By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee at Martin cross country athlete Luke Johnson grabbed a piece of history on Friday night after earning the program’s first Ohio Valley Conference Male Freshman of the Year honor after a breakout debut season.
Johnson received the OVC’s top freshman accolade after ranking as one of the team’s most consistent contributors. Not only has he cut 70 seconds off his 8k time over the course of the season, he is one of three athletes to finish in the team’s scoring group in all four meets leading up to the OVC Championships.
Hailing from Oxford, Miss., Johnson crossed the line as the Skyhawks fifth finisher in his collegiate debut, tallying a time of 21:24.5 in the four-mile run. He then finished 10th overall at the Golden Eagle Invitational in his first 8k as a Skyhawk on the home course of this year’s OVC Championship. He trimmed over a minute off his 8k time at the Louisville Classic in early October before recording a new personal record at the UAB Blazer Classic with a time of 25:18.5 to finish third for the team.
Johnson and the Skyhawks will compete for the program’s first OVC Championship title on Saturday, Oct. 29. The men’s 8k race is set to get underway at 11 a.m. at the Putnum County Sports Complex in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information