Cross selected Academic All-American

The Southeast soccer player has been perfect in the classroom.

Southeast Missouri State University senior defender Jen Cross has been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America women's soccer team.

Cross was a four-year starter for Southeast, beginning in 2000 when she was an honorable mention all-Ohio Valley Conference choice as a freshman. She missed the 2001 season with a knee injury but bounced back to become a regular each of the last three years.

Cross has a perfect 4.0 grade point average while majoring in education. She was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection this year and is president of the Southeast student-athlete advisory committee.

An Academic All-District second team selection in 2002 and 2003, Cross is a four-time OVC Academic Medal of Honor winner, a four-time Southeast Scholar Athlete and a four-time member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

"Jen is truly a student-athlete and certainly deserving of being named an Academic All-American," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said. "She was a key part of our defense all four of the seasons she played."

Hale leads nation

Southeast sharp-shooting senior guard Brett Hale is not only the Ohio Valley Conference's top 3-pointer shooter for men's basketball right now -- he also leads the nation.

Through games of Dec. 13, which was the NCAA's most recent statistical report, Hale was atop Division I with a 3-point percentage of 61.5 (16 for 26). He is even better currently at 63 percent (17 for 27).

Hale, a Dexter High School product, is Southeast's third-leading scorer with an average of 12.6 points per game.

Conceicao nabs honor

For the fourth time in five weeks, Southeast junior center Tatiana Conceicao has been named the OVC newcomer of the week for women's basketball.

Conceicao, a junior college transfer, scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Southeast's only game last week, a 78-76 loss at Illinois-Chicago Saturday night.

Conceicao is averaging 20.9 points per game to rank 14th nationally.

Southeast is gearing up for Wednesday's 7 p.m. home game with perennial national power Southwest Missouri State.

--From staff reports