Championship Headquarters I Live Results

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University track and field team will travel to Charleston, Ill. this weekend to compete at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Lantz Field House on the campus of Eastern Illinois.

Both teams will be seeking their fifth indoor championships since 1984. Seniors Kristopher Hawkins and David Willis are the only Colonels who were on the last men’s team to win an OVC indoor title in 2008. The women’s team last won an OVC indoor title in 1999.

The women’s team, however, is as strong this year as it has been in many years. Four Colonel women hold OVC-best times heading into the championships. Senior Kat Pagano, the OVC Co-Indoor Female Track Athlete of the Year, currently holds the fastest times in the conference in the 3,000 meters (9:51.12) and the 5,000 meters (17:09.19, an OVC-best by 43 seconds) and the third-fastest time in the mile (5:02.57). Junior Lydia Kosgei, the OVC Co-Indoor Female Track Athlete of the Year along with Pagano, currently holds the fastest time in the conference in the mile (4:47.46) and the third-fastest time in the 800 meters (2:14.30).

EKU owns the top two spots in the 60-meter hurdles as junior Lutisha Bowen is first with an 8.61 and sophomore DanHeisha Harding, last year’s champion in the event, is second with an 8.71. Sophomore Bianca Forbes, meanwhile, is the leading 400 meters runner heading into this weekend, as she ran a 55.83 at the Hoosier Hills Open on Feb. 11.

Junior Diamond Benjamin, who was last year’s OVC Co-Female Track Athlete of the Year and who won two indoor titles in 2010, should also be in the mix in the sprint events this weekend.

The men’s team will lean heavily on its distance runners this weekend as sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi owns the top spots in the OVC in the mile (4:06.50) and 3,000 meters (8:00.14). Sophomore Victor Kemboi, meanwhile, is second in the 800 meters (1:53.88) while sophomore Daniel Jones is second in the 5,000 meters (15:13.69).

The women’s team finished second at last year’s championships while the men’s team finished third. Eastern Illinois has swept the last two indoor championships.

Events get underway at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday and end around 5:00 p.m. EST on Saturday.