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Husky Classic Results I Hoosier Hills Results

SEATTLE – Sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi ran the 35th fastest time in the country in the men’s 3,000 meters while senior Kat Pagano was less than a second off the school record in the women’s 5,000 meters as a select group of Eastern Kentucky University distance runners competed at the talent-laden Flotrack Husky Classic this weekend.

Bouchikhi finished fifth in his heat, and 23rd overall, against some of the best distance runners in the country – a slew of former Olympians and national champions - with an OVC-best time of 8:00.14 on Saturday night. Bouchikhi’s personal-best in the 3,000 meters is 7:59.20, which he ran at the Notre Dame Alex Wilson Invitational last year. His time on Saturday night is less than two seconds off Jacob Korir’s school record of 7:58.25.

Pagano got even closer to a school record at the Husky Open. The senior, who already holds the school record in the outdoor 10,000 meters, finished 10th in her heat in the women’s 5,000 meters on Friday with an OVC and personal-best time of 17:09.19. Her time is the second fastest in school history and less than a second of Sarah Blossom’s record of 17:08.79.

Junior Lydia Kosgei also ran at the Husky Open and improved on her OVC-best women’s mile time on Saturday. She won her heat, defeating athletes from track powerhouses such as Oregon, Stanford, California, Wisconsin and BYU, with a time of 4:47.46, improving on her previous OVC-best time of 4:47.69. Her new time is the third-fastest in school history.

A trio of juniors – Victor Kemboi, Evans Kiptoo and David Mutuse – also travelled to Seattle. Mutuse ran a personal-best 8:13.25 in the men’s 3,000 meters on Saturday, second best in the conference behind Bouchikhi, while Kiptoo ran an 8:23.47 in the event. Kemboi, meanwhile, sped to a 4:11.40 in the mile.

A majority of the EKU track and field team competed at the Indiana Hoosier Hills Open on Friday. Sophomore Bianca Forbes highlighted the event for the Colonels by winning the women’s 400 meters and improving on her previous OVC best time of 56.19 with a time of 55.83.

Junior Diamond Benjamin, meanwhile, won the preliminaries of the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.64 and finished second in the finals of the women’s 200 meters with a time of 25.07.

The Colonel track and field team returns to action at the OVC Indoor Championships to be held Feb. 25-26 in Charleston, Ill.