ARTEME GOES FROM UNKNOWN RUNNER TO OVC CHAMPION

Southeast Missouri State University cross country coach Joey Haines calls Amy Arteme a bulldog -- and he means that with the utmost praise and affection.

According to Haines, it is that bulldog quality -- mainly, a tremendous determination and never-give-up attitude -- that has made the Kelly High School graduate a top-flight Division I runner.

And it is also what helped Arteme surprise the rest of the league -- and even herself -- by winning Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference Championship Cross Country Meet in Clarksville, Tenn.

Arteme, a sophomore, posted a convincing victory to help the Otahkians finish second as a team."She's a bulldog, and I mean that in a very good way," said a chuckling Haines. "Here's a good story. Sunday, the day after she won the (OVC) meet, I was getting ready to go to church and I see Amy running out by my house. And I live at least five miles from her dorm."But that just tells her story. She made up her mind she wanted to be the OVC champion and she just did it. You could see it about halfway through the race."Added Haines, "Amy is able to run in meets and summon everything from her heart and her body that she has. That's quite a trait to have for this sport."The soft-spoken Arteme laughed when she heard about the term that Haines used to describe her. But she agreed that she does possess those qualities and they have helped her immensely."Mentally, you have to be really strong in this sport," she said. "You just have to keep pushing no matter what your body is telling you. You have to overcome."I try to train as much as possible and I'm sure that helped me out a lot."That being said, Arteme admitted that she didn't really expect to win Saturday's OVC race."I was pretty surprised," she said. "Last year I didn't even get second-team all-OVC, so to win was really exciting."Arteme was a standout all-around athlete at Kelly, excelling in several sports and earning all-state honors in both cross country and track. She helped lead the Lady Hawks to the 1997 state cross country title.

Despite those accomplishments, Arteme wasn't exactly a big-time recruit coming out of high school."Kelly is only Class 2A and I didn't have very many schools wanting me," she said.

Haines said he saw some potential in Arteme -- but not enough to give her a big scholarship."She played softball at Kelly, which was at the same time as cross country, so she couldn't really train for cross country all the time," Haines said. "I saw her run and thought I saw potential. We gave her a small scholarship."Haines said Arteme made a breakthrough during the summer after graduating from high school when she spent plenty of time working out at the Southeast track/cross country weight room."She really dedicated herself to it and really got strong, which helped her a lot," said Haines. "She really worked hard."Arteme also had some motivation working in her corner. Apparently, several of the schools that originally recruited Arteme told her she wasn't good enough to run at Southeast, or on the Division I level at all."One of the smaller schools that was recruiting her said she wasn't good enough to run at SEMO," Haines said. "One OVC school said she couldn't even run for them."Said Arteme, "They didn't think I was Division I material because my times weren't that good. I was determined to prove people wrong."She certainly has done that, not only excelling in cross country but also being a key contributor to the Southeast track and field squad."She's just an all-around good person," said Haines, noting that Arteme carries a 3.8 grade-point average and is a Southeast Scholar Athlete. "She works hard at everything she does."Haines figures that what Arteme has accomplished so far, despite not being a top-flight prospect coming out of high school, should be a good source of motivation for other runners who might not be that heavily recruited."She should be an inspiration to others because she has made herself into a quality Division I runner, which is a very difficult thing to do," Haines said.

And about the scholarship that Haines originally had her on."She's not on a small scholarship any more," said the coach with a laugh.