Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Saturday’s 11th annual Greater Louisville Classic likely will be the largest collegiate cross country meet contested in the nation this year.

The Louisville Sports Commission will host 115 colleges and universities from 24 states, featuring more than 2,400 athletes. Of those teams, 35 men’s squads and 41 women’s teams are nationally ranked by either the NCAA Division I, II or II, or the NAIA.

Action at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park begins with the men’s gold division at 9:30 a.m. Then, it will be women’s gold at 10:15, men’s blue division at 10:45, women’s blue at 11:30, men’s silver division at noon and women’s silver at 12:30. High school and middle school competition will follow, beginning at 1:15 p.m.

Top teams in the men’s gold include sixth-ranked Texas, No. 8 Iona and No. 28 Columbia. Regionally ranked teams include Georgia, Arizona, Penn State and Louisville. Others to watch include Michigan State and Division II powers Grand Valley State and Southern Indiana.

Premier individuals in the 8,000-meter race include Arizona teammates Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu. Lawang is the defending NCAA champion, and Sambu was NCAA runner-up in 2010. North Carolina-Greensboro’s Paul Chelimo was the 5,000-meter runner-up at the 2012 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

Louisville, ranked No. 6 in the Southeast Region, is led by Kenyan freshman Ernest Kibet. He won his collegiate debut two weeks ago, leading the Cardinals to a first-place finish in the Winthrop Invitational. Also placing in the top 20 in that meet for U of L were Gordon Dooley, Mattias Wolter, Evan Hibbs and Ryan Eaton.

Kentucky is led by senior Luis Orta, sophomore Mackay Wilson and junior Matt Hillenbrand.

No. 1-ranked Washington leads the women’s Gold teams. The field, competing over a 5,000-meter course, also includes No. 8 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 12 Arizona, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 17 Penn State and No. 29 Wisconsin.

Washington is led by Katie Flood, who placed seventh in last year’s NCAA Championships, and Megan Goethals, the 5,000-meter runner-up in track last spring. Arizona boasts Jennifer Bergman, 26th in last year’s NCAA, and Elvin Kibet, seventh in the NCAA track 10,000. Vanderbilt’s contingent includes  Liz Anderson, out of Louisville’s Manual High School.

U of L is paced by sophomore Michelle Molodynia, a Canadian, who placed eighth at Winthrop. Maria Frigo and Leah Kiyohara are the Cards’ next-best threats.

Kentucky features Cally Macumber and the reigning Freshman of the Week in the Southeastern Conference, Mary Kate Ponder. Macumber won the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational and Ponder placed 32nd, helping the Wildcats to a second-place team finish. Chelsea Oswald and Allison Peare also placed in the top 10 at Virginia.

Eastern Kentucky men climb in poll

Eastern Kentucky’s men, who climbed one spot to No. 25 in the nation this week, opted to compete Friday in the Notre Dame Invitational.

The Colonels are led by junior Soufiane Bouchikhi, the two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference Runner of the Year. A deep roster includes junior Wade Meddles, sophomore Ben Toroitich, Thijs Nijhuis and Ole Hesselbjerg, and freshman Amos Kosgey.

The EKU women will be competing Saturday at Louisville.

Arkansas junior Makeba Alcide marked her 22nd birthday Friday by taking the first title to be decided in the 2012 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, the pentathlon.

Alcide scored a personal-best 4,126 points at the University of Kentucky’s Nutter Field House, the first time she has topped 4,000 points.

Mississippi State’s Erica Bougard finished second with 4,109 points for the five events, followed by Alabama’s Kaylon Eppinger (4,081) and Florida’s Brittany Harrell (4,050).

Sand flew as Florida's Gray Horn landed a long jump of 24-10. (Mark Maloney)

Alcide won the high jump (5-9.25), Eppinger took the shot put (40-11.5) and Bougard snared the long jump (19-9.75) and 800 meters (2:14.80). Tennessee’s Ellen Wortham won the 60-meter hurdles (8.35) but did not complete the pentathlon.

Meanwhile, the first four of the seven men’s events in the heptathlon saw defending champion Gray Horn of Florida take the lead.

Horn, a senior, scored a personal-best and school-record first-day total of 3,418 points — just three points shy of the SEC first-day record set by Tennessee’s Jangy Addy in 2008.

Georgia’s C.J. Holman was in second (3,311), followed by Arkansas’ Kevin Lazas (3,265). Razorbacks freshman Gunnar Nixon, the national leader coming into the meet, was in fourth (3,200). Kentucky’s Daniel Buckles was tenth (2,517).

