Redhawks ready to jump into new season

~ Southeast begins indoor campaign Saturday at Arkansas State Kickoff Classic.

Southeast Missouri State track and field athletes no doubt are looking forward to opening the indoor season on Saturday.

That's because veteran coach Joey Haines figures the Redhawks -- who compete in the Arkansas State Kickoff Classic -- are tired of simply working out.

"We started training in early September. Most teams don't train that long without having a competition," Haines said. "It's been a long fall. We're ready to go."

Haines looks for good competition at Saturday's meet, although most of Southeast's distance runners, who recently finished the cross country season, won't compete, and several other athletes nursing minor injuries also will be held out.

"It's always a very good meet, although it's not usually scored as a team, and we don't look at is as a scoring meet ourselves," Haines said. "I'm anxious to get a look at some of our freshmen that we're really high on."

Haines, Southeast's coach since 1982, expects another big year for his program.

The women swept the Ohio Valley Conference last season for the second straight time, winning both the indoor and outdoor titles. They have captured five consecutive OVC championships overall.

The men won last season's OVC outdoor title after finishing second indoors.

Haines said he sees no reason why Southeast can't make it a clean sweep this season by winning all four conference championships.

"That's our goal. We'll be disappointed if we don't," said Haines, who has led Southeast to 12 conference women's titles and four league men's crowns since the school joined the OVC in 1991.

Southeast's women lost quite a bit of talent from last year's dominant squad, but Haines doesn't seem worried.

The Redhawks will be bolstered by the return of Central High School graduate Heather Jenkins, who dominated the OVC throws her first three seasons before redshirting last year with a knee injury.

Jenkins, a senior, has won 10 OVC titles, and she was the league's indoor and outdoor co-athlete of the year in both 2003 and 2004. She is also a former qualifier for the NCAA national meet.

"We don't have the depth we normally have. We lost a lot of really good girls," Haines said. "But we have a lot of qualify. We have Heather back, which is a big boost, and several others that were hurt last year are back.

"We've also got some freshmen we're really excited about. I still think we'll be all right."

The women have added another Central product in junior high-jumper Lainie Bohnsack, a transfer from Truman State.

"She'll help us," Haines said.

Three Jackson products also bolster the women's roster in junior triple-jumper Heather West, who has already been a key contributor her first two seasons, along with freshman pole-vaulter Amy West (Heather's sister) and freshman thrower Rebecca Martin.

Smith leads men

Southeast's men return the bulk of their top performers, led by junior sensation Miles Smith, who was fifth at last year's NCAA outdoor nationals and earned a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team at the World Championships.

Senior Alonzo Nelson qualified for outdoor nationals last year in the 400 hurdles, while the entire 1,600 relay team that competed at outdoor nationals returns in Smith, Nelson, senior Chaz Brown and sophomore Chris Poindexter, along with senior Walt Washington, who ran on the relay during the indoor season when it set the school record.

Among the many talented newcomers is Sam Scroggins, a member of the Southeast football team this year after transferring from Minnesota. Haines said Scroggins was among the top throwers in Missouri while in high school.

"We're real excited to have him," Haines said. "We lost Brian Knippen [the OVC's top thrower last year], but he [Scroggins] should step right in."

The Redhawks have two walk-ons from Central in sophomore jumper Anthony Harris and freshman distance runner Cory Huskey, while freshman thrower Andy Glass is from Jackson.

"Our men's team is definitely stronger than we were last year," Haines said. "We have a good well-rounded bunch, and a lot of depth."

Following Saturday's meet, Haines said a few athletes will compete Dec. 9 at Southern Illinois. Southeast then has several weeks off before resuming its schedule in mid-January.

The only indoor home meet is Feb. 17 at the Student Recreation Center, with the OVC indoor championships set for Feb. 24 and 25 in Nashville, Tenn.

"Everything we do all year is geared toward building for the OVC meet," Haines said.

A highlight of the outdoor season will be Southeast hosting the OVC meet in May.

"We're real excited about that," Haines said. "We're just looking forward to the season. We again expect big things."