Redhawks softball tabbed for 8th in OVC

The Southeast Missouri State softball team has been picked to finish eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Defending OVC tournament champion Jacksonville State is the favorite to win the 11-team league, according to the preseason poll released Thursday. Voting was done by the OVC coaches.

Southeast went 17-31 overall in 2010, including a 6-17 OVC mark that saw the Redhawks finish last in the conference.

Jacksonville State received eight of 11 first-place votes. Tennessee Tech nabbed two first-place votes and was picked to finish second, with defending regular-season champion Tennessee-Martin tabbed for third.

First-year OVC member SIU-Edwardsville was picked fourth, while Eastern Illinois and Morehead State tied for fifth. Eastern Illinois garnered the remaining first-place vote.

Murray State was seventh, followed by Southeast, Eastern Kentucky, Austin Peay and Tennessee State.

Southeast opens the season Feb. 10 at Jackson State.

Gymnastic honors

Southeast gymnasts captured both Midwest Independent Conference weekly honors as Brianna Gaddie was named gymnast of the week and Christina Sundgren was named co-specialist of the week.

The seniors were honored for their performances during Saturday's loss at Missouri when the Redhawks scored a season-high 192.825.

Gaddie captured her 11th career title on the vault with a season-high score of 9.800. She was second on the beam with a score of 9.775, tying her career high, and finished third on the floor with a 9.800 mark.

Sundgren notched her first career title on the beam with a career-best 9.800.

Southeast opens its home schedule at 7 p.m. today when Western Michigan visits Houck Field House. The first 100 fans will receive a souvenir Redhawks water bottle and fans that wear red will receive free popcorn from the concession stand.

Track nabs honors

Southeast's Brandon Colbert and Shemeika Brewer won the OVC field athlete of the week awards after winning their respective events at last weekend's Saluki Open.

Colbert captured the shot put and was sixth in the weight throw. Brewer claimed the triple jump.

Southeast track and field teams return to action today and Saturday at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.

-- From staff reports