Jackson graduate Kahle enjoys competing near home at Southeast Missouri State

Rachel Kahle couldn't have imagined a better place to continue her athletic and academic careers than at the university just down the road from her hometown.

"It's been the perfect school for me," the Southeast Missouri State senior from Jackson said.

The feeling, emphasized Eric Crumpecker, has been mutual.

"She'll go down as one of the best sprinters to come through here," said Crumpecker, Southeast's track and field coach. "She's a competitor. She's worked her butt off. She's gotten better every year."

Kahle took some time to reflect on her myriad of accomplishments Saturday at the final home meet of her career, the 30th annual Joey Haines Invitational.

Southeast Missouri State's Rachel Kahle, left, crosses the finish line of the 100-meter dash behind event winner Sharika Nelvis of Arkansas State during Saturday's Joey Haines Invitational. Kahle finished third in the event. (Fred Lynch)

Kahle was part of Southeast's victorious 400-meter relay team and finished third in the 100 meters. She scratched from the 200 and 1,600 relay due to what she termed a "minor back injury."

"Nothing major," she said.

What Kahle has attained at Southeast, however, qualifies as major in every regard.

Kahle has scored substantial points for the Redhawks at the Ohio Valley Conference meet since her freshman season.

Although Kahle never has won an OVC individual title -- her lone first place came as a member of the 1,600 relay at the 2009 OVC indoor meet -- she has amassed 24 top-eight finishes, including 18 top fives and seven seconds.

The versatile Kahle has racked up points in all the short sprints, the long jump and the 400 and 1,600 relays.

"She's done a little bit of everything for us," Crumpecker said. "She's been very valuable."

Former Southeast coach Joey Haines, who originally recruited Kahle and was her coach during her freshman season, said the only reason Kahle has failed to win an OVC individual title is because her competition has been so stout.

It's not because Kahle's times have lagged, as her standing on the school's all-time top-10 lists prove.

Kahle has the second-best 200 time in program history, a mark of 24 seconds. She ranks fourth in the 100 at 11.78.

Kahle also is eighth in the long jump with a distance of 19 feet, 1 1/4 inches.

"The events she competes in are really strong at the OVC every year," Haines said while attending Saturday's meet that bears his name.

Kahle hasn't given up on capturing an OVC individual title. She has one chance left, at the conference outdoor meet in May.

Kahle thinks her first regional qualifying performance, in the 200 during last year's outdoor season, will give her a boost for her final outdoor campaign.

"It's still a goal," Kahle said about winning an OVC individual event. "With me going to regionals last year in the 200, I hope that's an event I can dominate in this year.

"My career is not over yet. I still hope to improve."

Crumpecker is counting on that.

"I think she'll have a chance to break the school record in the 200," he said. "She's been second [at the OVC] a bunch. I think she'll have a good shot at winning one this year."

Kahle said it's hard to imagine that her college career is just a couple of months away from ending.

"It's flown by a lot quicker than I expected it to," she said. "I never thought it would go as quick as it did."

That means she has had plenty of fun, which the good-natured Kahle readily acknowledged.

"It has been a lot of fun," she said. "I especially love the home meets, when friends and family can come visit."

Kahle is proud not only of what she's accomplished on the track but also in the classroom.

She has been a multiple Southeast Scholar Athlete and a member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

She has achieved a 3.7 grade-point average in the challenging major of biomedical science and will graduate in May.

Kahle plans on attending medical school but hasn't decided on a concentration.

"I want to be a pediatrician, maybe a surgeon. I'm trying to keep my options open until I have to chose," she said.

Whatever Kahle winds up doing, she said she'll remember her Southeast years with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

"I ran good times. I accomplished great things and academically I was successful. I had my family here," said Kahle, who also considered Missouri and Purdue before deciding on Southeast. "I thought about other schools, but coach Haines really wanted me. I'm very happy I came."