Horn won the long jump (24-10). Holman was first in the 60 meters (6.91). Lazas took the shot put (46-3.50). Georgia’s Garrett Scantling, in sixth place overall, cleared 6-10.25 to win the high jump.

The meet resumes at 11 a.m. with the men’s 35-pound weight throw and high jump. The first women’s event, pole vault, is set for noon. The first track event, preliminaries in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, are scheduled for 2:10 p.m.

Baseball

                             South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Kannapolis Intimidators

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 each night)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Chicago White Sox

Alaniz

Cruz

Bushue

Quevedo

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Monday, RH Ruben Alaniz (5-9, 4.80) vs. RH Dexter Carter (3-5, 6.51); Tuesday, LH Luis Cruz (3-2, 4.27) vs. RH Phil Negus (2-0, 2.52); Wednesday, RH Carlos Quevedo (6-4, 4.05) vs. RH Matt Heidenreich (9-6, 4.25); Thursday, RH Tanner Bushue (6-2, 3.49) vs. LH Spencer Arroyo (7-7, 3.70).

Trayce Thompson

Intimidator to watch: All-star CF Trayce Thompson (6-foot-3, 195 pounds, from Ladera Ranch, Calif.) leads Kannapolis in homers (17), runs (72) and walks (48) — as well as strikeouts (126) through Saturday’s games. Batting .232, he also has 62 RBI, 25 doubles, a pair of triples and five stolen bases. Selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 draft, out of Santa Margarita High School (Calif.), and signed for $625,000, Thompson is the son of former No. 2 overall NBA draft pick Mychal Thompson. Trayce played 32 games in his pro-debut year – 25 with Bristol of the Appalachian League and seven with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League, combining for a .198 average, 10 RBI and 10 runs. With Kannapolis last year, Thompson batted .229 with eight homers, 31 RBI and 28 runs over 58 games (a pitch shattered his right thumb in late May, knocking him out for three months). Coming into this season, Baseball America rated him the No. 9 prospect in the White Sox system. This season, the right-handed batter and thrower has been at his best when face lefties and playing at home. He is batting .315 vs. left-handers, .206 against righties; .254 at home, .209 on the road.

Delino DeShields Jr.

Legend to watch: 2B Delino DeShields Jr. (5-9, 203, from Ocala, Fla.) has raised his average from .192 on June 24 to .235 through Saturday. He took an 11-game hitting streak into Sunday’s game and had hits in 14 of his last 15 games. For July, DeShields is 31-for-93 (.333) with two doubles, 14 RBI, 13 runs, nine walks and 10 stolen bases. Overall, to go with his .235 average, DeShields has six homers, 41 RBI, 50 runs and 25 stolen bases. No. 2 in Baseball America’s pre-season rankings of Houston prospects, he was selected by Houston in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2010 draft and signed for an Astros draft-record $2.125 million out of Woodward Academy (Fla.). His father, Delino Sr., also was a first-round pick (12th overall in 1987) and stole 463 bases over 13 seasons in the big leagues. Delino Jr. debuted last season with two games in the Gulf Coast League and 16 with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, combining to hit .289 with eight RBI, 11 runs, six doubles, a triple and five stolen bases in six attempts. Baseball America also rates him as Houston’s fastest runner, best athlete and best pure hitter in the 2010 class. He also was recruited for football by Georgia and Ole Miss.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

The women’s watch list for The Bowerman, released Thursday, saw the addition of Colorado’s Emma Coburn, Southern Cal’s Nia Ali, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett, LSU’s Semoy Hackett and Texas A&M’s Jeneba Tarmoh to the top 10.

The Bowerman is collegiate track and field’s top award, first presented in 2009 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Ten semifinalists will be named June 21 and three finalists will be listed July 14.

The women’s watch list, in alphabetical order, includes the athlete, class, school and events.

