The 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be run on Saturday at the Vaughn's Gap Course at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. The men's 8K race will begin at 9 a.m. CT with the women's 5K race to follow at 10 a.m. CT.

The event is being held in Nashville for the first time since 1997 and third time overall since 1991.

This will be the 48th OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962. Eastern Kentucky has won the most OVC Championships (17), including the last three in a row and four of the last five. EKU has had the OVC Runner of the Year in each of the last five years, including Jacob Korir's four titles in a row (2004-07) and Joseph Maina's title a year ago.

The women's championship will be determined for the 31st time. Eastern Kentucky has won 23 of the previous 30 championships including three in a row and five of the last seven. Despite winning all those team championships, EKU has not had a Runner of the Year and individual champion since 2003. Runners from Samford (2004-07) and Tennessee Tech (2008) have laid claim to that honor over the last five years.

Men's Preview

Picked first in a preseason poll of OVC cross country coaches, Eastern Kentucky enters Saturday's championship as the favorite to claim its 18th championship. The Colonels are the only OVC team ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional polls. EKU is eighth in the Southeast region, a ranking they have held onto since a strong showing at the Pre-Nationals Meet in Terre Haute, Ind. two weeks ago. Senior Stanley Mugo (24:37.84) and junior Wesley Ruttoh (24:39.88) have the two fastest 8K times in the OVC this season. Mugo was second at the OVC Championship a year ago, 10 seconds behind his teammate Maina. Ruttoh was EKU's top finisher at the Pre-Nationals Meet (64th out of 237 runners).

Picked fifth in the preseason poll Jacksonville State has had one of the strongest runners of the season, freshman David Nilsson. Nilsson has been named OVC Runner of the Week four times this season and has won five of the six races in which he has entered. His 8K time of 24:44.00 on Oct. 10 was the fourth fastest of the season in the Conference. Nilsson has already run on the Vaughn's Gap Course once this season, taking first place at Vanderbilt Commodore Classic, topping a field that included six OVC squads by 30 seconds.

Southeast Missouri State finished second at the Championship a year ago when they served as the host. Junior Jason Lumpkin has been named OVC Runner of the Week twice this season, including two weeks ago when he was second out of 151 runners at the Evansville Invitational; that meet featured six OVC squads. Lumpkin has three runner-up finishes in his last four total meets. He was 15th at last year's Championship.

Eastern Illinois, tabbed second in the OVC preseason poll, is the only other school besides Eastern Kentucky to win an OVC Championship over the last 13 seasons. The Panthers last won in 2005 and claimed four titles in a row from 2000-03. Against a field of six OVC schools at the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago, the Panthers were the top OVC finisher. The team's top 8K time of the season is by Aaron Iaun.

Morehead State was picked fourth in the OVC preseason poll. Junior Josh Wakeman was the team's top finisher in its last event while senior Matt Dotson finished 14th at the OVC Championship a season ago. Morehead State is the last school outside of EKU and EIU to claim an OVC Championship (1995).

UT Martin will look to junior newcomer Justin Cacaro to lead the men's team. Cacaro was named OVC Runner of the Week on Sept. 29, the first Skyhawk runner to win the award in six seasons under head coach Gordon Sanders.

Tennessee Tech junior Sam Taylor has led the Golden Eagles in each of the squad's five meets this year. Taylor was 30th at the OVC Championship a season ago. TTU is slated to have four seniors among its lineup on Saturday.

Freshman Derek Perry led Murray State in its last meet at Evansville. Senior Andrew Beckman was 48th at the OVC Championship a season ago.

Austin Peay was buoyed by sophomore Enock Langat at the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago. Langat did not compete at the Championship last year due to injuries that allowed him to compete in only two races in 2008.

Host Tennessee State has not run since the Oct. 2 Tennessee Tech Invitational. Sophomore Chris Hobbs was the Tigers top finisher in that race.

Women's Preview

Having improved its finish at the OVC Championship over each the last four seasons (from 11th to 7th, to 6th, to 4th to 2nd) Murray State was tabbed first in the preseason poll of OVC head coaches. Last season the Racers were just five points from dethroning perennial power Eastern Kentucky in what was the closest OVC Championship finish since 2003 (that championship was determined by only two points). Junior Katelyn Jones was third at the OVC Championship a season ago and has been named OVC Runner off the Week three times this season. Senior Taylor Crawford, who was the 2009 OVC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year last May, placed seventh at the 2008 OVC Cross Country Championship.

Having won over three-fourths of all previous OVC Championships, Eastern Kentucky will also be looked at as one of the favorite teams on Saturday. Junior Katherine Pagano was EKU's top finisher at the OVC Championship a season ago, placing fifth overall. Pagano also led Eastern at the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind. two weeks ago. Redshirt freshman Picoty Leitich has been named OVC Runner of the Week twice this season. Leitich was third out of 148 runners at the Vanderbilt Classic in September, held on the same course this weekend's championship will be run on.

Southeast Missouri was third a season ago when they hosted the OVC Championship. Junior Monica Noble is the Redhawks top returning finisher from last year's championship, as she finished ninth a season ago to pick up second-team All-OVC honors. Southeast's roster has been bolstered this season by former basketball player Szandra Pal, who has been one of the team's top finishers all year long.

Eastern Illinois claimed its lone OVC women's cross country championship in 2001. The team has never finished outside the Top 5 at the Championship since joining the league in 1996. Redshirt freshman Olivia Klaus has been named OVC Runner of the Week twice this season and has the ninth fastest 5K time in the OVC this year. Senior teammate Erin O'Grady has the sixth fastest time in the league this year; she is looking to end her career on the same strong note she began it with when she was named OVC Freshman of the Year in 2006.

Senior Tiffany Palmer will look to lead the Tennessee Tech squad on Saturday. Palmer was 24th at last year's Championship, finishing behind two TTU seniors including Stephanie Place who won the race. Palmer was eighth overall at the Evansville Invitational two weeks ago.

As a freshman in 2008, Janelle Avery was 29th overall for Austin Peay at the OVC Championship. She has consistently been the Lady Govs top performer this season and will look to better that finish on Saturday.

Morehead State was sixth at last year's OVC Championship. Senior Alexis King was 21st in that race to lead the Eagles. She is the only senior on a roster full of freshmen and sophomores.

Jacksonville State freshman Ashley Stovall is the current OVC Runner of the Week after her finishing at the KSU Owl Invitational last Friday. Earlier this season she was the Gamecocks top finisher when Jax State ran on the Vaughn's Gap course at the Commodore Classic.

UT Martin senior Shannon Wall will be looking to conclude her career on a high note Saturday. Wall was the Skyhawks top finisher last season, placing 30th at the OVC Championship.

Host Tennessee State is coming off a third place finish at the UTC Front Runner Classic two weeks ago. TSU will be led by seniors Jaleeca and Jasmine Jacobs.