COMPLETE RESULTS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore Soufiane Bouchikhi ran the 10th fastest 5,000 meters time in the East Region and five Colonels recorded Ohio Valley Conference-best times as the Eastern Kentucky University track and field team competed at the Indiana Polytan Invitational this weekend at the Robert C. Haugh Complex.

Bouchikhi finished second only to Cincinnati’s Eric Finan in the men’s 5,000 meters on Friday, recording a personal and OVC-best time of 13:54.37. The time is the 10th fastest in the East Region this outdoor season, the second fastest in school history and just under four seconds faster than his previous personal-best of 13:58.17, set in March at the Stanford Invitational.

Sophomore Picoty Leitich, meanwhile, finished second and was the top collegiate finisher in the women’s 800 meters with a personal and OVC-best time of 2:07.45. She finished second only to Saucony’s Molly Beckwith, who ran a Haugh Track record time of 2:01.49. Leitich’s time is the 22nd fastest in the East Region this outdoor season, the second-fastest in school history and just over a second off the school record of 2:06.19, set by Jamie King in 1999.

Three other Colonels also ran OVC-best times at the three-day meet. Senior Kristopher Hawkins finished second the in the men’s 400 meters, losing to Indiana’s Chris Vaughn by less than a second, with a personal and OVC-best time of 47.35. His time is the 34th fastest in the East Region and moves him just ahead of Tennessee State’s Michael Rideout’s time of 47.61 atop the OVC list. Sophomore Victor Kemboi placed sixth in the men’s 800 meters with a personal and OVC-best time of 1:54.20, edging teammate David Willis’ time of 1:54.36 ran last weekend at the Sea Ray Relays. Junior Lutisha Bowen finished fifth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with an OVC-best time of 14.16, just under her previous OVC-best time of 14.34 and just above her personal-best time of 13.91, which she ran at the Cardinal Classic last May.

The EKU track and field team returns to action this week when select members travel to Philadelphia for the prestigious Penn Relays. Following that meet, the Colonels will compete at the OVC Outdoor Championships from May 5-7 in Murray, Ky.