Nia Ali, sr., Southern Cal, hurdles/jumps
Brigetta Barrett, soph., Arizona, jumps
Jessica Beard, sr., Texas A&M, sprints
Emma Coburn, jr., Colorado, distance
Kimberlyn Duncan, soph, LSU, sprints
Semoy Hackett, jr., LSU, sprints
Jordan Hasay, soph., Oregon, distance
Tina Sutej, jr., Arkansas, pole vault
Jeneba Tarmoh, jr., Texas A&M sprints
Kim Williams, sr., Florida State, jumps

Also receiving mention

Jackie Areson (sr., Tennessee) distance; Marie Louise Asselin (sr., West Virginia) distance); Joanna Atkins (sr., Auburn) sprints); Gwen Berry (sr., Southern Ill.) throws; LaKya Brookins (sr., South Carolina) sprints; Ti’erra Brown (sr., Miami, Fla.) hurdles; Dominique Duncan (jr., Texas A&M) sprints; Colleen Felix (jr., Georgia) jumps; Sheniqua Ferguson (sr., Auburn) sprints; Melissa Gergel (sr., Oregon) pole vault; Anna Jelmini (rs-frosh, Ariz. State) throws; Amber Kaufman (sr., Hawaii) jumps; Liz Lawton (sr., Chicago) distance; Lindsay Lettow (jr., Central Missouri) combined events; Chantel Malone (sr., Texas) jumps/sprints; Gabby Mayo (jr., Texas A&M) sprints/hurdles; Chantae McMillan (sr., Nebraska) combined events; Lauryn Newson (jr., Oregon) jumps; Holly Ozanich (sr., Wisconsin-Oshkosh) throws; Ashton Purvis (frosh, Miami, Fla.) sprints; Sheila Reid (jr., Villanova) distance; Brianna Rollins (soph-i, frosh-o, Clemson) hurdles; Faith Sherrill (sr., Indiana) throws; Karen Shump (soph., Oklahoma) throws; Neely Spence (jr., Shippensburg) distance; Brianne Theisen (sr., Oregon) combined events; Kate Van Buskirk (sr., Duke, mid-distance); Lucy Van Dalen (sr., Stony Brook) distance; Lea Wallace (sr., Sacramento State) mid-distance.

Oklahoma’s Mookie Salaam has rejoined the men’s watch list for collegiate track and field’s biggest award, The Bowerman.

The sixth update of the year was released Wednesday by the men’s watch committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Mookie Salaam

Salaam, who won the 60- and 200-meter sprints at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, swept the 100 and 200 at last weekend’s Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Salaam’s time of 20.05 in the 200 set a meet record and is the second-fastest in the world this year. He won the NCAA title at that distance indoors.

The Bowerman, named for legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, debuted in 2009 and is presented annually to the top male and female collegiate track and field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison won last year.

The 10 semifinalists for this year’s award will be named June 20. Three finalists will be named July 13.

The men’s watch list, in alphabetical order, with class, school and events:

Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles
Miles Batty, jr, Brigham Young, distance
Sam Chelanga, red-shirt sr., Liberty, distance
Will Claye, jr., Florida, jumps
Jeff Demps, soph.(i)/jr.(o), Florida, sprints
Kirani James, soph., Alabama, sprints
Ngonidzashe Makusha, jr., Florida State, jumps/sprints
Omo Osaghae, sr., Texas Tech, hurdles
Mookie Salaam, jr., Oklahoma, sprints
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps

Also receiving mention

Robbie Andrews (soph., Virginia) distance; Andy Bayer (rs-soph., Indiana) distance; Charles Clark (sr., Fla. State) sprints; Derek Drouin (jr., Indiana) jumps; German Fernandez (so., Okla. State) distance; Mason Finley (soph., Kansas) throws; Eric Flores (sr., Cal Lutheran) throws; Marquise Goodwin (soph., Texas) jumps/sprints; Leford Green (jr., Johnson C. Smith) sprints; Walter Henning (sr., LSU) throws; Tabarie Henry (sr. Texas A&M) sprints; Leonard Korir (jr., Iona) distance; Erik Kynard (soph., Kansas State) jumps; Torrin Lawrence (jr., Georgia) sprints; Marcel Lomnicky (jr. Va. Tech) throws; Maurice Mitchell (jr., Fla. State) sprints; Demetrius Pinder (sr., Texas A&M) sprints; Dorian Ulrey (sr., Arkansas) distance; Craig Van Leeuwen (jr., Ramapo) pole vault.

Baseball

                                  South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

When: Friday through Monday (7:05 Friday and Saturday nights, 2:05 p.m. Sunday, 10:05 a.m. Monday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call  (859) 422-7867 

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Colorodo Rockies

Foltynewicz

Minaya

Dydalewicz

Quevedo

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, LH Brad Dydalewicz (0-3, 8.57) vs. RH Ricardo Ferrer (0-3, 9.00); Saturday, RH Carlos Quevedo (3-1, 5.40) vs. RH Erik Stavert (1-2, 8.54); Sunday, RH Juan Minaya (0-3, 6.67) vs. RH Josh Mueller (1-1, 3.12); Monday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (0-6, 6.63) vs. LH Edwar Cabrera (2-1, 4.03).

