Men’s Track and Field Wins First OVC Outdoor Title Since 1957

May 14, 2018 | Track and Field

 

Women take fourth place, their highest finish since 2011

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s track and field team won its first Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championship since 1957 over the weekend.

The Colonels ran away from their competition on Saturday, finishing with 170 points. Their nearest competitor, Belmont, scored 138 points. Southeast Missouri was third with 136 points, followed by Eastern Illinois (113), SIUE (102), Tennessee State (95), UT Martin (33) and Morehead State (23).

It is head coach Rick Erdmann’s 73rd career OVC title, but his first OVC men’s outdoor championship. Men’s outdoor was the only OVC title that had eluded him in his 39-year EKU career.

Erdmann was also named OVC Coach of the Year for the 70th time following the meet.

With this weekend’s title, the EKU men have now earned the OVC season triple crown (cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field). They are the first OVC men’s team to accomplish that feat since Eastern Illinois in 2003.

The Colonels won seven gold medals over the weekend, including three on Championship Saturday.

Sophomore Samuel Abascal ignited EKU on the final day by scoring an upset victory in the 1,500 meters. He clocked a time of 3:53.1 to win his first-ever OVC title.

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