SEMO Athletics looks to build on momentum with community support

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 ~ Updated 11:25 PM

Several years ago, SEMO Athletics set out on a mission to graduate champions -- to build the premier athletics program in the Ohio Valley Conference, whose student-athletes walk across the stage on commencement day with a championship ring on one hand and a diploma in the other. That vision has become a reality. Since 2019, SEMO Athletics has won at least one team championship in every one of its programs, which means every student-athlete who began at SEMO as a freshman in 2019 and finished in 2023 has graduated as a champion.

In all, the Redhawks have won 25 team championships since 2019, and this school year SEMO won its second OVC Commissioner's Cup in the past three seasons, awarded to the institution with the greatest athletic success across all conference sports. The 2022-23 school year brought unmatched success for the SEMO Redhawks, including eight OVC championships: football, women's indoor track & field, men's basketball, tennis (regular season & tournament), softball, men's outdoor track & field, and women's outdoor track & field.

SEMO student-athletes competed on the national stage, with football facing Montana in the FCS Playoffs on ESPN2, men's basketball tipping off in March Madness for the first time in 23 years, and tennis competing in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Nine Redhawks were named All-Americans, as well as 37 All-OVC Honorees and five All-OVC Newcomer Selections. Five SEMO head coaches earned OVC Coach of the Year, four student-athletes earned OVC Player of the Year honors, and three Redhawks won OVC Freshman of the Year honors.

Not only did the Redhawks win big in competition, they achieved highly in the classroom. Redhawk student-athletes are graduating at a rate like never before, with a school-record graduation success rate of 92%. This spring, 12 SEMO programs achieved an overall team grade point average over 3.0, including SEMO football and women's cross country boasting the highest GPA in their programs' history.

Even with unprecedented success, SEMO Athletics continues to ask, "What's next?" For starters: opening a newly renovated Houck Field this fall, more championships and more national exposure for Southeast Missouri State University in NCAA Tournaments across all sports. SEMO welcomes new student-athletes to the Redhawk family every year, and the vision remains that they, too, will graduate as champions.

Just as the Redhawks have achieved unprecedented success, they will need unprecedented support from alumni, fans and community to seize the momentum. In a comparison of 12 current and past Ohio Valley Conference programs, SEMO ranked just seventh in donor contributions in 2022. SEMO Athletics has certainly generated a positive return on its supporters' investment over the past several years, with outstanding success in competition and the classroom, but SEMO cannot sustain this success and soar to an even higher level without additional support.

Awarding scholarships is one of the largest expenses for SEMO Athletics. Investing in scholarships allows Redhawk coaches to recruit talented student-athletes and provide life-changing educational opportunities for student-athletes to earn a college degree while competing for championships. The Redhawks Club is the fundraising arm for SEMO Athletics that helps fund scholarships for all student-athletes, as well as the championship-level resources necessary to be successful in competition and in the classroom.

In addition to investing in student-athletes and supporting a championship program, Redhawks Club members receive exclusive benefits and rewards. There has never been a better time to be a Redhawk, and the Redhawks Club needs you to be a part of its championship team. SEMO Athletics relies on supporters who will answer the call and help build on the successes of the past several years.

The Redhawks Club is holding a membership drive through Aug. 4. Learn more about the Redhawks Club and make an investment in the lives of Redhawk student-athletes and SEMO Athletics by visiting www.SEMORedhawks.com/RedhawksClub or call (573) 651-2113.