QUIGLEY BLAZES PATH TO NATIONAL MEET

Janelle Quigley's storybook cross country season simply keeps getting better and better.

Quigley had been a solid if not spectacular performer during her first three years at Southeast Missouri State University. Certainly, nothing she did during that time gave an indication of what would be in store for her as a senior.

But what a senior season it has been. The native of Canada began strong and has not let up. She was the Otahkians' top runner all season, winning several individual meet titles, then captured the Ohio Valley Conference championship to earn OVC Female Runner of the Year honors.

And last weekend, Quigley finished fourth in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Wichita, Kan. That performance qualified her for Monday's National Championship Meet in Lawrence, Kan., as she became the first Southeast runner to ever make the Division I national field.

"It's just really exciting," she said. "I didn't think I had a chance (of qualifying for nationals). I was hoping to get in the top 25. I was just really happy.

"This whole season has just been so exciting. When I was up there getting my award for finishing in the top four, it just hit me. I'm actually going to nationals."

Added Quigley, "I could have never expected this. I thought I was lucky to win conference."

Quigley might not have expected it, but her performance in the regional came as no surprise to Southeast coach Joey Haines.

"Janelle has had a great season and qualifying for nationals is just a tremendous accomplishment," he said. "It's a first for our program and we're just really proud of her. The kind of competition she had to beat to get there was tremendous. Over half the Big 12 teams were there and four Big 10 teams."

Added Haines with a laugh, "Going in, I thought she had a shot. But I'm not sure she did."

Haines has remarked all season long about how dedicated Quigley was over the summer in order to have the best senior season possible.

"What she's accomplishing is because of the total dedication she's had," Haines said. "She has put herself in focus totally toward what she's doing.

"And she's not just a tremendous athlete. She's also a great student. She was a 4.0 student last year and has an overall 3.8 (grade-point average). She's an OVC Medal of Honor winner for cross country and track and I'd say she has an excellent chance of making Academic All-American."

In the perpetually good-natured Quigley's typically understated style, she said she's not really worried about how well she finishes Monday against the other top runners in the country. She simply wants to enjoy the meet.

"I just want to go and compete to the best of my ability," she said. "Getting there was more pressure than being there. Now I just want to have fun and enjoy it."

Haines, however, believes his star runner can do more than simply have fun.

"The top 25 make All-American and I think she can do it if she runs well," he said. "There are probably 35 or 40 girls there who are capable of being in top 25. Her time (from the regional) compares favorably with a lot of the other runners, so she's got a chance."