest), Tennessee (No. 5 in the South) and many others, including in-state rival Western Kentucky and OVC foe Morehead State.

Bouchikhi has now been named OVC Cross Country Runner of the Week in four of the five weekends in which he has competed. He has recorded the fastest 8K time in the conference (23:17.99) and will be the unquestioned favorite heading into the OVC Championships to be held Oct. 30 in Cookeville, Tenn.

Bouchikhi shared this week’s honor with Southeast Missouri’s Jason Lumpkin.