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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University track and field team will open its outdoor season this weekend as most of the squad travels the North Carolina State Raleigh Relays and a select group of distance runners competes at the Stanford Invitational.
The EKU men and women both finished second at the OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships in February.
The EKU women’s 4x200 meter relay team won at the NC State Raleigh Relays last year with a time of 1:38.65, defeating teams from Ohio State, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Rutgers and host NC State. Every member of that team – juniors
Lutisha Bowen and
Diamond Benjamin and sophomores
Jazzmin Jeter and
Bianca Forbes – returns this season to defend their title.
Bowen, who won the women’s 60-meter hurdles at this year’s OVC indoor championships, also ran a 14.20 in the finals of the women’s 100-meter hurdles last year in Raleigh, and this year leads a group of Colonel hurdlers – consisting of sophomore
DanHeisha Harding, freshman
Shiyana Mahendra and senior
Jasmyn Norris – that were among the best in the conference all indoor season.
Sophomore
Soufiane Bouchikhi, who won the men’s mile and the 3,000 meters at this year’s OVC indoor championships, was the only EKU runner to compete at the Stanford Invitational last year, placing 16th in the fastest heat of the men’s 5,000 meters with a time of 14:02.61. He will be joined this year, however, by four teammates, senior
Kat Pagano and junior
Lydia Kosgei, who were named the 2011 OVC Co-Female Track Athletes of the Year, junior
David Mutuse, who won the men’s 5,000 meters at this year’s OVC indoor championships, and sophomore
Victor Kemboi.
EKU will compete on Friday and Saturday in Raleigh, and on Friday night in Palo Alto.