EDWARDSVILLE, Ill – The men's and women's cross-country teams head to the OVC Championships in Martin, Tenn. The races will be held at UT Martin's campus, a new location for all competitors.
 
Assistant coach Joshua Wolfe states, "this course is new and has never been run before, by anybody, so there won't really be a 'home-field' advantage."
 
The Cougars will return three runners from the men's team. Senior Tyler Guthrie ran a PR last season at the Championships in Union City, Tenn., taking 29th overall with a time of 24:58.29. Guthrie has had a strong season with his best 8k time of 25:23.3 being at the Louisville Classic.
 
Other returners include D'Andre Watson and Jackson Edwards. Watston placed 76th running a 26:48.53, and Edwards took 80th running a 24:58.29.
 
Women's cross-country returns, Mia Loafman and Alexis Kampwerth. Loafman finished 39th overall at a 22:23.73. Kampwerth finished at 80th with a time of 25:11.15. As a team the women finished ninth out of 11 teams.
 
Last season the women's team placed ninth out of 11 teams, and the men's team placed eighth out of 11 teams.
 
Eastern Illinois men's and women's team swept the 2023 Championships for their second year in a row.
 
Races are set to start at 9:00 a.m. November 1.