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Eastern Illinois fifth-year
Dustin Hatfield and Southern Indiana junior
Lauren Greiwe were named the 2022 OVC Male and Female Cross Country Athletes of the Year in a vote of league head coaches on the eve of the 2022 OVC Cross Country Championship.
In addition, UT Martin's
Luke Johnson and Lindenwood's
Holly Harding were named the 2021 OVC Freshmen of the Year.
Prior to the 2011 season the awards for the top honors in cross country were determined by placement at the OVC Championship but were changed to a vote in 2011. This year's OVC Championship will be held on Saturday, October 29 at the Putnum County Sports Complex in Cookeville, Tennessee. Following the race, the awards for Athletes of the Championships, Coach of the Year and the All-OVC teams will be awarded.
Hatfield repeated as the winner of the this, the first OVC athlete to do that since 2015 and 2016 (Erick Rotich of EKU). The reigning OVC Male Athlete of the Year earned a pair of OVC Runner of the Week honors this season while running the fastest 8K time in the OVC this season (23:26.8) at the Louisville Cross Country Classic. At that meet he placed fifth in a field of over 300 runners from 11 regionally-ranked teams. That time improved his own EIU school record time. Two weeks later he placed seventh out of 289 runners at the Bradley "Pink" Classic. In his first meet of the season, he placed third at the Illinois State Redbird Classic. This marks the sixth time an EIU runner has won this award.
In her first year competing in the OVC, Greiwe earned a pair of OVC Runner of the Week honors and established the fastest 8K time, with a time of 21:11.9 at the Bradley "Pink" Classic. At that event she ran a personal-best time in finishing 35th out of 306 runners, in a meeting that included 38 schools (including five OVC teams). She began the season by placing 18th out of 138 competitors at the Appalachian State Covered Bridge Classic, running a 5K time of 18:15.17. She also placed 48th out of 389 runners at the North Alabama Showcase and was 79th out of 373 competitors at a competitive field at the Louisville Cross Country Classic.
Johnson opened his college career with a 26th place finish out of 101 runners at the Memphis Twilight. At the Golden Eagles Invitational (on the course the OVC Championship will be run on), he placed 10th with an 8K time of 26:28.3, and he followed that performance by placing 72nd in a loaded field at the Louisville Cross Country Classic. Johnson wrapped up the regular season with a season-best 8K time of 25:18.5 at the UAB Blazer Classic. In that race he was 29th out of 176 runners and was the third UTM runner across the finish line. Johnson is the first athlete from UTM to win the award.
In her debut collegiate season, Harding was the top finisher for Lindenwood in each of its four meets. She began her collegiate career by placing fourth at each the Redhawks Invitational and the Billiken Cross Country Invitational. At leading the team at the Missouri Gans Creek Classic, she capped the regular season with a personal-best in the 6K (25:50.4) at the Bradley "Pink" Classic. That meet included a competitive field with over 300 runners.