OVC Championship Central

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's and women's cross country teams will vie for an Ohio Valley Conference title on Saturday as both squads will compete in the OVC Cross Country Championships, hosted by Tennessee Tech.

All 11 squads will convene at Southern Hills Golf Course in Cookeville, Tenn. as the women's 5K will get underway at 9 a.m. followed by the men's 8K at 9:45 a.m.

Both Gamecock squads look to improve off last season's OVC finish. The JSU men turned in a fourth-place finish, while the women's team claimed fifth place.

"Our men and women were picked to finish fourth and fifth respectively in the pre-season poll but I do not think that is where we will end up on Saturday,” said JSU Head Coach Steve Ray. “Before the season started I pretty much set our schedule up with the men's team in mind as I thought they would be pretty tough this fall. Unfortunately our top two runners on the men's squad incurred some serious injuries and they simply have not been able to train and/or race up to the level that they are accustomed too,” added Ray.

JSU has been preparing for the conference meet since turning in high marks at the JSU Foothills Invitational earlier in October. Jax State took home the women's title in the 5K, while the men secured third place in the 8K.

The Jax State women are led by sophomore Ericka Stam, who claimed her second OVC Runner of the Week honor of the season, after claiming the individual crown at the JSU Foothills Invitational. The Keller, Texas-native has been JSU's top finisher in every meet this season. Tracy Kevyn and Ashley Stovall finished right behind Stam in second and third respectively at the JSU hosted event. Stovall paced the JSU women in the 2009 edition of the OVC Championship with a tenth-place finish.

“Our women's team has been a pleasant surprise. To be certain we do have a few that can get the job done, but I really like they way they have all fed off one another throughout the course of the season and their results seem to get better every week. They (our women) have been fortunate enough to dodge any major injuries and if they can pull everything together this weekend I think they will be more than happy with their showing,” mentioned Ray.

On the men's side, sophomore Matt Brick has led the Gamecock charge this season. The Pell City, Ala-product finished fourth in his last outing at the JSU Foothills Invitational, which propelled him to claim OVC Runner of the Week status the following week. Senior George Kiplagat finished sixth last year in Nashville, Tenn.

Eastern Kentucky will attempt to win its fifth consecutive league title on both the men's and women's side. EKU has claimed the team crown since 2006.