Redhawks set for NCAA regional meet

~ The Southeast track and field team qualified a record 17 athletes for the meet

It didn't come as a surprise to Southeast Missouri State track and field coach Eric Crumpecker that a school-best 17 track and field athletes qualified for the NCAA West Region Preliminary Championships.

But he wasn't taking that accomplishment for granted as the Redhawks prepared to compete at the regional meet today through Saturday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

"We were really loaded with a lot of juniors this year that when they were freshmen we could tell that in a couple years they were going to be pretty good, and it turned out that way," Crumpecker said. "They've all just gotten a little better every year, and now they're at a high enough level that they're getting into the first round of the national meet. It's just a great honor for them. Right now our program is really strong. I'm just proud of them. Like I said, it's a big honor to be here for that many, and hopefully we can do something this week and get some through to the national meet."

Southeast qualified seven athletes on the women's side and 10 on the men's side.

Central graduate and Southeast freshman Chris Martin will compete in the triple jump and is one of 12 athletes who will compete at regionals for the first time.

"It'll be very nerve-wracking," Martin said, "but I've just got to keep myself calm and focused and stay humble and just jump like I've been jumping, and I should do really good."

Martin, the Ohio Valley Conference Male Freshman of the Year, injured his ankle while riding his scooter Friday, but is hopeful he'll put the pain out of his mind long enough to complete at least one good jump. He enters the meet ranked sixth in the triple jump, and his goal is 51 feet.

"I know some of it's going to get to me, but all I need really is one good jump," Martin said of the pain. "If I just stay focused one good time I should have it."

Martin will compete against junior Reggie Miller in the triple jump. Miller also will compete in the high jump for the third consecutive year.

Jackson graduate Blake Smith will compete alongside Blake Carter in the long jump, and they'll be part of a 4x100 relay team with Kendrick Farr and Alexander Anderson.

Carter qualified for the third straight year while Kevin Farley qualified for the second year in a row and will compete in the hammer throw.

Brian Grote and Chris Navarro will compete in the javelin, and Shon Kyle will compete in the discus. It is the first regional appearance for all three.

OVC Female Field Athlete of the Year Kayla Gutierrez qualified for her first regional in the discus and hammer throw.

"My personal goals right now are just to PR [personal record] again in discus -- hopefully get myself another school record if I could," Gutierrez said. "If not, I'd just like to be able to PR in both the hammer and the discus and hopefully be able to get to the next level. Hammer I just want to hit 60 [meters] and discus like 55 meters. Once I hit those I should be able to qualify for nationals, hopefully, but if I don't I just want to be able to walk away and be like, ‘I PRed, I did something good today, I did my best.'"

Gutierrez, who enters the regional meet ranked 32nd in the discus and 37th in the hammer throw, credits Crumpecker for helping her realize what she was capable of this season.

"I've always, since high school, had like this mental block that I haven't been able to push through, and that tells me I'm worse than I am," Gutierrez said. "He'll sit there and be like, ‘No, you are the best thrower and you need to start thinking that.' He just pushes me to think outside the box and do the best I can. With that he's pushed me to doing better and bigger things, and I just have to thank him every day for it."

Courtney Gapelu enters the meet ranked 32nd in her respective event. Gapelu will compete in the shot put for the second year in a row, while Bethany Pfeiffer qualified in the javelin for the second time in her career -- the first was while she was at the University of Missouri.

Jessica Brown, Ahshane Johnson, Kim Moye and Sarah Hall qualified for the regional meet for the first time.

Brown will compete in the long jump, while Johnson and Moye will each compete in the triple jump. Hall will compete in the hammer throw alongside Gutierrez.

Crumpecker mentioned several Southeast athletes that have a strong chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, next month if they compete the way they have all season. The top 12 finishers from each event will advance to the national meet.

"It's kind of like that with everybody at this meet," Crumpecker said. "When you get all these good people together, they're all capable of about the same thing. It's just whoever shows up and competes the best that day."