Different sport, more success for Pal

For a basketball player, Szandra Pal has turned out to be a pretty good runner.

Pal, a four-year member of the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team, made quite an impression during her lone season with the Redhawks' cross country squad.

Pal, a senior, earned second-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors by finishing 12th at Saturday's OVC meet in Nashville, Tenn.

"She was so proud of her medal," Southeast coach Miles Krieger said Monday. "She carried it everywhere she went" Saturday.

Pal didn't dispute that Monday as she prepared for a workout with her teammates.

"I was excited," Pal said.

Pal, who completed her basketball eligibility at Southeast last year, ran in a handful of outdoor track and field meets the past two seasons. She performed well, finishing sixth in the OVC 10,000 meters both years.

But since cross country conflicted with basketball, this was Pal's first season to take a crack at that sport. She shined, posting a team-high three top-10 finishes entering Saturday's meet.

"She's done a great job for us," Krieger said. "We were confident she could be all-conference. She just ran a beautiful race.

"And considering it was only the fifth cross country race she's run in her life ... that's very impressive."

Pal, a native of Hungary, said she was hopeful of reaching her goal of making all-conference. But she admits she was somewhat surprised.

"I prepared the whole summer and fall. I was hoping I would get a good place," she said. "But yes, I was surprised."

Pal said she had no competitive running experience before joining the track squad as a sophomore at the urging of a friend who was a Southeast runner.

"I ran to get in shape for basketball, but not like competing," Pal said. "I was encouraged to come out. I liked it."

With her basketball career behind her, this is the first year Pal has been able to concentrate solely on running. That's why she believes she did so well this cross country season and why Krieger has such high hopes for her final track campaign.

"Coming off basketball, she was never really able to train [for running]," Krieger said. "I'm expecting a lot out of her this track season."

Although Pal was part of considerable team success with Southeast basketball, she never was a big scorer and never garnered any individual all-conference accolades.

It took running to accomplish that feat.

"It's weird, I guess," she said with a laugh.

Pal was among three Southeast runners who made second-team all-OVC with their performances Saturday.

Junior Monica Noble was ninth for the second straight year. She and Pal helped Southeast's women to a fourth-place finish.

"Monica also ran a good race," Krieger said.

Southeast's men finished third, led by junior Jason Lumpkin's eighth-place showing.

While pleased with the way Lumpkin ran, Krieger said a bout with the flu last week likely prevented Lumpkin from doing even better.

"He was hands down one of the top five guys in the meet," Krieger said.

Krieger said the flu bug hit five Southeast male runners. In addition, reigning second-team all-OVC performers Nate Shipley and Dustin Davis both missed the season with injuries.

"It was just one of those things," Krieger said.

Krieger was somewhat disappointed that his teams did not finish higher after the men were second and the women third in 2008. Still, both squads wound up in the OVC's upper division.

"I don't like to settle for average, I want to be well above it," Krieger said. "But everybody ran as hard as they could."

Southeast has one more meet, the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 14 in Springfield, Mo.