GREENSBORO, N.C. – Eastern Kentucky University senior distance runner Joseph Maina will compete in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA East Region Track and Field Championships on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. EST at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T University.

Maina qualified with a time of 14:12.49, which he ran at Georgia Tech two weeks ago, and he is ranked 40th of 48 runners heading into the preliminary race.

Freshman Soufiane Bouchikhi, who won the 5,000 meters at the OVC Championships and recorded a time of 14:01.71 at the Penn Relays, also qualified for the regional but will not compete due to an injury. Bouchikhi would have been ranked 20th in the region.

Maina finished seventh in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:17.98 at last year’s Mideast Region Championships and earned the Colonels’ only at-large bid to the NCAA National Championships.

If he does not earn an at-large bid this year, Saturday’s race will be the final race in Maina’s quietly brilliant career at EKU. The Ruiru, Kenya native was named the 2008 OVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, is a three-time OVC track champion, has competed at two NCAA National Championships (2008-09) and has recorded the third fastest 5,000 meters time (14:06.43) in school history.