Farley sets school shot mark, nabs OVC honor

It has been quite an eventful few days for Southeast Missouri State thrower Kevin Farley, whose big sophomore season took on even more luster.

Farley was on Thursday named the Ohio Valley Conference male athlete of the championship for his performance at last weekend's OVC outdoor meet in Charleston, Ill. The award is voted on by the league's coaches after the conference meet.

Farley won both the shot put and discus while placing second in the hammer throw at the OVC outdoor. Prior to the meet, he was voted the OVC outdoor male field co-athlete of the year. He was also the OVC male freshman of the year during the 2012 outdoor season.

Then Farley went out and broke a long-standing school record over the weekend as the Redhawks ended the regular season, with some athletes competing at the Louisville Twilight while others participated at the Georgia Tech Invitational.

Farley, competing at Georgia Tech, shattered the school record in the shot put with a throw of 60 feet, 3 1/4 inches to win the event. His mark topped the previous record of 59-0 1/2 set by Rick Wadlington in 1971.

"This is quite an accomplishment for Kevin," Southeast coach Eric Crumpecker said in a release. "That was a 42-year-old record he blew past. He has really come on the last couple weeks."

Also finishing in the top eight at Georgia Tech were Craig Robinson (third in the shot put, 57-9 1/2, and fourth in the hammer throw, 186-9); Kayla Gutierrez (sixth in the hammer throw, 166-7); Sarah Hall (sixth in the shot put, 44-8); Blake Smith (seventh in the long jump, 23-8 3/4); and the 400-meter relay team of Blake Smith, Kendrick Farr, Alexander Anderson and Blake Carter (sixth, 40.98).

Jerika Lewis posted a pair of top-five finishes at Louisville, placing third in the 400 (55.69 seconds) and fifth in the 200 (24.46).

Others in the top eight were Rebekah Lawson (third in the 5,000, 17:36.52); Mary Dohogne (fourth in the steeplechase, 11:06.68); Maria Trowbridge (fifth in the steeplechase, 11:42.16); Gloria Westlake (fifth in the 5,000, career-best 17:55.50); Nikki Buchheit (sixth in the pole vault, 12-2 1/2); and Kameron Long (seventh in the 800, 1:53.27).

Southeast will have several qualifiers, Farley included, at the NCAA West Regional May 23-25 in Austin, Texas. The regional field should be announced in the next several days.

Soccer

Southeast announced another recruit for the 2013 season as defender Bridget Sankey from Brisbane, Australia, will join the program this fall.

"We couldn't be more excited coach to welcome Bridget to our Redhawk soccer family," Southeast coach Heather Nelson said in a release. "Bridget has been recognized by the Australian School Girls coach for her character, dedication and soccer talent. She brings an incredible work ethic to accompany her ability to read the game and her composure as a central defender.

"The combination of her personal strengths and international experience will strengthen our defense and positively impact our team this fall."

-- From staff reports