Bryce Massanari

Tourist to watch: C Bryce Massanari (6-foot-1, 225 pounds, from Las Vegas) is batting .369 with a team-leading seven homers and 26 RBI over 28 games (through Thurday). A 2009 30th round draft choice out of the University of Georgia, Massanari didn’t make his pro debut until 2010. He hit .242 for the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League, with six homers and 23 RBI. This season, 16 of his 41 hits have been for extra bases. He carries a whopping 1.076 OPS, with an on-base percentage of .437 and slugging of .640. He is batting .344 against left-handers, .380 versus right-handers, and won SAL Player of the Week honors on April 25.

Delino DeShields Jr.

Legend to watch: 2B Delino DeShields Jr. (5-9, 203, from Ocala, Fla.) has been heating up over his last eight games, going 11-for-35 (.314) with four doubles, a triple, two homers, five walks and two stolen bases. He also has driven in eight runs and scored six times during that span. A first-round pick (eighth overall) last June, he was recruited by LSU for baseball and by Georgia and Ole Miss for football. His father, Delino Sr., also was a first-round draft pick (12th overall in 1987) and stole 463 bases over 13 seasons in the major leagues. Delino Jr., rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Houston system, signed for an Astros draft-record $2.125 million out of Woodward Academy. He played two games in the Gulf Coast League last summer and 16 with Greeneville of the Appalachian League, combining to hit .289 with eight RBI, 11 runs, six doubles, a triple and five stolen bases in six attempts. Baseball America rates his as the fastest runner, best athlete and best pure hitter in Houston’s 2010 draft class. Overall this season, DeShields is batting .236 with four homers, 11 RBI, 15 runs and eight stolen bases.

Transaction: Legends RHP Yordany Ramirez has been promoted to High-A Lancaster. Filling his roster spot is C Ryan McCurdy, who has been reassigned from extended spring training. Ramirez was 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA over four relief appearances totaling seven innings for the Legends. McCurdy, out of Duke University, was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent last June. Over six games with Greeneville and 14 with the Tri-City ValleyCats last season, McCurdy his .148 with one RBI and four runs scored.

Promotions: Here’s what is in store for the series. Friday — Blue Grass Energy Night, featuring The Last American Cowboy (rope-twirling act) and Ford Fireworks Night. Saturday — Bark In The Park, presented by IncrediPet and ABC 36; all well-behaved, non-aggressive dogs on leashes allowed in general admission and lawn areas only. Minimum donation of $1 per dog, proceeds to benefit the Lexington Humane Society. Sunday — JIF Kids Club Sunday. Kids Club members may buy a box seat for $2. Monday — Education Day, welcoming students from throughout Kentucky.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Kentucky remained steady at No. 23 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll, released Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the Wildcats (22-7 overall, 8-3 SEC) swept Mississippi State for the second time in three seasons.

Alabama (33-2, 9-1 SEC) held on to first place for a second week in a row. Despite suffering its first SEC loss of the season and second loss overall, 4-1 to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide received 19 of 20 first-place votes — the most for any team this season.

Tennessee (27-5, 5-3 SEC) climbed one spot in the poll to No. 10.

Another significant move involving SEC teams saw Georgia (27-4, 8-3) vault from No. 4 to No. 2. The Bulldogs swept then-No. 2 Florida, the first time the Gators have been swept in a three-game home series since 2006. Florida (30-4, 7-3) dropped to No. 5 in the poll.

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25

March 29 – March 21-27, 2011 – Week Seven

Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.

Dropped Out:  LSU
New to Poll: Georgia Tech

Others receiving votes:  LSU (22); Northern Iowa (14); Long Beach State (8); Fresno State (5); Ala. Birmingham (4); Brigham Young (3); North Carolina (2); San Diego State (2); Notre Dame (1); Maryland (1)

The University of Louisville has been recognized with the U.S. Olympic Achievement Award.

Swimmers Elaine Breeden of Lexington and Caroline Burckle of Louisville earned recognition for their respective universities, Stanford and Florida.

The U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. National Governing Bodies for Sport and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics joined together to create the award, which recognizes the colleges and universities whose student-athletes and coaches have won Olympic medals.

