OTAHK RUNNERS TO COMPETE IN NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL

Southeast Missouri State University's women's cross country team will once again try to prove that it is one of the better squads in the Midwest Region.

The Otahkians will shoot for their second straight top-10 finish today when the NCAA Midwest Regional is held, with the University of Illinois serving as host.

Last season, the Otahkians had their best-ever regional finish, placing eighth out of 34 teams. Twenty-nine squads, including top teams from the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences, will compete today."Our goal is to finish in the top 10," said Southeast coach Joey Haines, who guided the Otahkians to a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships. "Our team has trained hard for this meet and I believe we are ready to run well against some of the top teams in the nation."Haines believes the teams who should rank as the favorites in today's meet are Kansas State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Missouri.

Southeast will be led by OVC individual champion Amy Arteme and Tammy Wenkel, who placed fourth in the OVC Championships and 47th in last year's NCAA Regional. Arteme was the OVC Runner of the Year and she and Wenkel were both first-team all-OVC.Other key runners for the Otahkians will be Celeste Ramsey and Leslie McNamara, who were both second-team all-OVC selections after finishing 13th and 14th at the OVC Championships."We are hoping that Amy and Tammy can both be in the top 30," Haines said.

The 5,000-meter race at the University of Illinois Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Ill., will begin at noon.