Riebold Named Top OVC Female Track Athlete
Thursday, February 23 2012 - OVC Championships (Indoors)
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois sophomore Jade Riebold was named the Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Year on Thursday as the conference released its yearly awards. The Panthers begin competition on Friday at the OVC Indoor Championships in Nashville. EIU was won three straight OVC titles.
This year's OVC Indoor Track and Field season once again featured a very competitive overall field of male and female athletes consistently performing on both regional and national stages.
The Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, as voted on by the conference coaches, represent several different OVC institutions. The Female and Male Track Athletes of the Year titles go to Lydia Kosgei and Soufiane Bouchikhi, both of Eastern Kentucky. The Female Field Athletes of the Year features a split between Jade Riebold of Eastern Illinois and Daniecce Ward of Tennessee State, and Male Field Athlete of the Year honors goes to Josh Uchtman of Southeast Missouri. Three OVC freshmen athletes, Tonia Pratt of Murray State, Jacob Kent of Southeast Missouri and Ahmad Evans of SIUE, have been named Freshmen of the Year.
Lydia Kosgei has had a dominant season in the distance events for Eastern Kentucky, consistently improving upon her times in all events in which she competed. Kosgei was named adidas® OVC Track Athlete of the Week five out of the seven weeks of the season, and tops the OVC Bests List in the mile, 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run heading into the OVC Championships. She will also look to defend her conference title in the mile run.
Soufiane Bouchikhi also performed well all season for EKU, with four adidas® OVC Track Athlete of the Week honors and OVC Best performances in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs. At the OVC Championships, Bouchikhi will look to defend his titles in the mile and 3,000 for the third-straight season.
Jade Riebold of Eastern Illinois has consistently topped the OVC Bests List in the pole vault throughout the season, currently sitting on top with a vault of 13'-6.5” and tied for 18th in the nation. Daniecce Ward sits in the top five in three events (high jump, long jump and triple jump), and was named Field Athlete of the Week the first week of the season for Tennessee State.
Josh Uchtman led a solid field of throwers from Southeast Missouri, with two Field Athlete of the Week titles and a conference-best throw of 60'-11.25” in the shot put. Uchtman is receiving his third Field Athlete of the Year honor for his career, and will also look to take home his third conference title in the shot put this weekend.
Tonia Pratt burst onto the scene in the throws late in the season for Murray State, topping the OVC Bests List in the weight throw with a toss of 55'-7” in the Hoosier Hills Open on Feb. 10. She also looks to perform well in the shot put, in which she currently has the sixth-best throw in the conference.
Jacob Kent of Southeast Missouri had a solid season in the jumps in his first year with the Redhawks, tying for first on the OVC Bests List in the high jump with a height of 6'-8” and top-ten marks in the long jump and triple jump. Ahmad Evans began his career with SIUE as one of the best sprinters in the conference, notching a fifth-best time in the 60-meter dash and a second-best time in the 200-meter dash.
The OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held this weekend, Feb. 24-25 at the Gentry Center on the campus of Tennessee State in Nashville. Eastern Illinois hopes to defend their team titles on both the men's and women's sides, while Eastern Kentucky hopes to take the next step after taking second in both the men's and women's team competitions last season.
2012 OVC Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year
Female Track Athlete of the Year: Lydia Kosgei, Eastern Kentucky
Male Track Athlete of the Year: Soufiane Bouchikhi, Eastern Kentucky
Female Field Athletes of the Year: Jade Riebold, Eastern Illinois; Daniecce Ward, Tennessee State
Male Field Athlete of the Year: Josh Uchtman, Southeast Missouri
Female Freshman of the Year: Tonia Pratt, Murray State
Male Freshmen of the Year: Jacob Kent, Southeast Missouri; Ahmad Evans, SIUE
This year's OVC Indoor Track and Field season once again featured a very competitive overall field of male and female athletes consistently performing on both regional and national stages.
The Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, as voted on by the conference coaches, represent several different OVC institutions. The Female and Male Track Athletes of the Year titles go to Lydia Kosgei and Soufiane Bouchikhi, both of Eastern Kentucky. The Female Field Athletes of the Year features a split between Jade Riebold of Eastern Illinois and Daniecce Ward of Tennessee State, and Male Field Athlete of the Year honors goes to Josh Uchtman of Southeast Missouri. Three OVC freshmen athletes, Tonia Pratt of Murray State, Jacob Kent of Southeast Missouri and Ahmad Evans of SIUE, have been named Freshmen of the Year.
Lydia Kosgei has had a dominant season in the distance events for Eastern Kentucky, consistently improving upon her times in all events in which she competed. Kosgei was named adidas® OVC Track Athlete of the Week five out of the seven weeks of the season, and tops the OVC Bests List in the mile, 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run heading into the OVC Championships. She will also look to defend her conference title in the mile run.
Soufiane Bouchikhi also performed well all season for EKU, with four adidas® OVC Track Athlete of the Week honors and OVC Best performances in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs. At the OVC Championships, Bouchikhi will look to defend his titles in the mile and 3,000 for the third-straight season.
Jade Riebold of Eastern Illinois has consistently topped the OVC Bests List in the pole vault throughout the season, currently sitting on top with a vault of 13'-6.5” and tied for 18th in the nation. Daniecce Ward sits in the top five in three events (high jump, long jump and triple jump), and was named Field Athlete of the Week the first week of the season for Tennessee State.
Josh Uchtman led a solid field of throwers from Southeast Missouri, with two Field Athlete of the Week titles and a conference-best throw of 60'-11.25” in the shot put. Uchtman is receiving his third Field Athlete of the Year honor for his career, and will also look to take home his third conference title in the shot put this weekend.
Tonia Pratt burst onto the scene in the throws late in the season for Murray State, topping the OVC Bests List in the weight throw with a toss of 55'-7” in the Hoosier Hills Open on Feb. 10. She also looks to perform well in the shot put, in which she currently has the sixth-best throw in the conference.
Jacob Kent of Southeast Missouri had a solid season in the jumps in his first year with the Redhawks, tying for first on the OVC Bests List in the high jump with a height of 6'-8” and top-ten marks in the long jump and triple jump. Ahmad Evans began his career with SIUE as one of the best sprinters in the conference, notching a fifth-best time in the 60-meter dash and a second-best time in the 200-meter dash.
The OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held this weekend, Feb. 24-25 at the Gentry Center on the campus of Tennessee State in Nashville. Eastern Illinois hopes to defend their team titles on both the men's and women's sides, while Eastern Kentucky hopes to take the next step after taking second in both the men's and women's team competitions last season.
2012 OVC Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year
Female Track Athlete of the Year: Lydia Kosgei, Eastern Kentucky
Male Track Athlete of the Year: Soufiane Bouchikhi, Eastern Kentucky
Female Field Athletes of the Year: Jade Riebold, Eastern Illinois; Daniecce Ward, Tennessee State
Male Field Athlete of the Year: Josh Uchtman, Southeast Missouri
Female Freshman of the Year: Tonia Pratt, Murray State
Male Freshmen of the Year: Jacob Kent, Southeast Missouri; Ahmad Evans, SIUE