MOREHEAD, Ky. – Graduate student
Aidan Massey led the pack of Ohio Valley Conference competitors at the Angel Mounds Invitational this past Friday and consequently was chosen as Morehead State's first OVC Male Runner of the Week this fall the league office announced on Wednesday morning.
Massey, a first-semester transfer from NAIA's Baker University in Kansas, finished 12th among collegiate entries (13th overall) in the 6K race in Evansville, Ind., notching a time of 24:34.63, which puts him eighth on the MSU all-time top performers' list.
It was the fastest time for a Morehead State male since Jarrett Mattingly ran a 24:17.30 at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 5, 2019.
Massey pointed to head coach
Clay Dixon's training regimen as a major force in his success this year.
This season Massey has either beaten or run a faster time than every OVC athlete but one and he figures to be a strong contender to win the individual title at the conference championships on Halloween in Charleston, Ill. The last Eagle to win the OVC race was Jeff Faith in 1996.
"He's been a workhorse this fall and he's gonna be a threat in the post season," Dixon said.
Massey is MSU's first Runner of the Week since former Eagles
Jacob Vogelpohl and Laikin Tarlton were both selected on October 16, 2024.
On Friday, he beat 82 competitors from the OVC.
"The only ones that have run faster, he beat them today. So, he is one of the favorites," Dixon said after the meet of Massey's chances heading into the OVC championships. "(There) probably could be five or six others but (it is) definitely exciting to take that going into conference in a couple weeks."
Massey has only lost to six OVC runners this season, and he beat three of those on Friday. His time is the fifth-fastest in the league this season, and he finished in front of three with better marks. Tennessee Tech's Carter Bradford (13th in 24:37.47), and Southern Indiana's Alex Nolan (14th in 24:39.30) and Dominick Beine (15th in 24:40.26) were right behind him at Angel Mounds and have run faster 8K times this fall. Only UT Martin's Angus Monro has run faster and not lost to Massey.
This season, Massey led the team in two of its four meets, although he did compete in the season-opening EKU Invitational.
Earlier this year, he finished second on the team and sixth overall at the EIU Walt Crawford Invitational in 25:22.40 on September 5, and then led the squad and placed 45th (43rd among collegians) at the Louisville Cross Country Classic in 24:41.0 on October 4.
Massey's female counterparts for the OVC Runner of the Week award were Brenda Torres of Eastern Illinois and Ellie Hall of Southern Indiana.
The 11-team OVC Championships will take place at the EIU Tom Woodall Panther Trail in Charleston, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. ET. The Eagle men finished eighth as a team last year, with its top individual (Vogelpohl) taking 27th. The top returning runner from 2024's meet was USI's Nolan, who placed eighth.
