SE SETS HOPES FOR RARE SWEEP

Although it will be a difficult chore, Southeast Missouri State University's track program should be in the running for a rare sweep when the 2001 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships are held Friday and Saturday in Murray, Ky.

Southeast coach Joey Haines believes both his teams will be in the running for titles. The resurgent men's squad will be shooting for its first OVC outdoor championship since 1996 while the defending champion women's team has captured three of the past four crowns.

"Both teams have a lot of pride. They'll go down there and bust their rear ends," said Haines. "Both meets should be very closely contested. We should be right in the running for both (titles), but there will be a lot of competition."

On the women's side, Haines said he expects a four-team race between Southeast, indoor champion Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State, with Eastern Illinois also perhaps being in the running.

"It's too close to call," he said. "Which team lives up to its greatest potential is going to win. Maybe which team gets a break here or there and which team doesn't get a bad break."

Injuries to a pair of the Otahkians' key competitors -- Shauna Birge and Hannah Stuckenschneider, who have been out all outdoor season and will miss the meet -- will hamper Southeast.

"But we still think we can win it," Haines said.

Sprinter Heather Keltner will lead the Otahkians. She is the three-time defending champion in the 400-meters, has the best 400 (53.61) and 200 (24.19) times in the OVC this year and will run on both relays.

Other Otahkians with OVC-leading performances are Natalie Talley in the 100 (12.01), Kelly High product Amy Arteme in the 10,000 (38:02.52), Cape Central High graduate Courtney Haman in the javelin (126-5) and the 4x100 relay team of Keltner, Robbi Durham, Darla Hannan and Talley (47.11). The Otahkians have won the past four 4x100 titles

Haines also expects Laura Van Hoevelaak and Lyndsey Stevenson in both hurdles, Kaci Pilcher in the 800 and Megan Youse in the shot put and discus to contend for high finishes.

In the men's division, Haines said it will strictly be a two-horse race between four-time defending champion Eastern Illinois -- which hasn't lost an OVC outdoor meet since joining the conference -- and Southeast, which has bounced back nicely after a few down years.

"We have a very, very outstanding team and we're really performing at a top level right now," said Haines, whose men's squad has been rated 51st nationally out of more than 300 Division I schools via a computer ranking formula. "We should win a lot of events and we're going to score a lot of points, but Eastern Illinois just has a lot more people than we do.

"We could score 200 points and not win, which is unbelievable. But if they screw up, we can win it. We're going down there with the idea of winning it. We're going to do very, very well, but it all depends on what they do. That's the thing about track, you can't play defense. You can't control what the other team does."

The Indians have two defending OVC outdoor champions and six athletes who are coming off indoor titles.

Glenn Haley has the OVC's best time in both hurdles -- the 110 (14.26) and 400 (52.93) -- after winning the indoor 60 hurdles.

Shelton Scott has the OVC's best triple jump (48-8 3/4) after an indoor title; Garvin Ambrose has the top high jump (6-10) after winning the indoor crown; and Perryville High product Tyson Brown has the best 800 time (1:53.89).

Brandon Myer has the league's top shot put (56-2 1/2) and discus (181-9 1/2) performances and he is the defending champion in the shot put while indoor shot put winner Jay Heddell ranks second behind Myer in both events.

Jarret Willi has the conference's best pole vault (16-6) after winning the indoor with an OVC record of 16-4 and the Indians' 4x100 relay team of Leslie Weaver, Emmanuel Opoku, Chris Donze and Derrick Brown have the top time (40.79).

Opoku, who won the indoor 60, and Derrick Brown will be among the favorites in both the 100 and 200 while Collin Sheridan is the defending champion in the pole vault.

Among other Indians who could contend for high finishes are Scott, Donze and Perryville High graduate Shawn Statler in the long jump, along with Jason Campbell in the 400.