MOREHEAD, Ky.— In a preseason vote by the Ohio Valley Conference cross country coaches, the Morehead State men were picked fifth, and the women were tabbed sixth.
Both teams finished sixth at the OVC Championship last season, the first under coach
Tommy Barksdale. The Eagle coach has reloaded both rosters with a mixture of experience and fresh talent.
On the men’s side, the Eagles received 50 points in the voting. Eastern Kentucky, the defending champion, picked up nine first place votes and was selected first again this year. However, the Colonels lost the OVC’s top runner, Wesley Ruttoh. Southeast Missouri was second, followed by Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State and MSU. Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, Austin Peay, Murray State and Tennessee State rounded out the poll.
The Eagles return redshirt senior
Ron Duncan this season. After sitting out the cross country season a year ago, Duncan is primed to make a run at an individual OVC title this year. His time of 26:05.6 at the 2008 OVC Championship would stack up as the best returning time in the conference this year. Jacksonville State’s George Kiplagat has the top 2009 time among the best 10 returnees.
MSU seniors
James Bowens and
Josh Wakeman also rank among the conference’s top 10 best returnees. Bowens boasts the fourth best time (26:54.17), while Wakeman’s 27:25.73 was the league’s 18th best time in 2009 and the tenth best returning time for 2010.
On the women’s side, Eastern Kentucky also picked up nine first place votes to be selected first. Eastern Illinois came in second, followed by Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Jacksonville State and MSU. Following the Eagles was Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, UT Martin and Tennessee State.
While MSU did not have any returnees in the top 10, the Eagles do return the services of junior
Liz Braunwart and sophomore
Natalie Norman who finished 39th and 40th, respectively, at the 2009 OVC Championship.
Both Eagle teams begin their seasons on Saturday, Sept. 4 at the Dayton Flyer 5K.