Ron Mann

A total of 43 colleges and universities contributed to U.S. medal successes at the last two Olympics — the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Schools are recognized based on two criteria: having a current student-athlete who was part of a medal-winning performance or a coach who was a credentialed member of the U.S. Olympic Team delegation and his/her athlete or team won a medal. Ten schools met both criteria, 16 had a student-athlete and 22 had a coach.

U of L’s Ron Mann was part of the U.S. coaching staff in athletics (track and field) at Beijing.

The U.S. Olympic Achievement Award will be presented every two years following the Olympic Games.

Below are the lists of the universities, athletes and coaches that will be honored.

Colleges/universities — Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, Cal-Berkeley, Cal-Irvine, Concordia, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Harvard, Humboldt State, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeastern, Northern Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Santa Monica College, Seton Hall, Shelton State, South Carolina, Southern Illinois, St. John’s, St. Mary’s, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Southern Cal, Wesleyan, Wisconsin.

Coaches (with sport and school) — Harvey Glance, athletics, Alabama; James Li, athletics, Arizona; Frank Busch, swimming, Arizona; Mike Candrea, softball, Arizona; Teri McKeever, swimming, Cal-Berkeley; Jamie Morrison, volleyball, Concordia; Mike Krzyzewski, basketball, Duke; Gregg Troy, swimming, Florida; Jack Bauerle, swimming, Georgia; Sue Woodstra, volleyball, Humboldt State; Jon Valdez, gymnastics, Illinois; Terry Brands, wrestling, Iowa; Ron Mann, athletics, Louisville; Kerry McCoy, wrestling, Maryland; Bob Bowman, swimming, Michigan; Dave Flint, hockey, Northeastern; Myles Avery, gymnastics, Ohio State; Mark Williams, gymnastics, Oklahoma; Randy Jepson, gymnastics, Penn State; Erica Walsh, soccer, Penn State; Marv Dunphy, volleyball, Pepperdine; Kim Keenan-Kirkpatrick, athletics, Seton Hall; Dawn Staley, basketball, South Carolina; Connie Price-Smith, athletics, Southern Illinois; Yury Gelman, fencing, St. John’s; Rob Browning, volleyball, St. Mary’s; John Rittman, softball, Stanford; Jim Boeheim, basketball, Syracuse; Chandra Cheeseborough, athletics, Tennessee State; J.J. Clark, athletics, Tennessee; Bubba Thornton, athletics, Texas; Eddie Reese, swimming, Texas; Gail Goestenkors, basketball, Texas; John Speraw, volleball, Cal-Irvine; Jeanette Bolden, athletics, UCLA; Jillian Ellis, soccer, UCLA; Jodi McKenna, hockey, Wesleyan; Mark Johnson, hockey, Wisconsin.

Athletes — Lacey Nymeyer, swimming (one silver), Arizona; Kelly Stack, hockey (silver), Boston College; Molly Schaus, hockey (silver), Boston College; Nathan Adrian, swimming (gold), Cal-Berkeley; Tim Hutton, water polo (silver), Cal-Irvine; Caroline Burckle, swimming (bronze), Florida; Walter Dix, athletics (two bronze) Florida State; Emily Cross, fencing (silver), Harvard; Jonathan Kuck, speedskating (silver), Illinois; Tobin Heath, soccer (gold), North Carolina; Joceyln Lamoureux, hockey (silver), North Dakota; Monique Lamoureux, hockey (silver), North Dakota; Adam Wheeler, wrestling (bronze), Northern Michigan; Jonathan Horton, gymnastics (silver, bronze), Oklahoma; Stephen Strasburg, baseball (bronze), San Diego State; Ronda Rousey, judo (bronze), Santa Monica College; Deontay Wilder, boxing (bronze), Shelton State; Elle Logan, rowing (gold), Stanford; Julia Smit, swimming (silver, bronze), Stanford; Elaine Breeden, swimming (silver), Stanford; Jessica Steffens, water polo (silver), Stanford; Ricky Berens, swimming (gold), Texas; David Walters, swimming (gold), Texas; Christine Marshall, swimming (bronze), Texas A&M; Lauren Cheney, soccer (gold), UCLA; Amy Rodriguez, soccer (gold), Southern Cal; Klete Keller, swimming (gold), Southern Cal; Rebecca Soni, swimming (gold, two silver), Southern Cal; Kameryn Craig, water polo (silver), Southern Cal; James Krumpholz, water polo (silver), Southern Cal; Meghan Duggan, hockey (silver), Wisconsin; Hilary Knight, hockey (silver), Wisconsin.

