California dreamin'

Southeast Missouri State track and field already has had a sensational year, with the men and women both recently winning Ohio Valley Conference outdoor titles after the women also claimed the league's indoor championship.

But now the program will strive for some individual glory when 11 athletes will take part in the NCAA Mideast Regional in Bloomington, Ind. Competition is set for today and Saturday on the campus of Indiana University.

The top five finishers in every individual event from each of the four regionals across the nation -- and the top three in relay events -- qualify for the NCAA Championships, plus eight more at-large qualifiers in each event will come from the top marks turned in nationally this season, providing those athletes reach the finals at regionals.

To make it to regionals, athletes either had to meet qualifying standards during the season or win conference titles.

"It's a really nice reward for these athletes who have done well during the season," Southeast coach Joey Haines said. "And even though the Mideast Regional is by far the toughest region in the nation, we have athletes capable of doing well and advancing to the NCAA Championships [in Sacramento, Calif. June 8 through 11]."

Leading the list of potential national qualifiers is sophomore Miles Smith, who qualified for regionals in the 400-meter and 200-meter runs but will concentrate on only the 400, where he is ranked second in the Mideast Regional and fifth nationally with a top time of 45.45 seconds.

Smith, Southeast's only national qualifier during the indoor season -- when there is no regional format -- trails only Kelly Willie of Louisiana State among the Mideast Regional's fastest 400 times. Willie has run 44.97.

"I'm real excited," said Smith, also a regional qualifier last year as a freshman. "I want to definitely make it to the finals so I can qualify for nationals, but I also want to run 44 [seconds]."

Smith, because his best time is ranked so high, likely will qualify for nationals through the at-large process even if he doesn't finish in the top five.

"If Miles makes the regional finals, he should make NCAA national finals," Haines said. "He's really been running well, and hopefully he'll continue."

Smith will also anchor Southeast's 1,600-meter relay team that has the sixth-fastest time in the Mideast Regional at 3:07.33, which ranks 25th nationally. Other relay members are Chris Poindexter, Chaz Brown and Alonzo Nelson. Smith, Brown and Nelson were also on last year's 1,600 squad that qualified for regionals.

"The 4x4 could have a chance to get through if they make it to the finals," Haines said.

Smith and Poindexter will also run on the 400-meter relay team that will include Jon Jefferson and Seth Schuster.

Nelson, a junior, qualified in both hurdles events but will run only the 400-meter hurdles, where he has the fourth-fastest time in the regional field at 50.77. Nelson has the nation's ninth-fastest time and like Smith should qualify for nationals as long as he reaches the regional finals.

"I'm excited," Nelson said. "I'm peaking at the right time, and I don't see myself doing anything but runner faster."

Said Haines: "Alonzo has kind of flown under the radar but he's had a really good year, and he's really been running well. If he makes the regional finals he should also have a very good chance to make NCAA national finals."

Other individual entries for Southeast's men are Andrew Lambert in the high jump, Brian Knippen in the shot put and Jason Theodorakos in the javelin. Knippen, the OVC Field Athlete of the Year outdoors and indoors, also is qualified in the discus but will concentrate only on the shot put.

Southeast's women will be represented by 800-meter runner Brooke Woodruff, who has the 18th-best regional time, and freshman long jumper Kathy Coleman, who has the 10th-best long jump in the region. Woodruff is also qualified in the 1,500 but will run only the 800.

Woodruff has qualified in the 800 all three years since the regional format was instituted.

"Brooke is peaking at the right time," Haines said, "and she has a chance of qualifying for the nationals."