Eastern Kentucky’s Lydia Kosgei is the Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week.

Lydia Kosgei

Kosgei, a junior from Eldoret, Kenya, placed fourth in the mile in Saturday’s Kentucky Invitational, posting an OVC-leading 4:47.69. The field of 39 milers included athletes from Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan State and several post-collegiate competitors. The only collegian to finish ahead of Kosgei was Tennessee’s Chanelle Price.

Kosgei’s time ranks ninth-best in the country this season and is third-fastest in EKU history. Jamie King O’Shea holds the Colonels’ record, 4:42.90.

Kosgei earned her first OVC title last spring when she won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:39.99. She red-shirted last fall’s cross country season.

EKU will travel this weekend to the Indiana University Gladstein Invitational.

Other OVC weekly award winners are Eastern Illinois junior Zye Boey (Male Track), Southeast Missouri State senior Brandon Colbert (Male Field) and SEMO junior Shemekia Brewer (Female Field).

Boey won the 60 (6.77) and 200 (21.45) at the Wisconsin Badger Track Classic. His 200 time ranks third in the NCAA.

Colbert won the shot put at Southern Illinois’ Saluki Open, which also is where Brewer won the triple jump.

Southeastern Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Week

Female Runner
LaKya Brookins, South Carolina senior — Won the 60-meter dash at the Virginia Tech Invitational with an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 7.25.

Female Field Athlete
Colleen Felix, Georgia junior — Won the triple jump at the Clemson Challenge with a national-leading mark of 43-5 3/4, which is No. 3 on Georgia’s all-time list.

Female Freshman
Cory McGee, Florida — In her collegiate debut, posted top 10 times in the nation in the mile (4:46.70) and 3,000 meters (9:43.72) at the Nittany Lion Challenge Meet. Winning the mile and placing second in the 3,000, McGee has the nation’s top freshman times in both events. Her meet-record mile time is fourth-best in the country this season, while her 3,000 time ranks No. 7.

Male Runner
Horatio Williams, LSU junior — The transfer from Hinds Community College debuted with LSU in the Purple Tiger Invitational by zipping to a national-leading 6.61 in the 60 meters after a personal-best 6.73 in prelims. He ranks No. 3 all-time at LSU, behind only Richard Thompson (6.51) and Trindon Holliday (6.54).

Male Field Athlete
Zedric Thomas, LSU senior — Won the Purple Tiger Invitational long jump with a personal-best 26-3 3/4, three-quarters of an inch further than teammate Damar Forbes. Thomas’ mark ranks No. 1 in the nation this season and No. 4 all-time at LSU.

Male Freshman
Justin Hunter, Tennessee — Won the Kentucky Invitational long jump with an NCAA automatic-qualifier of 26-1, just two weeks after completing football season with the Volunteers. His mark is No. 4 in the nation this season and he is the lone freshman ranked among the top 14. He also ranks No. 3 all-time at Tennessee.

Soufiane Bouchikhi

Eastern Kentucky’s Soufiane Bouchikhi and Picoty Leitich each shared Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week honors.

Bouchikhi, a freshman from Belgium, earned Male honors for a third week in a row. Co-Male Runner of the Week is Colin Johnson of Tennessee-Martin.

Competing in the Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday, Bouchikhi led EKU to fourth place in the premier Gold Division. Placing ninth in a field of 323 runners, Bouchikhi covered 8,000 meters in 23:41.66. EKU, missing two of its top five runners due to injury, nevertheless beat regionally ranked foes that included Southern Illinois (No. 9 in the Midwest), Georgia (No. 5 in the South), Ole Miss (No. 6 in the South), Missouri (No. 15 in the Midwest), Kentucky (No. 14 in the Southeast) and Mississippi State (No. 8 in the South), as well as in-state rival Western Kentucky.

Picoty Leitich

Leitich, the defending OVC champion, edged teammate Kat Pagano and placed 19th out of 302 runners in the Gold Division. Her time for 5,000 meters was an OVC-best 17:37.53. The Colonels placed eighth and beat regionally ranked UK (No. 7 Southeast), Mississippi State (No. 13 South) and Georgia Tech (No. 14 South).

* The EKU men dropped one spot in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association ranking of the NCAA Southeast Region, to No. 7. Louisville moved up to No. 6.

EKU’s women moved up two spots to No. 11 in the Southeast, one spot behind Western Kentucky. UK dropped from No. 7 to No. 12.